2008 Woodie Awards
CSO coaxes soon-to-be graduates to job fling
Amy McCowan
Issue date: 3/9/06 Section: News
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For its third annual "Spring Job Fling," strategically located in the Ross Lounge during Monday's 5-6:30 dinner rush, Middlebury's Career Services Office (CSO) regaled job-hungry seniors with entry-level positions in the business, government, law, arts, sociology, psychology, language, social sciences, technology, physical science, biology, international, education, health care, non-profit and communications industries.
To counter the "there's nothing out there for me" attitude contagious among second-semester seniors, CSO sought to reduce panic and spark interest in the career opportunities available. "The idea behind this set-up is using industries with a person behind each industry so students can get to know someone and strike up a conversation, to be educated about entry level positions and to answer the question, 'Where does my major go after Midd?'" said Don Kjelleren, associate director for recruiting development and the event's organizer.
One such representative ready to start a conversation was the Program Coordinator of Darmouth's Tuck Business School Bridge Program, Victoria Yang. Last summer, the four-week Bridge program, which focuses on business fundamentals, hosted 16 Middlebury students.
"For students like those at Middlebury who have the great resumes and high GPAs and are applying for business positions, it is often a disappointment when they don't get the jobs they want right away. The employers often come back saying they're a great applicant, but they don't have the business component, and that's where Tuck comes in to not only make you competitive, but to differentiate you from all of the other great liberal arts graduates applying for that job," said Yang.
As a result of their liberal arts education, Middlebury students often hit frustrating roadblocks when their non-business or economic majors do not correspond with real-life job opportunities.
"For a sociology major, there are not a lot of jobs out there. I'd like to do independent work, but that doesn't make any money. I saw that they've got a sociology sign up, so we'll see," said Micah Gurard-Levin '07.
To counter the "there's nothing out there for me" attitude contagious among second-semester seniors, CSO sought to reduce panic and spark interest in the career opportunities available. "The idea behind this set-up is using industries with a person behind each industry so students can get to know someone and strike up a conversation, to be educated about entry level positions and to answer the question, 'Where does my major go after Midd?'" said Don Kjelleren, associate director for recruiting development and the event's organizer.
One such representative ready to start a conversation was the Program Coordinator of Darmouth's Tuck Business School Bridge Program, Victoria Yang. Last summer, the four-week Bridge program, which focuses on business fundamentals, hosted 16 Middlebury students.
"For students like those at Middlebury who have the great resumes and high GPAs and are applying for business positions, it is often a disappointment when they don't get the jobs they want right away. The employers often come back saying they're a great applicant, but they don't have the business component, and that's where Tuck comes in to not only make you competitive, but to differentiate you from all of the other great liberal arts graduates applying for that job," said Yang.
As a result of their liberal arts education, Middlebury students often hit frustrating roadblocks when their non-business or economic majors do not correspond with real-life job opportunities.
"For a sociology major, there are not a lot of jobs out there. I'd like to do independent work, but that doesn't make any money. I saw that they've got a sociology sign up, so we'll see," said Micah Gurard-Levin '07.