Career office reaches out
Yvonne Chiu Hays
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Under the leadership of
Director Beverly Hamilton-Chandler, the Office of
Career Services has expanded its programs and its
client base.
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The office, located at 201 Nassau St., is no longer a resource only for graduating seniors, according to Director Beverly Hamilton-Chandler.
In recent years, her staff has helped more people than ever at all stages of their careers -- from freshmen who are uncertain about a major to alumni in search of post-retirement options. Such diversity has generated an explosion of services beyond the typical resume writing, interviewing and job search workshops.
"Career development is not just a part of our college years. It's about our whole lives, because we spend most of our lives working," Hamilton-Chandler said.
Since coming to Princeton more than two years ago, Hamilton-Chandler has overseen a major expansion of the office. The office increased programming and moved resources online so information is more accessible to the Princeton community. Students can sign up online for on-campus recruitment for permanent and internship positions. Students and alumni can find information regarding internships, career fields, jobs and companies online. They can even locate a description of "casual dress" online, with an accompanying photo illustration.
Counseling appointments have increased. The staff is modestly larger. The volume of e-mails is greater. And satisfaction seems higher, according to Hamilton-Chandler.
"We want students to have as rich an experience as possible and I think that is in keeping with the institution's mission," she said.
Embracing that philosophy, the office has worked to foster more opportunities for students to contribute to their community and the public good, following the University's motto, "Princeton in the Nation's Service and in the Service of all Nations." This February, Career Services will sponsor the first networking and information fair representing the non-profit and government sectors.
Hamilton-Chandler said Princeton always has had a large number of students with a strong interest in developing lifelong careers in the public sector, and so it made sense to make that the primary focus of an event.
"We're regularly looking at other organizations that might be interested in our students but have never been here, and inviting them to meet our undergraduates and graduates," Hamilton-Chandler added.
Another relatively new feature is the Alumni Careers Network, an online database of Princeton alumni who have volunteered to provide career-related advice and assistance to students and other alumni. The files can be searched by many criteria, such as geographic location, career field, class year or employer.
The office also improved the annual reports that summarize seniors' post-graduation plans -- information parents find compelling. Hamilton-Chandler said her office fields many questions from parents of prospective students wanting to know what a particular degree will do for their child. Her office now puts more analysis into the reports and makes the information easier to follow with charts and graphs.
Graduate students also are on the Career Services priority list. Students with advanced degrees increasingly are looking at career options in fields other than higher education. The office offers individual counseling and a series of career transition workshops that cover skills assessments, resume construction, job search and interviewing techniques. Career Services also will participate in a virtual career fair for graduate students in February with a number of peer institutions.
In order to provide undergraduate and graduate students with up-to-date information on its programs and services, the office has begun distributing special e-mail messages to listserv subscribers.
"We're working differently, and I think we've made great strides in a short time," Hamilton-Chandler said.
For more information about Career Services, visit its Web site at webware.Princeton.EDU/ Career/.
By the numbers
Each year, Princeton's Office of Career Services surveys the graduating class to gather information about its post-graduation plans. These figures are based on the responses collected in May from the Class of 2000.
• 67 percent are pursuing full-time employment; 23 percent are planning further education; 10 percent are engaged in other pursuits (travel, professional sports and the military)
• Mean salary is $45,376, a 12 percent increase over 1999
• Average number of interviews: 6.6 on-campus; 2.5 on own
• Average number of offers: 2.11 on-campus; 1.66 on own
• 36.10 percent of those employed after graduation accepted positions with consulting firms
• 33.25 percent of those employed after graduation accepted positions in financial services
• 10.39 percent of those employed after graduation entered the non-profit sector, mostly in the education field
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January 29, 2001 Contents Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4-5 Page 7 Page 8
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