Grads-to-be look ahead to employment after graduating

By: Anna Radinsky/Staff Writer

 

The Career and Talent Development office at the Biscayne Bay Campus said that as students get closer to graduation, they should take advantage of the services that CTD has to offer for better career decision making.

The department invites students and alumni to join them in grad seminars, professional development workshops, career expos and career fairs.

Handshake, an online career development platform, is a resource that the University continuously recommends all students to use, according to Kenneth Brown III, a graduate assistant at the CTD office.

“Employers specifically look for FIU students on Handshake,” Brown said.

Indeed and LinkedIn are also platforms that Brown recommends graduating students use to expand their search for jobs and internships.

Shayla White, a hospitality management student who is graduating in May 2018, plans to get her master’s in hospitality management at the University and pursue a career in event planning.

“I go to the career services in the hospitality program often to talk to Kathy Martin [a career adviser] about my goals and the kind of jobs I’m looking for,” White said. “She helped me search for jobs and help me revise my resume so that I am appealing to employers.”

Rather than seeking out jobs and careers, some seniors have less traditional plans in mind for their life after graduating.

Gabriel Pita, a senior majoring in psychology and minoring in religious studies, anthropology and philosophy, is planning on moving to California with his band after graduation to start a community.

“My friend’s uncle has 80 acres of land, where a large percentage of it is sustainable,” Pita said. “Our goal is to start a self-sustaining community, where it’s not going to be about living nomadic lives. We’re trying to afford ourselves the luxuries and necessities of modern day life, while also having the free time to pursue our hobbies and our passions.”

For those who are trying to find employment, Brown suggests always networking and staying active in the search is important for graduating students to get meaningful experiences for their careers.

“Every time you’re on grind mode for your own career, you need to set the terms on how you network to get what you want,” Brown said.

Students are encouraged to have an up-to-date resume, cover letters and the determination to keep on searching for new opportunities, according to Brown.

George Ivarra, a senior majoring in English  and minoring in sociology, is using his internship with the University’s film studies program to get experience to be an English professor.

“After I graduate I’m going to try and get certified by the state of Florida to be certified to teach in public school,” Ivarra said. “I’m also planning on going to grad school at some point… the goal is to be an English professor.”

Brown recommends graduating students look for opportunities that will better their experience to get into their desired fields, whether it’s getting an internship or getting a job.

“You know what’s good for you and you know what’s right for your career,” Brown said. “If you have to choose between an internship and a job you want that just got back to you, respectfully decline the internship. Always be open and professional.”

Students interested in opening a Handshake account can go to fiu.joinhandshake.com and sign up with their University email.

The Career and Talent Development offices on both campuses are open Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The MMC office is located in SASC 305, and the BBC office is located in WUC 255.

 

Featured image courtesy of Anna Radinsky