Recap: Networking Event by the Career Center

Last Thursday, I attended a meeting held by the Career Center for English majors. Career Counselor Laura Smith had some great advice for English majors and grad students as we undertake our job searches. Laura is the Career Counselor for all of St. John's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, so she is definitely the person you want to be in touch with at Career Services.

You can follow St. John's Career Center on Facebook and on Twitter @GetHiredSTJ. Or call to make an appointment with Laura at 718-990-6375. The Career Center is located at the University Center (next to Bent Hall) on the First Floor, Room 124.

Laura talked with the students who came to the session about networking, internship opportunities, and ways of connecting with St. John's alumni. She modeled ways of conducting oneself professionally in various situations from job fairs, conferences, and interviews.

The best takeaways that I have from this session are:

• The Career Center is not just for undergraduate students. There are valuable tools here for graduate students as well. And the Career Center is open to alumni as well!
• You can make an appointment to do a mock interview. The career counselor will tape the session and review it with you.
• Find internships listed on CareerLink (through St. John's Central)
• The COACH Program

Let me tell you a little more about the COACH Program. COACH stands for "Count on Alumni for Career Help." This program connects current students with St. John's alumni. You can set up an informational meeting with individual alumni to find out about more about their career to determine your interest in it, if your skills match, if you need advice on building your resume, or learning more about what your career options are.

You'll need to receive access to the network through the Career Center first. So contact your Career Counselor to get access. When you log onto CareerLink, click on the COACH tab. You can then narrow your search by industry or major, etc. Then click the "interested" button at the bottom of a particular mentor's profile. You'll write a personalized message to introduce yourself and request an informational meeting. Another piece of good advice from this session? Write a thank-you note!