In an effort to increase its accessibility and usefulness to students, Career Services has designed a new website, launched a series of seminars and organized the first annual Law School Fair over the past year. The fair will be held on Sept. 20, the second day of the annual Employer Connections Fair. Some students said they think that the new programs will be helpful, though they were not sure they would attend the planned events.
Staff at Career Services worked with the College's Web Publishing Services and Jason Laster '12, a computer science major and member of the Hacker Club, to design a new website that would be easier to navigate, featuring more quick links and timely news feed items integrated from the Career Services blog, Acting Co-Director of Career Services Monica Wilson said.
"We wanted to make the website less intimidating, with more of a Facebook-type feel," Wilson said.
The website places a greater emphasis on visual media, with a designated section for videos and photos.
"We are working to make Career Services more fun, more appealing," Wilson said. "Once you get in here and start doing the work, it becomes much easier than just contemplating it."
Career Services is sponsoring the Employer Connections Fair and the Law School Fair, two "high-profile" events in the coming weeks, Wilson said. The Employer Connections Fair, to be held Sept. 19-20 at the Hopkins Center, will feature private, public and nonprofit employers including NBC Sports, Amazon, Microsoft and the Peace Corps.
There was an unexpected amount of enthusiasm for the Law School Fair, according to Wilson, and representatives from schools such as the Northwestern University School of Law, Cornell Law School, Vanderbilt University Law School and the University of Pennsylvania Law School will be in attendance.
"The new Law School Advisor Sarah Streit is willing to take new initiatives, given all the media attention that has been given to law schools that are trying harder to attract students in this softening economy," Wilson said.
The Law School Program, which will take place on Wednesday and feature Cornell, NYU, Stanford and Duke, is one of the many seminars that Career Services will be hosting in the upcoming weeks.
Two "Strictly for Seniors" seminars, to be held on Sept. 13 and 16, are geared toward helping seniors reduce anxiety and manage their time, explore their post-graduation options and learn how to reconcile their expectations with the time and energy demanded by a given career, Wilson said.
"Students often feel that picking a path means locking themselves in that career forever," she said. "Students nowadays have much more freedom. Think of your first job as the start of a portfolio of skills that you will build."
Career Services is seeking student feedback and welcomes creative ideas for improvement, according to Wilson. They have met with various class presidents and student body leaders to discuss ways to publicize the many resources that are available.
"We have sent out emails and hung up posters and partnered with other organizations such as [the] Dickey [Center], [Rockefeller Center] and Tucker [Foundation]," Wilson said. "We have established partnerships across campus with athletics, Women in Science and [the Institute for Security Technology Studies]. It is a combination of all these efforts that will hopefully get the word out."
Rachel Hein '15 said that Career Services helped her secure an internship for her off-term.
"Career Services gave me the tools I needed to reach out to alumni for internship opportunities," Hein said. "They are so knowledgeable about the available options for undergraduate career building."
Last spring, Career Services reached out to students such as 2013 Class Council treasurer Kevin Cox '13 in an attempt to obtain student feedback and increase involvement.
"They wanted to figure out creative ways to publicize what they are doing," Cox said.
Career Services also organized a recruiting event last year with resume and cover letter drops in the Collis Center in an effort to publicize their available resources.
Cox said, however, that while Career Services is purposeful, it provides limited options for students who are looking for careers outside of financial services.
"It would be helpful to contact Dartmouth alums in diverse fields and reach out to more employers," Cox said.
Career Services is working to diversify the pool of employers with which they work through their new slogan "Supporting All Interests," but the challenge lies in satisfying both students and employers, Wilson said. Most employers are reluctant to make the trip to Dartmouth when they have already received thousands of applications from students at other college.
"It takes an unbelievable amount of time and effort to cultivate an employer," Wilson said. "We are not centrally located, and many are reluctant to come all the way out here."
For seniors still unsure of their career path, Career Services provides one-on-one consultation with advisors who can narrow down career options based upon personality and students' strengths and weaknesses, according to Wilson. Career Services held extended drop-in hours for seniors during interim and the first two days of this week.
In addition, Career Services provides several hundred job shadow opportunities during the interims at the end of Fall and Spring terms.
