To discover how much job search help you will receive from your college, answer the questions below. (Circle your answers – NS = Not Sure)
1. Does your college fully communicate the services that are available from the Career Services Office as soon as you enter college? YES, NO, NS
2. Does your college require students to prepare a written employment plan of action during the Freshman year? YES, NO, NS
3. Are students at your college coached through their employment plan of action throughout each semester of college? YES, NO, NS
4. Are job search preparation activities emphasized during each semester of college? YES, NO, NS
5. Does your college provide students with a list of job search preparation activities that should be completed before the senior year? YES, NO, NS
6. Does your college teach you how to conduct a comprehensive search for employment? YES, NO, NS
7. Does the Career Services Web Site contain all of the job search information and help you will need? YES, NO, NS
8. Is it easy to meet with or speak to a Career Services Representative or Employment Coach whenever you have questions or need help? YES, NO, NS
9. Do you know how many employers visited your college last year to interview students with your major? YES, NO, NS
10. Do you know how many students with your major were hired last year, as the result of campus interviews? YES, NO, NS
11. Do you know the six or eight primary requirements of the employers that hire students with your major? YES, NO, NS
12. Does your college provide you with the contact information for former students with your major who are now working in your field of interest? YES, NO, NS
13. Do the Professors in your major use their contacts to help students find part-time, summer and full-time jobs? YES, NO, NS
14. Is it obvious to you that all members of the college community are working together to ensure that the greatest number of students land good jobs? YES, NO, NS
15. Does your college make it clear to every students that “the senior year job search actually starts in the Freshman year?” YES, NO, NS
16. In addition to your academic performance, there are four other places where you can impress employers. Have you been told what they are? YES, NO, NS
17. Are there internships and part-time job opportunities available for students with your major? YES, NO, NS
18. Are employers, in your field of interest, invited to make presentations to students about their employment needs, requirements and expectations? YES, NO, NS
19. Does your Career Services Department conduct classroom training for groups of students on topics that are needed for employment success? YES, NO, NS
20. Are students trained in employment networking techniques? YES, NO, NS
21. Are students trained in interviewing strategies and techniques? YES, NO, NS
22. Is resumé preparation training available to you? YES, NO, NS
23. Is a large list of employment web sites made available to students in every field of study? YES, NO, NS
24. Are students trained in finding and researching potential employers in their own field of study? YES, NO, NS
25. Is it clear to you that your college is doing everything possible to help students find and land good jobs? YES, NO, NS
Rate your college:
If you answered yes 20+ times, your college is doing a superior job. A grade of (A)
If you answered yes 15 – 19 times, your college is doing a good job. (B)
If you answered yes 11 – 14 times, your college is doing only a fair job. (C)
If you answered yes 7 – 10 times, your college needs much improvement. (D)
If you answered yes 1 – 6 times, your college should reevaluate its commitment. (F)
Sending well educated college students into a highly competitive job market with little job search preparation assistance and training is not the way that concerned college leaders should operate. Therefore, parents and students at underperforming colleges must begin to demand more and better from them.