Career '89The Daily Tar HeelMonday, October 9, 19895
6
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From staff reports
For a college senior facing
graduation and the important ca
reer decisions that accompany it,
taking some time off can be an
attractive prospect.
After spending 17 years in
school, a graduate may think that
he or she deserves a chance to travel
or just "hang out" for a while be
fore the responsibilities of a job
start rolling in. What the graduate
may not realize is that taking time
off after graduation may be haz
ardous to his career.
According to Sharon Wiatt, as
sociate director of the Univeristy
Career Planning and Placement
Services (UCPPS), students who
postpone finding a job often face
lowered job opportunities.
"They don't realize they 're hurt
ing themselves."
A post-graduation job search can
be hampered because employers
frequently gear hiring and training
around the school year, Wiatt said.
Recruiters visit college campuses
during students senior year. Train
ing programs then start in May or
June, immediately after graduation.
"Even students who just take
the summer off are out of luck when
they show up in September or Oc
tober, and they're already four
months behind," she said.
An employer's attitude toward
someone who starts looking for
work at some point after gradu
ation can become another obstacle.
Wiatt, who once worked as a re
cruiter in the oil industry, cited four
More emplloyeirs seek Holberal arte majors
BySTACICOX
Assistant Managing Editor
Although many companies con
ducting interviews on campus ask for
applicants with specific degrees, most
request interviews with students of
any major, creating an opportunity
UNC liberal arts majors tend to miss.
"Students tend to stereotype the
University placement service as just
for business or science majors, when
it most definitely is not," said Sharon
Wiatt, associate director of the Uni
versity Career Planning and Place
ment Services (UCPPS). "A lot of
employers are seeking liberal arts
majors who never show up."
The University has lost employ-
ers interest in the past because they
did not have a full schedule of inter
views, she said.
"Not only do liberal arts majors
miss out on excellent opportunities
for interesting careers, they limit the
Resume
The closure of a resume should
always be "References available upon
request," Harris said.
Often students overlook obvious
factors, such as name, school address,
home address and social security
number, she said. This is crucial in
formation and should appear first
When describing work experience,
be honest and maximize all duties
and responsibilities .Harris said.
conclusions that employers tend to
draw about such people.
An employer might view the ap
plicant as less mature and less ready
to assume the responsibility of a full
time job.
"The employer would be think
ing: Why did you wait? What were
you doing your entire senior year?'
My number one priority would have
been looking for a job," Wiatt said.
The employer might see the
person's delayed job search as a lack
of motivation and willingness to work.
Tom Brinkley, manager of recruiting
and college relations for RJ. Rey
nolds Industries, said that on a re
cruiting trip to Athens, Ga., last year
he talked to a UNC alumnus who
had graduated in May and was look
ing for a job.
"I asked him what he had been
doing since May. He said, 'I sort of
messed around. I wrote him off
immediately as having no motiva
tion," Brinkley said.
A third prejudice an employer may
have against people who have taken
time off is that they are "leftovers,"
Wiatt said. That is, it may be as
sumed the the person has been look
ing for a job all along but has been
unsuccessful.
Donald Carson, senior vice presi
dent and division executive of inter
national banking at First Wachovia
Corporation, said his initial reaction
on meeting an applicant who gradu
ated a year earlier was, "Why hasn't
this person found a job yet?
"That's not a fair conclusion. But
it's a cynicism that companies have."
opportunities for future classes. It's
really an unfortunate cycle."
According to a UCPPS survey of
1988 graduates, liberal arts majors
have landed positions varying from
account executives, program coordi
nators and legal assistants to paste
up artists and technical writers.
"Students have a tendency to limit
their job possibilities by their degree
when there's a whole range of ca
reers availabe," Wiatt said.
Recruiter requests by curriculum
at UNC favor applicants with any
major; there were 170 such requests
last year. Especially "promising for
liberal arts majors are sales positions
and government jobs, she said.
"Students need to find out what's
available to them and take advantage
of it. But, as always, it is important
to find out what the company does
and what the position requires before
going into a job interview. Graduates
"Student should use active verbs
like organized, planned and devel
oped and short phrases."
Harris said all resumes should
include several stylistic features: resu
mes should be written in typed, out
line form; they should not have any
personal pronouns; they should not,
especially for new graduates, exceed
one page, and should always be 100
.percent errorrfree Harris sahL, rv, 1
Finally, an employer may be sus
picious of a person who has taken
time off, Wiatt said. The person who
shows up looking for a job in Octo
ber creates an inconvenience for the
employer, who was interviewing on
campus during the person's senior
year.
"The employer is going to won
der, 'Why this sudden interest now,
when I was on his doorstep a year
ago?" she said.
According to Wiatt, 244 employ
ers recruited on the UNC campus in
1988. Recruiters represented a wide
range, of fields, including banks,
chemical and oil companies, com
munications firms, consulting firms,
certified public accountants, govern
ment agencies, health and pharma
ceutical agencies, non-profit organi
zations, research agencies, retailers
and publishers.
With such opportunities for sen
iors to interview on campus and line
up jobs before graduation, a student
who takes time off has the extra bur
den of conducting his job search on
his own, Wiatt said. Unfortunately,
such individuality can be negative in
an employer's eyes.
"Employers like people who are
not different," Carson said.
The reason for taking time off can
make a difference, however. Time
spent in the Peace Corps or the armed
forces can certainly add to a resume.
Or students may want to take the
time to travel or to do something they
have always wanted to do. Accord
ing to Brinkley, the person who can
in any field can make a poor impres
sion without first examining what
they're interviewing for."
Sophomores and juniors should
also be aware of internship positions
offered to liberal arts majors by em-
ployers seeking to cultivate future job
applicants, she said.
"It can mean a great deal to have
internship experience. And there's
nothing wrong with approaching an
employer and trying to convince him
to open up an intership position. I
had a girl create her own internship
position because she was so asser
tive." Employers seeking summer interns
include: BB&T, the CIA, Macy's
South, J.P. Morgan & Co., Proctor &
Gamble and U.S. General Account
ing. Most employers seeking interns
want students of any major with an
illustrated interest in internship-type
employment.
"Typos and spelling mistakes are
inexcusable," Harris said. Students
should have someone proofread their
resume because writers can easily
overlook their own errors.
It is also important that resumes
are attractive and legible with wide
margins.
The format for students applying
for internships is basically the same,
but .underclassmen; should include
1988 graduate timing of job acceptance
Six Mo. or more Post-Graduation
Three-Six Mo. Post-Graduation
One-Two Mo. Post-Graduation
Belore Graduation
0.0 10.0
T
give a good, convincing reason for
deviating from the normal route can
make a good impression.
"The question is why they take
time off," Brinkley said.
"'I was burned out' is not a satis
factory answer. But if you show that
you did something career-building,
it could be turned around to be a very
positive response."
Carson also said a good reason
for the time off could be "a big plus."
He cited an example of a business
major wanting to study music before
starting a career in business. Wiatt,
however, warned against underesti
mating the value of travel experience
to an employer. On a UCPPS survey
where employers were asked to rank
14 items according to importance on
a resume, travel ranked last.
"I find that students think travel is
Recruiter Requests by Major
Political Science
Physics
PsychologySociology
Industrial Relations
EnglishSpeech
Chemistry
Computer Science
Economics
MathStatistics
Accounting
Business
Any Major
i i i i i
50
high school experiences and acco
lades, as well, Harris said.
Lee Meyer, associate dean of the
College of Arts and Science, said the
hardest part about compiling a res
ume was the career statement Stu
dents should include their career in
terests, knowledge in the field, past
experience in the field and the aspect
that attracts them to that field.
; ; . . Students should not include atran-
-r
20.0 30.0 40.0 50.0 60.0
Job Acceptance
personally meaningful but even that
can turn off employers."
A number of interviewers can
be family-oriented adults who have
never traveled out of the state and
who have had to work since the
first day out of school.
"They may resent the image of
a student as being a playboy with
no responsibilities or think, 'This
kid is rich and doesn't know how
to work for a living,'" she said.
When it comes to post-graduation
planning, careful considera
tion should be taken, Wiatt said. A
person can make starting a career
very difficult for himself by taking
time off. But with a good reason
and a convincing argument, a per
son may be able to step off the
beaten path without damaging his
chances for finding a job.
1
i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i
100 150 200
Number of Requests
from page 6
script, he said.
It is best to make physical contact
with employers when distributing
resumes to prospective employers,
Meyer said. "Students should always
be assertive, polite and respectful." ..
Students who want a counselor to
critique and proofread their resumes
can receive that service from 10 a.rru
to 2:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday at
UCPPS. v . ,