Besides their in-office hours, Career Services offers help to students online.
Melissa Nunez
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College doesn’t last forever, and at some point, students need to start their career. Career Services can guide students Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., but what about students who need help outside of those hours? That’s where the 24/7 Online Resources come into the picture.
“These 24/7 online resources are available to assist students with the job process,” Career Services Director Martin Shibata said.
MustangJOBS
If a student is looking for a part-time job, MustangJOBS is the place to search.
“We have over 10,000 employers on MustangJOBS,” Soukita Thipsouvanh, Career Services event coordinator, said.
MustangJOBS gives students access to on-campus jobs, local jobs and on-campus interviews.
This also serves as a resource for students and alumni looking for employers who fit with their career choice. Students can upload their résumés and make a profile, which helps keep students alert of prospective positions. Employers and positions that will be available at the Career Fair can also be viewed. Job postings on MustangJOBS are specifically aimed at Cal Poly students.
“I check it regularly to see the type of availabilities and also to help my friends, because some of my friends don’t know how to use MustangJOBS, so I like to keep an eye out for them,” biology senior Lauren Young said.
Students can access MustangJOBS through their My Cal Poly Portal.
Collegefeed
Collegefeed is a career networking site that helps students connect with companies in different industries. It is a new service that has partnered with Career Services. Students create a profile and identify companies they are interested in, and Collegefeed then suggests other companies similar to the ones they identified.
“Students identify, let’s say, the top five companies they are interested in,” Shibata said. “Now when you ask students that, they tend to pick from the top 100 companies. Collegefeed applies that interest into a search engine by other companies that provide similar positions and opportunities. So instead of engaging only the top 100 companies, they are engaging the top 500 companies and so a student can find out that that type of position they are looking is in other companies too.”
It’s like Netflix, except instead of suggesting movies, it suggests jobs. It also matches students to potential employers based on their profile. To get started on Collegefeed students need to first apply and get approved before they can connect. It is free and can be accessed by going to Collegefeed.com.
Focus-2
Focus-2 is the online resource for students who aren’t sure what career field they want to pursue.
“If they have no idea what direction they are heading in and they’re feeling really lost, then they might do Focus-2,” said Charlotte Rinaldi, career counselor for the College of Architecture and Environmental Design.
Focus-2 gives students access to five self-assessment tests. Each is based on a different topic: work interest, personality, skills, values and leisure interest. Based on the results of the assessment tests, students are matched to possible careers and majors at Cal Poly. With these matches students can start to explore career options, plan for the future and start networking. Students can get to Focus-2 through the link on the home page of MustangJOBS.
Big Interview
Interviews can be nerve-wracking, new and unfamiliar, but it’s part of the job process. Big Interview helps students get prepared for an upcoming interview. Through Big Interview, a student can set up a virtual mock interview that goes along with the type of interview they are preparing for. They are asked questions and recorded so they can play it back and see how they did. There are also interview coaches that give lessons on how to achieve a great interview.
“It helps students develop interview skills in their convenience of their home,” Shibata said.
Big Interview can be accessed at calpoly.biginterview.com and the home page of MustangJOBS.
Goinglobal
Job opportunities are everywhere, from San Luis Obispo to New York to London. Goinglobal provides students information of job listings outside of California and resources on international career topics.
“One of our favorite features are the city guides — they have country guides and they have city guides,” Rinaldi said. “So for people who are staying in the United States, it is incredibly helpful.”
Each country guide gives information on job search resources, nonprofits and volunteer organizations, industry and employment trends, top companies, professional and social networking, embassy listings, financial considerations, work permits and visas, résumé and curriculum vitae guidelines, interviewing and cultural advice.
Goinglobal can be accessed from the front page of MustangJOBS.
Connections are a key to finding a job, and LinkedIn is the go-to networking site. It can connect students to potential employers and learn more of people in their industry. By connecting, they can ask for advice related to their field. Students create a professional profile where they showcase their work and education.
“At the Career Fair, we have a LinkedIn booth for students to take a picture for their profile, or we help them review their profile,” Thipsouvanh said.
They can also connect with Cal Poly alumni in the same career field. Students can access LinkedIn through the Career Services website or by going straight to LinkedIn.com.
“Networking is another way to get jobs, and who you know can be just as important as what you know when you graduate,” Shibata said.
CareerSpots
All over the Career Services website, students can see CareerSpots videos about various topics that can assist them throughout the job search process.
The video topics include internships, networking and social media, career fairs, résumés and cover letters, salary and negotiation, starting your job search and interview tips.
Students can access the CareerSpots videos through the Career Services website.
“Let’s say you can’t make it to a résumé workshop, so you can look for a video to give you a quick overview,” Rinaldi said.
The 24/7 Online Resources can be found on the bottom of the Career Services websites.