Tough Economy? Get career counseling - and leads! - at Rowan's CAP Center

CAP Center assistant director Ruben Britt

In this economy even the best-prepared graduates need every lead, lesson, and leg up they can get to land a good job and at Rowan's Career and Academic Planning Center they can get all that and more.

The CAP Center, on the upper floor of Savitz Hall in the center of campus, offers a broad range of services to help guide students to the right major and ready them for reality - the harsh economic landscape of the early 21st Century.

Offering an array of services ranging from one-on-one counseling to group workshops, the center helps students prepare for their most important exam - the job interview.

"We provide career counseling to both students and alumni," said Ruben Britt, an assistant CAP Center director who has been with the University for more than six years.

In addition to the usual stream of students - many of whom take advantage of the center's programs as early as freshman year - a large number of alumni are coming in, forced by downsizing and layoffs to seek new positions or entirely new careers, he said.

"In some cases alumni find they can use the degree they have to pursue another career but in some cases we advise them to take additional courses, get a second degree or get a graduate degree," Britt said.

With the economy in recession, more students seem interested in graduate school as a means of riding out the slow times but moving directly to a graduate program isn't always the best option, he said.

"It might seem like it is but they could be done in a year and a half and the job market could still be tight," he said.

Britt said a combination of counseling and in-office resources - job-specific web sites, career-assessment software, job hunting guides and manuals - enable students and alumni to plot the quickest course to gainful employment or to find a graduate program.

Career Exploration fair sponsored by CAP Center

Best of all for some job seekers, he and other staffers advise students and alumni on where the opportunities are - and what they might want to avoid.

"One area we're advising students to pursue is positions with the federal government," he said. "A lot of baby boomers are retiring and there are openings, job security and opportunities for growth there."

First things first

In addition to career and job search advice, the CAP Center provides incoming students who have not matriculated direction in choosing classes and a major.

"We talk to them about their interests, their abilities and their motives," Britt said. "If, for example, they want to make a lot of money, we might talk to them about a degree in business."

He said self-assessment software, which may be used in the center or at home, can help students narrow down decisions on majors and minors. Students who are accepted to Rowan but not into a program of study can take up to 60 credits prior to matriculating but some of the most competitive majors, like Education, Engineering, Business and Communication, have GPA minimums and other requirements that students should know about as early as possible.

Yana Nahaytseva, a May graduate with a degree in Management Information Systems, said she took advantage of CAP Center resources and had an offer in hand before Commencement.

"I graduated on Friday and started working on Monday," said Nahaytseva, 24, of Vineland.

Traditional resources in CAP Center

Hired as a search engine optimization specialist with Radwell International in Lumberton, Nahaytseva said experience she gained through the CAP Center, including mock interviews and resume writing, helped her feel at ease and ready.

"The mock interviews were very close to whatever could happen in your actual interview," said Nahaytseva, a Ukrainian immigrant who is seeking her American citizenship. "Any experience helps you to grow and be more comfortable with what you have to say."

Nahaytseva, who graduated with a 3.9 GPA, said maintaining good grades certainly helped land her first real job but the preparation and confidence she built through the CAP Center was invaluable.

"My advice for others is to use every opportunity Rowan is giving you," she said. "Go to job fairs and internship fairs. You can go and spend three or four hours and talk to fifteen or 20 people. And definitely do an internship. It's a great experience."

Job hunting tips from the CAP Center:

• Study the market and potential employers as part of your search strategy
• Once you find an employer you're interested in, seek an "informational interview" if paid positions aren't, for the time being, available
• Follow the interview with a simple Thank You note and enclose your resume
• Get an internship or other valuable, if unpaid, experience
• Stay in touch - you never know when a position will develop