What do you want to do after college? I bet most of you thought about getting a job or going to graduate school. But how do you prepare for these big steps? If you are feeling that your interview skills are a little rusty, and your resumé and cover letter could use a little work, you’re not alone. Luckily, every academic college at Iowa State has its own Career Services office! What is Career Services, you ask? Well, let me tell you!
Career Services should be your first stop for all things post-graduation. Need help with your resumé? Career Services is more than happy to help as many times as you want FOR FREE!!! Need an internship for your major? Career Services can help with that. Need to brush up on your interview skills before the big day? Career Services. Have no idea what you want to do after graduation? Career Services has great resources to help you work through that process, from resumé/cover letter review to finding a job and preparing for the interview. Career Services even offers workshops designed to prepare you for life after Iowa State! The important thing to remember is to go early and go often! Yes, that means that you should go your first semester freshman year, and continue to go back at least once a year, if not more often.
Apart from these great services, Career Services also holds career fairs each semester for students. What is a career fair? It’s a large gathering of employers who come to Iowa State seeking you, our awesome students, for internships, co-ops, and jobs! As a whole, ISU brings in around 800 companies each year. These companies come for the sole purpose of filling open positions in their companies. That means, if you want a job after graduation (and you should!), there can be as many as 800 companies on campus who want to hire you in any given year!
Ever want to step foot on the floor in Hilton Coliseum? The career fairs are a great way to cross it off your bucket list!These 800 companies are divided into separate career fairs that focus on different skill sets. The two largest options for students in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences are the People-to-People Career Fair – which focuses on jobs related more to the social science majors – and the Business, Industry, and Technology (BIT) Career Fair – which, as the name suggests, focuses more on jobs related to business, industry, and technology. Students can go to whichever intrigues them the most, not just specific fairs. Are you a Performing Arts major, but want to check out the BIT Career Fair? Go for it!
Career Services has so much great knowledge about, well, career services. If you want to get a hold of them to learn more about what they do, or get their help with career-related items, feel free to stop by their office in 131 Carver Hall. Otherwise you can call them at (515) 294-8691, email them at lascs@iastate.edu, make an appointment on cyhire.iastate.edu by logging in and selecting “Request an Advising Appointment”, or visit their website at careers.las.iastate.edu.
Posted by: Michael Cox