“When we came in there were a lot of opportunities for co-ops, internships, and full-time positions. People were given multiple offers to choose from, but now we are given one option if we’re lucky,” said John El-Srouji who will graduate in December 2002.

In response to these woes, the Career Development Center is doing as much as possible to aid students in their hunt. “I think the CDC has been quite effective, proactive even” in the effort to help students with their search, said Thomas Tarantelli, CDC director.

“I think they provide a good first step; you can go there and get your questions answered, but don’t expect them to do the dirty work for you,” continued El-Srouji.

Tarantelli echoed this argument as he encouraged students “to commit the time and manage their job search more so than in the past.”

In order to help students better conduct their job search, the CDC has made improvements over the summer. Improvements include extending their business hours, redesigning and creating an even more efficient website, and introducing a new service.

The CDC also has programs dedicated to helping students Ace Their Interview, get through their Internship/Summer 2003 Job Search, and “work the room” during the many career fairs this semester. The major goal for the CDC staff is to encourage students to come into the office and get involved and participate in their job quest.

Today’s job market is not what it used to be; the days of sending out resumes through the Internet and expecting that to be enough are done. If students take that laissez-faire attitude towards seeking employment in these tough economic times, they are virtually “sending their resumes into a black hole,” said Tarantelli.

In keeping with the changing times, the CDC has been extremely flexible with recruiters this year by accepting companies to recruit just about up to the last minute.

“Many companies have reassessed their recruiting processes, reducing recruiting schedules on college campuses, some are cutting recruiting all together,” continued Tarantelli.

According to Tarrantelli, companies are now developing a “just-in-time” recruiting tactic, meaning if businesses are trying to fill a position for December, they will come to recruit in November.

Contacting alumni provides another outlet that students can pursue when seeking employment. The CDC has tried to maintain strong ties with alumni in order to keep them coming back and recruiting students from RPI.

The CDC also expects students to take an active role in their recruitment by making connections with alumni in the industries that they wish to pursue, but first learning how to create broader associations by attending a workshop might be the initial step needed.

“We encourage students to participate in information sessions, and find out how to network,” Tarantelli said emphatically.

He went on to say that the brand new website, Red Hawk Joblink, is a tool that students should make use of because it should make it easier to get the information that they need. On the new site students can do virtually everything, from schedule appointments with counselors to adding their resume to a recruiters resume book.

The new site stems from a recent partnership. In the past they were affiliated with Monster.com, and have now made a move to improve their flexibility. The CDC now has service with the National Association of Colleges and Employers called NACElink.

There are now two schools on NACElink, RPI and Purdue University, and by the end of the year 27 are expected to use their service.