Going to College to Get an Education…….and a Job.

As much as us second semester seniors don’t want to admit it, our undergraduate education is ending this May and we will need jobs. Luckily, Fordham has an abundance of resources and events to help students get just that.

First, there is our Office of Career Services. Here you can have your resumed revised, practice interview skills, and talk to professionals about career options. Many students use Career Services starting as young as Freshman or Sophomore year.  Career Services also hosts on-campus interviews, networking events, and workshops for students.

Second, Career Services manages an online platform only for Fordham students called CareerLink. The major function of CareerLink is internship/job searching. Employers directly post internship and job openings where students can apply.  Students can search by industry, job function, position type and location. There is where I found, applied and eventually accepted an offer for my first internship as a Sophomore.  

Next, Fordham hosts a number of career fairs each semester at both the Lincoln Center and Rose Hill campuses. At these events, about 100 employers typically come and set up their own table to talk to students.  Here, many students make connections for internships and jobs. There are typically three career fairs each semester, with focuses on Finance and Accounting, Arts and Media, and Non-For-Profit/Service. 

The Gabelli School of Business also has a Personal and Professional Development (PPD) center, where there are multiple career advisors for each major. Students simply can make an appointment with either a PPD advisor or their class dean for industry specific career advice. 

Employed!!

So there are an abundance of resources…but are actually students getting jobs?  I currently work part-time at an advertising agency and plan on accepting a full-time offer for post graduation.  Two of my best friends – both Accounting majors – are set with summer internships at EY and PwC for this summer. A Finance major I’m close with landed a full time analyst job with TD Bank, beginning with an on-campus interview in our Career Services office.  I even know a Rose Hill student who had an internship on the Jimmy Fallon show last semester and is now interning at Comedy Central. And keep in mind, these are just a few examples!

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. 

Career Services: Resources for Life After College

As a student, it is sometimes easy to forget that college life is not indefinite.  Though it may not be a pleasant thing to think about (I really wish that I could remain a member of this beautiful, vibrant, and enriching community forever), there will come a time when my undergraduate education has run its course.  At Fordham, the office of Career Services is one of several organizations that helps prepare students for life after college, specifically by helping us develop ourselves professionally as we prepare to enter the workforce.  One of the many ways they do so is by hosting career fairs - events where employers are invited to campus to interact with students.

Some of the companies that participated in the Career Fair.

Today, the Fall 2014 Career and Internship Fair occupied the second floor of the McGinley Center, one of three career fairs occurring this fall (in addition to the Fall 2014 Accounting & Finance Career and Internship Fair and the Common Good Career and Internship Fair). These events are a great opportunity for students to interact with potential employers.  They offer the face time that is impossible through the traditional method of applying for jobs and internships online and provide a forum for students to network and converse with corporate representatives.  Today's career fair included companies from a diverse range of industries, from Societe Generale's Corporate and Investment Banking division; to Viacom, the media conglomerate that owns MTV, Comedy Central, and Paramount Pictures, among other holdings; to the Peace Corps.

Employer's tables set up for the fair

Career Services also offers a number of other resources that help students prepare for and find jobs.  They hold educational seminars on a weekly basis that cover topics such as resume writing and editing, professional communication tips, and interview preparation and practice.  Career Services staff are also available for one-on-one meetings with students upon request.  Furthermore, there is an online job search tool, called CareerLink, that allows employers to post jobs and internships exclusively for Fordham students.