Friday, February 6, 2015

Fordham Career Services

Looking for internship access and job security? Have no fear, Career Services is here!

I have found that one of the main priorities and reasons for getting a college degree is to ensure employment upon graduation. From my time thus far at Fordham, I have come to understand, by talking to both recent graduates and professors, that Fordham students have great success in securing jobs post-graduation. In addition to fostering a friendly, yet competitive environment, molding driven and passionate students, Fordham has fantastic networking opportunities.  This is made possible due to the hard work of Career Services. 

Pamphlet from the Career Fair


This past week, Career Services hosted its annual Spring Career Fair where representatives from top corporate firms, commercial offices, and legal practices came to connect with undergraduate students.  At the Career Fair, students had the opportunity to exchange resumes, cover letters, and business cards with a wide-range of liaisons, representatives, and recruiters in order to network to gain prospective job and internships.  While I was not able to attend the fair due to other on-campus commitments, all of my roommates were able to mingle and network with representatives from top finance and accounting firms.  They were able to discuss previous internship experiences, receive feedback on their resumes, and seek advice for future career opportunities.  Many of the recruiters were Fordham alumni, which made the conversations all the more natural and comfortable – Go Rams!


List of Rep's at the Career Fair
Throughout the year, Career Services hosts various events, aside from their Career Fairs.  For example, the office will meet with students who receive academic credit for semester-long internships.  I was able to receive this service my sophomore year when I interned at a fashion PR company.  I met with counselors throughout the semester to discuss the progress of my internship, which culminated with a reflection paper that incorporated the required book for credit-internships, “You Majored in What.”  The sessions provided the time and space to express my positive feedback from my internship as well the frustration of just starting out in the “real-world.” I was reassured that an entire network of Fordham alumni was there to help if I ever needed career advice or potential job opportunities.

After meeting with a Career Services counselor, students have access to internship and job search, which I have found to be the most useful tool provided by the office.  I am currently applying to summer internships, and already have interviews with the company’s to which I submitted my resumes and cover letters via Fordham’s internship search access.  This tool, CareerLink, allows students to type in different categories to find internships in fields varying from finance and fashion to marketing and litigation.  The vast majority of my friends and roommates have used this tool, in addition to Career Service’s weekly job postings via email blast, to find their respective paid and unpaid internships.
"Gifts" distributed at the Career Fair

As a second semester junior, I feel the “real world” rapidly approaching.  While, yes, this is an extremely daunting feeling, I feel all the more secure knowing the great resources we have here on campus to help make the “real world” a little less intimidating, and a whole lot more accessible.  It’s time to go out there and set the world on fire, in the words of St. Ignatius. 

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