Career center is here to assist students

On the way to the parking lot every Monday and Wednesday last semester Athanasia Syrengelas, 21, liberal arts major at Cal State Long Beach, passed right by the Career Development Center without stopping.

She was in a hurry to beat the traffic, get home and be to work on time. Stopping in to visit the Career Center or any other CSULB office was not on her agenda, unless doing so was absolutely necessary.

Syrengelas figured she only needed to visit the department of her major for aid on her career path but she found out she was wrong.

"After I visited the Career Center," Syrengelas said. "I was amazed at the amount of helpful material they [the staff] provided me with."

The Career Center is located on the second floor of the Administration Building in Room 250 and is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Thursday, and from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., Friday.

"The Career Center offers a variety of services for students such as workshops for resume writing, interviewing techniques, career planning process and individual career counseling," said Betty Bains, associate director of the Career Center at CSULB.

The center also aids students in conducting job searches by using its Career Resource Library.

In May, a Job Fair day is held for students to be introduced to different employers who have positions available for students in all majors.

The Career Center also has recorded employment information including part-time positions available through a voice jobline, 24 hours a day at 985-8511.

According to Bains, the center is in the process of creating an e-mail service, to announce upcoming events for the students. This is designed to increase awareness of events to students who commute to CSULB and are not able to spend as much time on campus.

On-Campus Interview orientation workshops are provided for students through the Career Center.

Bains said that OCI workshops are set up for the convenience of the students to be interviewed by employers on campus. These interviews are arranged through a telephone scheduling system similar to VRR.

"The Career Center provides services and great opportunities for students to prepare themselves for the real world," Bains said. "The big thing is that itŐs a reality check."

Another service provided by the Career Center is a self-assessment test.

Bains said this test helps students discover their strengths and weaknesses and how to apply those to their career goals.

Counselors are available to help students choose careers that will develop their strengths and prepare them to achieve their goals.

The Career Center also distributes free materials for students such as A Student Guide to Informational Interviewing and Job Choices. These materials can be obtained at the entrance of the Career Center.

"The goals of the Career Center are for the students to understand how to communicate effectively working in the field and to have students acquire a smooth transition from internships to full-time positions," Bains said. "Every student needs to know how to prepare for an interview and many students go through years at CSULB without using the helpful services we provide."

More information and or appointments with counselors at the Career Center, are available at 985-4151.