Students should take advantage of the Career Center at FAMU

Students cannot complain that they cannot set up a résumé properly, write a cover letter or go into a job interview prepared. There is no excuse.

My first thought for those students who do complain is that they have not visited Florida A&M’s Career Center, which has great resources for students.

Many students are unaware of the Career Center, but they just have to look. More students should take advantage of what it offers because it helps prepare them for the professional world.

Delores Dean, director of the Career Center, said the purpose of the establishment is to prepare students for the real world once they graduate.

“The Career Center offers a lot of good, valuable information and resources,” Dean said. “It’s up to the students to take advantages of the services that we have to offer.”

I can say the Career Center is preparing me for the real world. The faculty and staff have critiqued my résumé several times, and they have told me what it is recruiters look for when hiring. The résumé is the gateway to the job interview. If recruiters do not like my résumé, most likely they will not call me in for a job interview. Because of advice I have gotten at the Career Center on what to put on my résumé, I have had two internship interviews this semester.

According to the National Association of College Admission Counseling’s website, students should take advantage of the career centers at their institutions.

They prepare us for post-graduation life. When the Career Center brings employers and job recruiters to FAMU, students are able to network.

The Career Center offers lots of assistance such as résumé critiquing, mock job interviews, career counseling and assistance with choosing majors.

Dean suggests freshmen come to the Career Center when they first enroll. She said she wishes there were more students to take advantage of the services.

“All of these services we have to offer will definitely give students more of a competitive edge when they get ready to do that internship or that final job upon graduation,” Dean said.

I agree with her. I have noticed that many upperclassmen do not have a professional résumé. If students were to get their résumés updated at least twice a year, they would have a better chance of getting a job or internship.

In addition, when students decide they want to switch majors, or if they are undecided on what they want to go into, the Career Center would be the best choice for them. There are several tests students can take to determine what major best fits their skills and personality. Many students enter college without a major. If they take the assessment tests in the Career Center, I am sure they will have some majors to choose.

I believe once seniors reach graduation, they do not have the right to say FAMU has limited assets. If you search hard enough, you will learn the Career Center will actually help you a lot.