UpDate - Vol. 12, No. 32, Page 11
May 20, 1993
Career planning offers students, alumni employment help

     Career Planning and Placement "accentuates the positive" in today's
uncertain job market by increasing the supply of job lead resources and
services available to University graduates, according to director Jack
Townsend.
     The staff can't influence the economic climate or create jobs, but it
can help students "play the hand they're dealt," he said, focusing on ways
to capitalize assets and take advantage of opportunities. Delaware seniors
and graduate students this year have been recruited by 204 companies, large
and small, a decline from the banner year of 1988 when over 300 companies
came to campus, Townsend said. Despite these reduced numbers, interview
opportunities have been available for students in all majors.
     "I had six interviews through the Campus Interview Program," Nicole
Nigido, a communication/psychology major, said. "The experience was
valuable for building my confidence, even though I didn't accept a job
offer."
     Some familiar, large companies still targeting University seniors are
Merck, DuPont, Occidental, Exxon, Liz Claiborne and Woodward & Lothrop,
Townsend said. An additional 120 organizations requested resumes of
students registered with Career Planning and Placement through a new
Off-Campus Recruitment Program.
     Organizations with fewer than 500 employees have been a major source
of job opportunities this year, he said. The larger companies, formerly the
mainstay of entry-level hires, have severely reduced recruitment
activities. To help University students with job searches, Career Planning
and Placement will invite representatives from over 2,000 medium and small
businesses on the East Coast to list job leads with the office and consider
interviewing on campus next year.
     While it is no surprise that hiring in the health care, engineering,
computer science and engineering fields has remained strong, Townsend said,
management opportunities in supermarket, fast food and retail companies
also grew.
     While some students tend to shy away from low-profile fields and
organizations, those who did take advantage of this segment of the market
found jobs plentiful, salaries competitive and advancement opportunities
good, he said.
     The newly reorganized Career Resource Center houses a video library,
offers three, on-line, national job search services, hundreds of books and
thousands of individual job leads and job search publications geared to
field, major and geographic location. Use of these resources has increased
this year as students recognize the importance of researching companies and
building prospect lists, Townsend said.
     Increased attendance at job fairs and workshops on resume writing, job
search skills and interviewing techniques illustrates the growing
understanding that preparation for the job market is essential, he noted.
Over 1,500 students and alumni have made appointments for individual
advisement with staff to discuss their particular educational and career
goals.
     Approximately 150 alumni have benefited from the new Alumni Career
Employment Service (ACES), which includes a telephone jobs hotline and a
career counseling program. Many recent graduates have returned to Career
Planning and Placement for counseling or workshops to reevaluate career
plans.
     "There are still jobs in every field even in a bad economy," Townsend
said. "It is the level of competition that has increased for those jobs."
     Students with a positive, can-do attitude and realistic expectations
can use the many services offered by Career Planning and Placement to
become equipped with skills necessary to compete effectively in either the
job market or in the admissions process for graduate or professional
school.
                                        -Marianne Ehrlich