Midd Brief CSO Sets Record-Breaking Pace

Author: Daniel Phillips


What's different at Career Services Office (CSO) this fall? Students have turned out in record-setting numbers to the annual Senior Meetings on Sept. 16 and Sept. 18, 167 seniors have already been through the four steps required for participation in recruiting and the August survey of the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) has predicted a 12.7 percent increase in college hiring this year. According to Don Kjelleren, associate director for recruiting development and the Senior Program, 660 seniors have already attended the Senior Meetings, as compared to the 513 total members of the Class of 2003 who had attended by last May. "This year's class is way ahead of last year's class pretty much all across the board," noted Kjelleren.

Executive Director of Career Services Jaye Roseborough recently reported in a press release regarding the Class of 2003: "Of the seniors who responded to the annual May survey, 56 percent reported having accepted job offers, 16 percent were off to graduate school or were waiting for acceptance, 10 percent were heading to postgraduate intern or fellowships and the remaining 18 percent were undecided or looking for work."

The Senior Meetings are only one part of the four-step process required to participate in recruitment, which also includes signing a code of conduct, filling out a student profile on Mojo, Middlebury's online recruiting service, and attending a career skills workshop that reveals how to compile a resume, ways to network and how to land internships. This process developed after meetings with alumni who said Middlebury students had not been performing well in job interviews. CSO responded by putting a special emphasis on diversifying the programs, and noted how fortunate the College is to have alumni support as Middlebury does not have a business program in the curriculum. Nevertheless, Kjelleren remains "cautiously optimistic." He said he is "anecdotally convinced that [the process] was of a significant advantage to the job seeker."

Nobody is forcing students to go through this process. But Kjelleren points out that if students cannot make it to one meeting a week for the recruitment process while fully engaged in a Middlebury senior curriculum, such poor time management does not bode well for students in the professional job market.

Heather Barrington '04 was in the CSO office on Monday applying for a financial consulting position. "As long as you get yourself in here, you're going to be helped. Despite the formalities, it is nice to have a structure that is supportive as well as it is aimed toward improving your skills," she said about the process. Barrington applied for seven jobs and had her hopes up that she might land one internship out of the lot. "It's all practice," she added.

Some of the upcoming heavyweight programs CSO has in store include the Oct. 11 Super Saturday Simulation, featuring Richard Fuld, new trustee and CEO of Lehman Brothers, who will headline the forum designed to help Middlebury students secure some of most competitive jobs. There will also be a Career and the Common Good Symposium on Nov. 8 showcasing extensive programs for attendees to explore. Kjelleren concluded, "What we're teaching in these workshops are life skills - nothing that doesn't have immediate long-term value."