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New program prepares students for commencement and life after UB
By DONNA BUDNIEWSKI
Reporter Assistant Editor
Facing increasingly stiff competition in an ever-tightening job market, UB seniors are getting a boost in their search for the sometimes elusive dream job. It's a search that, for many, begins well before graduation and can stymie even the most aggressive career seekers.
"Senior Celebration: Countdown to Commencement" is a new program designed by the Division of Student Affairs and its Career Services and Student Life teams to help seniors prepare for graduation and life after UB, as well as celebrate their connection to the university.
Hundreds of graduating seniors attended a two-day kickoff event last month that provided students with the opportunity to shop for information essential to graduation and introduced them to a variety of workshops and career services available to them. The sessions also provided access to academic advisors, career counselors, alumni advisors and Student Response Center professionals, says Dan Ryan, director of Career Services.
"We had more than 500 students participate over the two-day event and the response was overwhelmingly positive," Ryan says. "Students loved the 'one-stop-shopping' at the kickoff. They were able to complete their application for degree card, speak with a career counselor, join the alumni association, pick up information on UB graduate programs and locate hotels for their out-of-town guests for commencement weekend—all in one afternoon."
He believes the effort to identify crucial, pre-graduation information and put it together in one package will ease the transition students must make from UB to the next step in their lives.
The "Countdown to Commencement" program will continue throughout the spring semester, with workshops devoted to such topics as writing effective resumes, time management, phone etiquette. preparing healthy meals, emotional intelligence and how to work a career fair.
Among the highlights will be a presentation on Feb. 24 by Patrick Combs, an internationally known, best-selling author, speaker and television personality for PBS's "Career Advantage," who will coach students in how to be more successful in their job hunt. Combs will discuss the latest job-hunting research, effective strategies for tapping the hidden job market and a "paradigm-busting" way to land multiple, good job offers quickly.
UB also will host the CareerFEST Job Fair on March 25 in Alumni Arena. More than 100 employers seeking candidates for employment opportunities locally, downstate, nationally and internationally are expected to participate. A wide variety of career fields will be represented, so students of all majors are encouraged to attend.
To access the full schedule of "Countdown to Commencement" activities, go to http:// www.student-affairs.buffalo.edu/senior/life.shtml.
Ryan notes that despite a flat job market, UB maintains strong linkages to local and national employers. While pharmacy and nursing majors are in high demand, it's likely to take many students up to six months to find a full-time job, he adds, pointing out that regardless of the job market, a high percentage of students pursue graduate education within a year of graduation.
"UB Career Services has aggressively marketed its services and its students to employers at the local and national level. This year, we expect more than 200 visits from local and national employers to recruit on campus or attend our job fairs," notes Ryan.
He says that by including a few workshops on such overlooked, life skills as personal finance and the pros and cons of buying or leasing a car, as well as celebratory events, student participation in "Countdown to Commencement"—and thus access to vital graduation information—should increase.