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The perfect applicant: Keen on technology, a thick portfolio beneath arm and a personable attitude, the job-seeker shall see career prospects solidify Mark Vanderhoff EDITOR IN CHIEF These days, computers are where itıs at. Theyıre a major piece of a puzzle everyone has to assemble to find their career. Whether you like it or not, the new millennium requires intimacy with a computer. Not only do people work with them, they use them to find a job. Sure, computer-savvy kids are dropping out of college to take $40,000-plus jobs -- who needs a degree in computer science? But the computer has busted out of the domain of the serious programmers and computer geeks. "If you canıt at least use (Microsoft) Word and Excel, youıre at a disadvantage," said Carol Hetty, who returned to the workforce at age 43 after being a homemaker for nearly two decades. Hettyıs son introduced her to monster.com, an Internet site that offers job listings and advice on careers and job-hunting. "I didnıt hardly look in the paper," she said. She didnıt have to. monster.com boasts nearly 250,000 job listings. The websiteıs massive offering mirrors the raging economy, an economy where the national unemployment rate was a healthy 4.2 percent and Kentuckyıs employment ranks even lower, at 4 percent. "We used to have to beg employers to come to campus," said Diane Kohler, a counselor at UKıs Career Center. ³Now theyıre banging on our door.² Of course, the great numbers shouldnıt fool students, she said. The flip side to a great economy can sometimes be complacency, a symptom Kohler said can cost students a great job, especially in an age where qualifications can sometimes be demanding. Kohler supported Hettyıs difficult experience searching for a job with only minimal computer skills. "The bar is definitely being raised in terms of what employers consider proficiency and comfort," Kohler said. "That doesnıt mean you have to be a programmer, but you have to be proficient." Add websites that tout your skills and experience, resumés posted online or sent via e-mail and portfolios on CD-ROM, and the degree to which job-seekers use computers increases. Old-fashioned isnıt bad either. Kohler said developing a portfolio of work from college, jobs and volunteering will impress a potential employer as well as any 21st century methods. But, of course, all the technology in the world wonıt guarantee one-on-one contact with the person whoıs hiring. "The bottom line is, you donıt get a job through paper or the Internet," Kohler said. "You get it through talking with an employer." Some students will inevitably leave the pieces of their career hunt scattered about until the last minute. "Iıve got so much stuff going on right now, thereıs no way I can do anything to get prepared," said Bob Boggins, an undeclared freshman. "A liitle time now will make it easier later on," Kohler replies to all. Comments or questions about KyKernel.com: achan2@pop.uky.edu ©1999 Kernel Press, Inc. All Rights Reserved -- Contact Information |
