Academic and Career Services helps students plan futures post-grad
By Amelia Cooper
According to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, 1 in 3 college graduates holds a job that does not require a degree. With graduation approaching for about 1,000 UNK seniors, many students will start to look for post-graduate employment. Student must identify the best time to start preparing for the employment process.
“The number one factor is starting your search, whether it be for grad schools or careers, early, so at least six months,” said Kate Gienger, an Academic Advisor in the Academic and Career Services office.
The Academic and Career Services office, located in the Memorial Student Affairs building, offers several services to help students set themselves up for life after graduation. They plan and host the career fairs in the fall and spring, execute workshops that lead up to the career fair, offer mock interviews and resume critiques and promote and lead Handshake, a job search portal for all UNK students.
Handshake is a service offered to all UNK students that allows for employers and students to connect. “For seniors, you can upload your resume and update your profile, and especially when you are looking, make your profile public, because there are employers who are looking and seeking students,” Gienger said.
The biggest event the Academic and Career Services office hosts is the spring and fall career fairs. The Spring 2019 Career Fair on Feb. 27 from 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. in the Health and Sports Center, the office is setting up a Career Fair Prep Workshop on Jan. 30 from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. in the Antelope Room in the Union.
“Our big career fair we host in the fall and the spring has anywhere between 90 and 140 employers and graduate schools who come,” Gienger said. “It’s a great opportunity to go and market yourself, meet others, build relationships, see what companies are hiring and its not just in Kearney it’s in Nebraska and all across the Midwest.”
Although most seniors are looking for post-graduation employment, these services are offered to all UNK students and every student is encouraged to reach out for advising. “As far as advising goes, we advise all deciding students and talk about trying to find a major that suits the student, and we also talk to students who come in to change their major,” Gienger said.
They also offer advising about adding and dropping classes and what students can do with the major they have chosen.
To contact the Academic and Career Services office, it is encouraged to make an appointment through Handshake, but they also take appointments over the phone at (308)865-8501.
