The staff members at BYU-Hawaii’s Career Services view their job as helping students land their dream jobs as they gain skills and experience in college.
The Career Services mission statement declares, "We're here to help students develop and implement life/work plans that discover self and explore options, research for knowledge and understanding, build planning and research strategies, gain experience, and manage a lifelong career."
"There is a misconception out there that Career Services is just about preparing a resume and showing students how to prepare for a job and send them to a job board online, and that’s the end of it. It is really more comprehensive than that. We look at Career Services as actually encompassing the whole process, from skills sets and abilities, to the exploration phase and then the get equipped-phase. Beyond that, career management skills," said Kim Austin, director of career services.
Examples of this include mentorship programs, workshops, forums, and the heavily-attended Career Fair . The center also frequently invites professionals to present to students ideas to catch their dream job, or how to perform in a professional work environment.
Most recently, the Career Center invited Brad Karsh (pictured above), president of JobBound, to address the students. Karsh spent much of his presentation time fielding specific questions from the audience. He stressed the difference between college life and professional life.
"There is a big difference between college and the work place. That is the whole notion of perception versus reality. In college you are judged based purely on reality. If you get all of the questions right on a test, does it matter if you’re a big slob in your apartment? No. In the working world, it’s a combination of perception and reality. Perception feeds into reality, that is very different from college," stated Karsh.
During the time, Karsh suggested the following tips for the work place:
- only use the Internet in your office when it relates to your job
- immediately identify yourself on the phone
- when leaving a voice message, keep it short but informative
- never put anything in an email that you would not want the world to see
- email is a business, communication tool, always spell check and punctuate correctly
- dress professionally
- remember, "less is more," when it comes to cologne or perfume
- always be on time
Presentations like these and other initiatives of Career Services likely give BYU-Hawaii students confidence when preparing to enter the world of work- no matter their class standing.
"Career Services provides a comprehensive service to all students, regardless of their year in school, to prepare them for a position that will best utilize their degree," stated Ken Prolo, career advisor.
Through dedication of the staff at Career Services, and unique opportunities from guest speakers, BYU-Hawaii students may have the upper hand in, upon leaving school, landing a dream job.