SIUC grads on the hunt for employment
PDF With their college careers behind them, most recent SIUC graduates have begun their search for employment.
Of the 3,230 SIUC graduates, most of them will look for a job for at least six months before they are hired anywhere, said Rod Sievers, assistant to the chancellor. Unless they have a job lined up already, some may even accept jobs unrelated to their major.
Jaime Conley-Holt, a specialist at Career Services, assists students in their job search before and after graduation.
Some services offered by Career Services include resume and cover letter critiques, interview preparation, help with communication skills, and job fairs held in the Student Center.
Career counseling is also available to students who need help choosing a major or may not know what kind of career they should choose with their major. The online job bank, Saluki Recruiting, allows graduates to log in using their SIU dawg tag number to research job opportunities all across the U.S.
“The good thing about Saluki Recruiting is that employers are looking for recent college grads as opposed to people with five to six years’ experience,” she said. “Some really cool things have come from students using Career Services. It’s really rewarding to see people grow professionally.”
Holt said she receives e-mails from students thanking her for her help and updating her on their new jobs.
Jarvis Freeman, former Undergraduate Student Government vice president, recently received a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering. He is currently interviewing for two jobs, one with Western Illinois University’s physical plant and the other at Empire Comfort Systems in Belleville, both of which offer very generous salaries and possible promotions within the company. Freeman credits SIUC’s engineering program for the opportunity, he said.
“SIUC’s engineering program provided a diverse and challenging path where students had to create their own route toward a degree,” he said.
Career Services is located in the B Wing of Woody Hall.
