Several members of the Career Services staff gathered in the Persson Auditorium Tuesday at 11:30 a.m. to help juniors think about the upcoming summer and senior year. The program, Junior Jump-Start, was started by Career Services last year when it sensed a need for students to become prepared for their futures. Junior Troy Somero went for that very reason. “I figured now is as good of a time as ever to start thinking about employment after college, so I went to the presentation hoping to figure out what I can do now to start the search,” he said. Junior Adam Florek agreed. “I’m sure it would be intimidating if I was positively clueless next year,” he said. The staff hoped to ease the ignorance through their power-point presentation. They offered some statistics, “Things to Keep in Mind.” Florek was struck by some of the numbers offered in the presentation. “You know there’s a dizzying amount of job change in the workplace, but it really hits you when you see the average person has 12-15 jobs and 3-5 professions,” Florek said. After sharing these statistics, the real core of the presentation began. Chip Schroeder, the program’s Associate Director, began to talk about what students should accomplish by the beginning of their senior year. He discussed the importance of having a direction and gave students several tips on discovering this direction. He suggested self-assessment, career exploration, informational interviews, job shadowing and researching career fields and potential companies. Next, Associate Director Barbara Roback discussed important marketing materials, including resumes, cover letters, personal statements, writing samples, two-minute “Tell me about yourself” blurbs and good interview stories. Somero had prior experience working with the staff. “I’ve met with Barb Roback from Career Services several times this semester to fine-tune the cover letters and resumes that I plan on using for internships,” he said. “She has been a big help and is making the whole internship/career thing easier to handle.” The next item the Career Services group thought students should accomplish by senior year is participation in a summer learning experience, such as an internship or a job that might look good on a resume. Program Coordinator Suzanne Cronkite alerted the group to a presentation which will take place on that very topic scheduled for Monday in 201 Little Hall. The fourth task to accomplish by senior year, as Associate Director Chip Schroder said, is getting comfortable with the recruiting program process. Next, Roback encouraged juniors to explore fellowship and scholarship opportunities and to contact Judy Fischer in the Career Services office for further advising. Assistant Director Ann Landstrom then gave students some tips on preparing for graduate school searches. She suggested that students first assess why they want to attend grad school in the first place. “If it’s to put off entering the real world, then that’s probably not a good reason to go to grad school,” Landstrom said. She recommended beginning research on potential graduate schools, preparing for entrance exams such as the GRE or MCAT, maintaining a strong academic record and continuing involvement and leadership. Finally, David Loveless talked about evaluating our involvement in extracurricular activities. “Try to avoid getting involved in too many things,” he said. “What looks better is involvement in a couple of activities, with leadership positions in those activities. It’s not quantity; it’s quality.” Near the end of the presentation, the group gave students some ‘Tips for Success.” The first tip was to “Start Now!” The group suggested thinking of the graduate school and business search as a fifth class, an activity students devote time to each week, instead of waiting until the last minute of senior year. Other tips included: do your homework, take advantage of campus resources, connect with faculty, dress for success and read Career Services e-mails and website announcements. The presentation ended with a list of ways to access Career advising on Colgate’s campus. Career Services offers individual 30-minute appointments, one-hour mock interviews and walk-in hours. “I am definitely more aware of the opportunities I have through Career Services and will thus take advantage of them,” junior Erin McCarthy said. “I’m glad I went to the presentation,” Florek said. “I really think these presentations are valuable since they put you in the mode of preparing to go off the deep end into the real world.”