JMU offers job resources to students

JMU offers a wide variety of job and internship resources to aid seniors during their job search.

The Academic Advising and Career Development Resource Center, located in Wilson Hall, room 301, offers such programs as resumé writing workshops, internship resources, job directories and graduate school information, as well as career counselors to help students along.

Lee Ward, the director of Academic Advising and Career Development, said not enough students take advantage of the AACDRC especially early in their academic career.

Ward suggests students begin the process of locating a job for after graduation as soon as possible. He recommends taking advantage of the career counselors at the AACDRC who help students pinpoint what they want to do, what their skills are and what they are best suited for. "One thing students need to always be thinking about is the direction that they are going," he said. Ward also recommends students serve an internship during their college years, preferably their sophomore or junior years.

Students searching for jobs or internships can take advantage of the on-campus interview program. "We provide the opportunity for students to speak to employers’ right on campus, which is a convenience to both," said David Chase, co-coordinator of the On-campus Interviewing Program.

The program provides students with a chance to not only gain interviews with employers for full-time work, but also for internships as well. Popular employers who use the JMU on-campus interviewing program range from Wachovia to USA Today to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Like many graduating seniors, senior Nicole Maier is concerned with finding employment after she leaves JMU. "I have a general idea of what I want to do but I don’t know how to look for a job," Maier said. Maier said she intends to return to the center.