Associated
Collegiate Press
flio/zenQef
Fayetteville, NC
Vol. XXXVII, No. 7
March 13, 2000
Counselor Assists At
Career Services Center
By Krista McArtan
Photo Editor
Heather Altman joined the team at
the Career Services Center at Methodist
College for the Spring 2000 semester. She
is completing the practicum requirement
for her master's degree in counsehng from
Webster University of St. Louis, MO. She
will be eligible to sit for her license in pro
fessional counseling when she graduates
in May.
Altman holds B.A.’s in criminal
justice, sociology, and psychology. Her
desire is to specialize in the prevention of
mental illness in children. “I think pre
vention is the key,” she said. “Currently,
there are no programs available for chil
dren in the schools or within social ser
vices to educate children and parents on
the prevention of mental illnesses.” Most
of Altman’s experience has been in crisis
intervention and high risk counseling situ
ations.
Altman describes her experience at
the Career Services Center as an uplift
ing one. “I enjoy working with the stu
dents here and getting to know them,” she
said. She said the most important aspect
of her job at the Center is “teaching stu
dents and other clients to be able to use
these valuable services and tools on their
own. Using all available resources to
boost your advantage is what the career
planning experience is all about.”
According to Altman, the best way
to develop a career strategy or conduct a
job search is to have a good plan. She
stressed the importance of beginning as
early as possible, preferably in the fresh
man year and then coursing one’s strat
egy throughout college. “It’s not too late
to begin the planning even up to gradua
tion, but you simply can’t afford to let this
opportunity slip by,” said Altman. “You
are in college with an end result goal of
beginning a career, so come to the Career
Services Center for a few minutes to check
out how easy it is to begin planning your
own career path and job search.”
Students have an opportunity to
experience every aspect of job hunting,
one Gtep at a time, before the real test
comes, according to Altman. Staff at the
Center are diverse in experience and back
ground, but most agree that an early start
is the key to success.
Career Services Center staff mem
bers, under the direction of Lori
Bumgarner, director of career services,
are trained to assist clients with practice
interviews, give lists of available intern
ships and graduate school applications, as
well as show students job offerings for
Photo by Krista McArtan
Director Of Career Services, Lori Bumgarner
Photo hy Krista McArian
Heather Altman, graduate intern
local part-time and full-time positions.
“It is to the student’s own benefit
to create a job searching strategy as early
as possible,” said employee Zilvinas
Mecelis, a transfer from Kaunas,
Lithuania, and a financial economics
major.
Jennifer Rhame, a freshman from
Fayetteville, and a communications ma
jor said, “We have career assessment
tools for those who are not quite sure
what they want to do with their skills.
This Center can be used by everyone on
campus. I especially encourage fresh
men to visit the center to see what career
options are available.” Student employ
ees are gaining insight intcTthe 'i^rk
world and valuable experience in the ca
reer planning process while working at
the Center.
“From my experience, the best way
to land a good job is through network
ing. Activity in organizations and com
munity affairs is very valuable in mak
ing contacts,” said Zilvinas Mecelis.
Heather Altman agrees. She was
hired for her internship at the Career Ser
vices Center after meeting Dr. Jackie
Morales of Methodist College’s psychol
ogy department, at Webster University
on Pope Air Force Base. She was re
ferred by Dr. Morales to Lori Bumgarner,
who hired Altm.an. Altman, by getting
this internship and sharing her experience
and skill with MC students, will in turn
complete her practicum requirement and
graduate with a more well rounded prepa
ration for her licensure sitting. Every
one involved benefits from this practical
application and prime example of net
working .
Photo by Krista McArian
Lori Bumgarner, center, with some of the staff members at Methodist College’s Career Services
Center. On the left is Jennifer Rhame and Zilvanis Mecelis. On the right is Heather Altman.
Get recruited by the best—Register and post your resume at
our own Career Services web site! Make your job search easy!
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Guess what time it is Seniors!
How many of you actually know what you are going to be
doing after you graduate?
How many of you aren’t even sure what job field
you want to enter after graduation?
The Career Services Center exists to help you with one of the
most important decisions of your life. The problem is that many
of you don’t even realize Methodist has career services available
which is where the Monarch Messenger has come to the rescue.
Look forward to more features!
If the office is*. suit
professional... and sldrts)...Sult
Business Casual Khakis or a sKir^
Casual
Stop by an orientation for graduating students and receive information on resume referrals,
internet job posting, and job fairs.
^ Complete all course requirements and take advantage of upper-level electives to enhance
your qualifications.
Attend the Career and Job fair.
Go to workshop series on resume writing and interviewing skills.
Explore your options!
Familiarize yourself with on-campus interviewing.
Speak to a professional in your field of interest.
Participate in career forums and panels offered by your department and the Career Center.
^ Continue to work with your career counselor as you make the transition from student to
professional.
Collect letters of recommendation for your credential file.
Kick your job search campaign into high gear!
/. Sci^ule interviews with as many employers as possible.
Network. Network. Network.
ifiS
Check out gooeyindustries.com and other websites
such as:
hotjobs.com, monster.com, and careermosiac.com.
Something For Everyone At Career Services
By Krista McArtan
Photo Editor
Students and alumni can find valu
able resources and services at the Career
Services Center. Among the many ser
vices available are computer-based pro
grams to assist in making career assess
ments and designing resumes and cover,
letters. Professional staff and trained stu
dent employees are on hand to assist in
the various career-planning workshops
offered. They offer one-on-one assis
tance in editing resumes and organizing
information and portfolios.
The center also provides access to
a library of career-related literature and
books. Lists of part-time and full-time
job postings, and internships are avail
able, and information on getting into
graduate school is also on hand. The staff
can assist in posting resumes to some of
the best-known Internet job-search sites,
and they offer a Credential File service,
which makes job hunters’ credentials
available to employers and recruiters who
visit the campus. The option to send up
to five professionally finished resumes
to potential employers is also available-
free of charge.
Career planning and job-hunting
can be very expensive endeavors. Pro
fessional help and friendly service at the
MC Career Services Center, are standards
which Lori Bumgarner, director of ca
reer services, has fostered. She said, “I
encourage students to take advantage of
our new user-friendly web site and on
line recruitment system. Go to
www.methodist.edu/careerservices.
By registering with our web-based re-
Phot{) by Krista McArtan
Intern Heather Altman assists senior, Jackie Ruffing, physical education major, with the Resume
Maker Program in the Career Services Center
cruitment program, students greatly in
crease their chances of finding the per
fect career.” These services are provided
to all students and alumni. Employers
can register with the career center and
web site to recruit students and alumni
for employment as well.
Bumgarner said, “The Internet is
increasingly becoming a necessary tool
for the career development and job search
process.”
Visits to the Career Services Cen
ter, located in the Bems Student Center,
Room 11, are free!
Hours of operation are from 8:30
a.m. to 8:00 p.m, Monday through Thurs
day, and from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on
Friday.
Come to the Career Services Center
Get information about our upcoming Career Fair April 3.