By Denton Josey, Staff Writer
Frantically looking for a job after graduation is a trend of the past.
CareerLink is a tool on campus to help students polish resumes, land internships, and find jobs; however, not many students know about the opportunities CareerLink provides.
After two years of operation, CareerLink has jumped from 400 employer contacts to 1336. But it is still trying to inform students, especially freshmen, about the opportunities available.
“Don’t wait for someone else Ð be proactive and use the tools ACU provides,” said Matt Boisvert, director of CareerLink. “The good news is these tools are free.”
With more than 1,700 students, faculty and alumni involved, CareerLink connects employers to ACU.
“With this tool a student never has to leave their dorm,” Boisvert said. “They can go online 24/7.”
CareerLink is the online tool made available by the Career and Academic Development Department. Its goal is to connect students with resources to be able to find jobs, internships, or to simply get a better understanding of their career path.
CareerLink has 744 alumni profiles that enable students to see what graduates have done with their degrees in nearly every field. It is for faculty as well, and some professors have made their classes create accounts.
“Most students are not aware that CareerLink is there or how it can help them,” said Dave Hogan, instructor of journalism and mass communication. “CareerLink has been very helpful to seniors in our class who can post resumes. It is an excellent resource.”
Companies such as Ernst and Young, FedEx, Kinkos, numerous school districts, BlueCross/BlueShield, the Dallas/Fort Worth airport, and Enterprise Rent-a-Car have seen as many as 1,400 student resumes in the last year alone, Boisvert said.
“Students that post their resume—it’s being viewed, it is being downloaded” Boisvert said. “If a student is looking for an employer that likes ACU grads, this is the place.”
Whatever major students are pursuing, CareerLink provides them with many options. Students can stay in Abilene for work or internships, or go to places like South Korea and Belgium, as one student has done.
“Fifty percent of internships become employment opportunities,” Boisvert said.
Jordan Redding, senior marketing major from Lawrence, Kan., signed up for CareerLink for one of his classes.
“CareerLink is a great way to get your resume out in the open, find a job, or meet a mentor to help guide you in your business career search. And it is an all-around good time.”
Students can go to www.acu.edu/careerlink and create a profile in less than 5 minutes. A social-club search feature even allows students to find alumni mentors who were in clubs as well.
“For students that don’t know what to do, they can see what alumni are doing,” Boisvert said.
Boisvert encourages students to create an account today. “The worst thing a student can do is wait until the day of graduation.” He adds, “CareerLink should start your freshman year.”
Additionally, CareerLink links students to The Vault, an online program that allows students to download free job descriptions in nearly every field possible. The Vault is “probably the most unused resource, yet the most valuable in addition to CareerLink,” said Boisvert.
Currently there are 52 internships available on CareerLink and 1505 jobs have been posted in the last year alone. Boisvert also said students can still make appointments with him to be helped in person, “We’re here to serve students; CareerLink is just a way to see what is out there.
“We’re not quite as big as Facebook, but we’ll get there.”
