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Career Services lends hand to seniors

By Nika Anschuetz news Multimedia Editor 4 min read

Sixty seconds.

A resume has approximately 60 seconds until it is pushed aside into a stack of other resumes.

Newly minted alumni are looking for one thing: a job.

A year after graduation, recent surveys show that 97 percent of Waynesburg University graduates are either attending graduate school or pursuing a career related to their major.

Career Services, tucked away on the third floor of Stover, offers a variety of services to those who are still enrolled at Waynesburg and those who have graduated.

Marie Coffman, director of Career Services, helps students as well as alumni improve their resumes and cover letters.

Throughout the course of the year, Career Services hosts different job fairs specializing in different fields or industries. Every October, there is a nursing job fair, where senior and junior nursing students can network for possible externships or career opportunities.

Coffman believes that students should get an early start to their job hunt.

“During fall and winter breaks, graduating seniors should be looking for jobs,” said Coffman.

In the fall, Theresa Butler, senior accounting major, took her resume up to Career Services. She had heard about the importance of having a professional resume and she wanted to make sure her resume looked the best.

“With the help of Marie Coffman and Career Services, I was able to restructure my resume,” said Butler. “This allowed me to obtain many job interviews this year and it landed me a job right after graduation.”

According to experts, resumes are meant to help potential job candidates in interviews.

“An employer will look at a resume for maybe 60 seconds,” said Coffman. “Employers are usually looking through dozens of resumes so it’s important to grab the employer’s attention within a first glance at a resume.”

Networking is a key component during the job search.

“It’s all about networking,” said Coffman. “If there’s a place where you’d like to work, see if you know anyone that works there or has worked there.”

Waynesburg University professors can also be a helpful tool during a job or internship search.

Joshuah Dains, senior business management major, got his internship at Mylan through a professor.

“A business professor helped me secure an internship with Mylan last year,” said Dains. “And it was through my internship that I locked in a job there after graduation.”

Soon-to-be graduates and alumni can look for careers on

www.collegecentral.com/waynesburg to find employers or potential jobs.

On the website, employers post both part-time and full-time jobs – as well as internships – which are available to those who create an online profile. The online profile outlines the types of industries as well as jobs an online candidate seeks.

Coffman believes that looking for a full-time job is a full-time job in itself. She also encourages students and alumni to remain in contact with Career Services throughout their professional career.

“If I ever decide to change jobs, I’ll make sure to send her a copy of my resume and cover letter to review first,” said Butler.

In addition to resumes, cover letters are another important part of finding employment. Career Services can help job seekers to write a strong cover letter.

“Although cover letters aren’t asked for as much, its still important to know how to write one,” said Coffman. “Cover letters should be at least three paragraphs. The first paragraph should address why you’re applying. The second paragraph should talk about the skills that you have that match the job description. And lastly, the third paragraph should thank the employer for reading the cover letter.”

Dains is thankful for the help that Coffman provided him through reworking his resume.

“She was instrumental in helping me create a resume that accurately portrayed my skills and matched them up to a job,” said Dains. “It was great to have someone go over the details with me and help me along the process.”

Waynesburg University offers a variety of services to aid alumni. The Career Services office is another tool meant to be used by both current students and alumni.

For more information about Career Services, please contact Marie Coffman at mcoffman@waynesburg.edu.

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