Career center launches new tool for students' job quest

New College students will soon have a powerful tool to help them find that first job or fine-tune their career path after graduation.
The Center for Career Engagement and Opportunity has begun a partnership with Handshake, a popular career management portal that helps employers and students connect. According to the Handshake website, more than 500 colleges and universities and 250,000 employers currently use the service.
“Students will have an incredible tool at their fingertips,” said Maddie Heath, assistant director of the CEO.
The CEO has already vetted more than 130 employers who will be able to view New College students’ profiles and resumes, with more to come, said the center’s director, Kay-lynne Taylor. Students will be able to begin signing into Handshake Oct. 22, Taylor said.
“It’s a one-stop shop,” she explained. “Students will be able to create and customize their profiles, register for events, make appointments for career counseling at the CEO and upload resumes for critique.” Students will also be able to perform custom job searches, based on criteria such as a specific type of industry or individual employer.
Handshake will also offer resources for securing internships and fellowships, help with networking skills and mock interviews. “It will help students learn about themselves,” Taylor said, “to help them reflect on their career path.”
Access to Handshake won’t end after graduation. Alumni are invited to use these services, too. “And alumni will eventually become employers,” Taylor observed. “We’re hoping this will bring things around full circle.”
Students can learn more about Handshake at the Center for Career Engagement and Opportunity at LBR 154 on the north side of the Jane Bancroft Cook Library, next to the walkway to east campus. Students and alumni can also call 941-487-5002 to request an appointment.
On Oct. 22, the CEO be on hand to help interested students in the Student Activities and Campus Engagement office in HCL 4.