In the extremely competitive job market today, having interview and career research skills can determine one’s future. Murray State Career Services gives students the opportunity to prepare to enter the job market with confidence.
Career Services held a “Chillin’ and Grillin’” event Wednesday in which students were welcomed to the new office in the Oakley Applied Science building. Ross Meloan, the director of Career Services, said the office has the opportunity to reach out to students like it has not been able to in the past.
“Our old office in Ordway Hall wasn’t handicap accessible and the facility was outdated,” Meloan said. “We have much more traffic on a daily basis and we’re seeing results.”
At the opening event, students received information on the upcoming career fair on Oct. 10, won prizes and ate plenty of food.
The new office is equipped with a room where students and counselors can perform mock interviews. There is also a new database only available in the office, which shows job vacancies nationwide. The database is a compilation of all internet career listings.
Students can call the office at any time to set up a one-on-one meeting with a career counselor to discuss opportunities and resume changes. Katie Mantooth, a recent addition to the Career Services staff, said even meeting to discuss changes in course loads or majors is beneficial to any student.
“What’s important about choosing a career or a major is finding who you are,” Mantooth said. “A lot of times we come to college with overhead influences. Murray State brings out who students are so they can find what they want to do in life.”
Meloan and Mantooth encourage students to visit both the office and the Career Services website. Racer Tracks is an online tool aimed at promoting students and their resumes to more than 8,000 employers nationally.
The website also has tip sheets and videos for resume writing as well as several examples for different majors. A new addition is the E-Resume Review where students can submit their resume online for Mantooth to proofread.
“Just this week I’ve done 17 resumes through email,” Mantooth said. “Meeting students face-to-face is great, but that’s not the only place students are.”
The new location will also allow for Career Services to put on more workshops for students. These workshops prepare students for interviews and job searches.
The largest event Career Services provides for students is the career fair.
Meloan said there have already been more businesses to sign up for the fair than last year.
Each business or organization that participates in the fair pays to be a part of the event. Meloan said even if a student is graduating in the spring, they should attend the event.
He even encouraged freshmen to attend so they are comfortable by the time they are juniors or seniors.
“It’s such a great opportunity for students,” Mantooth said. “It amazes me that we don’t have a waiting list or a line out the door. Employers are coming to Murray State because they want our students.”
Besides hosting a successful fair, Mantooth said Career Services hopes to make essential changes to the way the office reaches out to students.
They plan on updating their website and advertising all of the supportive tools it provides.
Mantooth said it was important Murray State be recognized as a university to find experienced, passionate employees.
Story by Lexy Gross, Staff writer.
