UHV's Career Services: Preparing students for the job search

By: Cynthia Padron

Posted: 2/19/07

A survey conducted by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) found that employers expect to hire 17.4 percent more new college graduates in 2006-07 than they hired in 2005-06.

The NACE survey results provide an incentive for the University of Houston-Victoria Career Services department to assist students with their career planning.

The department's goal is to guide students and alumni in career planning by providing workshops and training to help link students with employers and to serve as a resource for professional development in students' desired fields.

"We are trying to find different ways to reach out to the students and provide them with a variety of learning opportunities so they can be competitive in the job marked. If we can give them a head's up of what to do we are hoping they can go on and be successful in their careers," Eunice Mesa, Career Services coordinator, said.

One new tool recently provided by Career Services is CareerLink, a UHV- sponsored job board where students and alumni can view jobs and post resumes. The job listings contain entries from employers in and beyond Victoria's 15-county region.

Mesa said,"CareerLink is a database system. Students are already uploaded in the system, so all they have to know is their student ID number and they can access it."

CareerLink has been in place since November of 2006 and as of this printing contains job postings from 82 different employers located all over Texas and in various states including Nevada, Maryland, Virginia and Hawaii.

Students accessing the database for the first time will need to register at the CareerLink Web site. A Web link to CareerLink is located on the Career Services homepage at www.uhv.edu/careerservices.

Elza dos Santos is a recruiter for The WorkSource, a public/private partnership providing a comprehensive human resource service for businesses and residents of the 13-county Houston-Galveston Gulf Coast region.

"I have been posting jobs in UHV-CareerLink but received no results so far; probably due to the newness of the service. I am confident that once this service is known in the community, and employers start using it, it will be a success both for employers and for job seekers," dos Santos said.

In addition to providing access to local and national job boards such as NACElink, Career Services provides statistical information about careers and employment trends.

Pedro Rodriguez, a UHV student said, "I think the Career Services site is an excellent job finding tool for students. The website has many useful resources and information for students to use. I would strongly recommend students or anyone else looking for a job to use this site as an aide in their job search."

The department also assists with targeted presentations, workshops, and special events for UHV faculty members or for student organizations. Topics that have been presented by Career Services include a "Networking and Interviewing Workshop" and "Networking Tips for the Student Teacher."

Mesa said they also assist students with the preparation of their resumes and also stage a mock-job interview in order to prepare students once they start their own job searches.

Future events hosted by Career Services include the Employer Panel Event which will take place on Feb. 20 from 1:30 to 3:00 p.m. at the Victoria College. The event will also be available as a webcast. This event provides an opportunity for students to hear from Victoria area employers and hear about their expectations from employment candidates. The audience will be able to direct questions to the panelists regarding job search topics.

Mesa said they have various events planned throughout the year. The list of events can be viewed at the Career Services Events page located at www.uhv.edu/careerservices/upcomingevents.asp.

For more information about Career Services, contact Eunice Mesa at 361-570-4369 or 1-877-970-4848 ext. 369.