Thursday, August 15, 2013

Career Services for Alumni: providing lifelong assistance for every step of your career path

By: Thadra Vrubel, Assistant Career Counselor Intern & Liberti Zimmerman, Career Services Marketing and Outreach Intern                                                                                                                                                   
Congratulations to our May and August 2013 Graduates!!

Graduating can be both exciting and scary. It’s an exciting accomplishment to graduate from a University and finally begin your career. On the other hand, transitioning from being a student to being an adult can be stressful as you search for a job and adjust to working full-time.

Some of you may be asking yourself, “What do I want to do?” “How can I use my degree?” Some of you may be considering graduate school. Whatever your concerns and goals are, Career Services is here to help. As Texas State Alumni, you can still take advantage of our resources and programs at no cost to you.


Once a Bobcat, Always a Bobcat.

Texas State University is one of few universities that offer Career Services resources to Alumni, regardless of whether they have joined the Alumni Association. Career Services staff will not ask you for a fee for using the resources available. All of the resources available to students at Career Services continue to remain available to you as a graduate.

Update your e-mail address. If you wish to continue receiving e-mails from Career Services, set up an account on Jobs4Cats if you do not have one already and provide a personal e-mail address. Your university issued NetID will not be valid after a certain time frame.

Resources

Here are some resources and opportunities that you can take advantage of to help find a job or further your education.

  •  Jobs4Cats. You may continue to utilize Jobs4Cats and maintain a profile. You can also utilize Jobs4Cats to learn about the companies that will be interviewing on campus and various career related events. In addition to Jobs4Cats, visit our Resources page for a list of recommended job search sites.
  •  Mock interviews. Schedule a practice interview with one of our career counselors by calling our front desk at 512.245.2645 and filling out the Practice Interview Request form online. You can also practice interviewing from the privacy of your computer by using Interview Stream
  •  48-hour online resume and cover letter critique. Draft you resume and/or cover letter and send it to Career Services here for feedback.
  •  Job Fairs. You are more than welcome to attend our job fairs. Find out when and where by checking out our Events page.
  • Graduate school. Are you trying to decide if graduate school is the right for you? We can help you with this decision-making process. If you've already determined that graduate school is the next step, let us help you apply. Set up an appointment by calling 512.245.2645.

Networking opportunities

The job market continues to be a difficult market. Recent graduates continue to find it difficult to obtain a position. In these times, we encourage you to continue to look for networking opportunities with fellow Texas State Alumni and peers from your program.

  • Join Career Services and other Texas State groups on LinkedIn.

While it may be easy to become discouraged because the search is taking longer than expected, this can be a useful time to get creative in how you use your degree. It may require taking a less than desirable position so you can build some skills and continue to network.


Congratulations and we wish you all the best!


Questions about the resources available to Texas State Alumni? Call us at 512.245.2645 or visit our website at www.careerservices.txstate.edu