In this age of corporate downsizing and an increasingly competitive job market, relevant work experience-such as internships or co-ops-is rapidly becoming a required section on a student's resume.
Finding the opportunities for an internship and full-time employment often means networking-creating a web of
contacts and information. Realizing the importance of networking, the Career Development Center (CDC) has been developing resources to assist students.
One such service is the Union*Career Advisory Network -U*CAN, which includes more than 600 alumni in sixteen major fields who volunteer their time and talents as career advisors. These alumni help students learn more about the job market, locate available opportunities, and provide additional assistance such as internships, recruiting, career observation visits, career panels, and employer resource materials.
“U*CAN has a very important and necessary mission,” says Guye A. Willison '90, of Maplnfo, in Troy, N.Y. “The program appears to be very comprehensive and thoughtfully designed.”
Andrew Lipman '93 agrees. “I have used the U* CAN with great success. Many of the alumni I contacted have called me back and have been extremely forthcoming with advice. I have found alumni to be deeply loyal to the College and excited to hear about what young graduates are doing. The system is a great resource, and I am grateful for the opportunity to have used it.”
A major goal of the CDC is to have the names of 2,000 alumni in the U*CAN by the year 2000.
Thomas Denham, assistant director of the CDC, says the
goal is “large, but reachable. The CDC relies on the support of alumni to advise students about the realities of the working world. That `real world' career advice can make a great difference.”
The CDC cites several alumni as examples of how to help:
Dan Emmi '73, a partner at Andersen Consulting, has led recruiting efforts at Union, resulting in nineteen hires this spring;
Jennifer Lawton '85 has been hiring students for full-time and summer positions at Net Daemons, a computer consulting firm in Boston;
Peter de Boer '93, of I.P. Morgan, sponsored the New York City reception for students and alumni prior to a recruiting day last January, and came to campus with Marie Wheeler '93 to conduct an information session;
Laura Iacoviello '89 arranged for the Bank of Boston to recruit for analysts;
Ben Levitan '83, of Cambridge Technology Partners in Massachusetts, interviewed on campus and hired three seniors.
Alumni who would like to share their enthusiasm and knowledge can do so by filling out the form in “The Classes” section of this issue of Union College or call the Career Development Center at (518) 388-6176. Each summer the CDC will update listings and inform alumni participants of how graduates are doing.
Another valuable resource is the Jobs Page, which can be found on the Career Development Center's home page on the World Wide Web (The address is
http://apollo.union.edu/cdc/cdc.html). Alumni can help students and fellow alumni by posting a job opening. The home page also has information about recruiting, events, internships, dozens of job links, and career services for both students and alumni.
The CDC also provides a handout describing more than 100 sites
for job seeking on the Web. Joyce Lain Kennedy, a syndicated columnist for The Los Angeles Times, wrote that this list is “very helpful.” The Career Center's home page has had more than 2,500 visitors in the few months it has existed.