Job competition has increased making it more difficult for graduates to find a job. Statistics from AfterCollege.com show that over 80 percent of recent graduates are having trouble finding a job; however, students can prepare now to ensure a job after graduation.

The first thing students should do is check out the department of career services on campus. UWG’s career services offers volunteer services, internships, part- time and full-time job opportunities.

Students should begin with small time jobs and internships to help gain experience. Career services also helps students create professional resumes and offers advice for job interviews. Students can learn valuable tips on how to impress employers. The National Association of Colleges and Employer’s 2009 survey shows 26 percent of students accepted a job compared to 21 percent of students who didn’t use the career service resources.

Students should also take advantage of social networking. Facebook has become a popular site for companies to build mutual contact.

Another website called Linkedin.com is a professional network geared toward helping college graduates find jobs in their specialty. Other helpful websites, such as CareerBuilder.com and Monster.com, list thousands of jobs for potential candidates.

Career Fairs help graduating students meet with potential employers while also giving the opportunity to practice for job interviews and build a good reputation with companies. Seventy-five employers attended last years UWG career fair. Three Career Fairs are scheduled in November, February, and April for UWG.

Student Development offers career counseling for students. The sessions give students three to five personalized meetings with a licensed counselor to help to discover decision-making styles in order to find the right career.

To make an appointment, call 678-839-6428.

The Excel Center offers the FOCUS Program to help identify occupations that best match personal attributes. The FOCUS Program is an online career and education assessment for college students.

Students should visit www.westga.edu/excel/index_3274.php to create a FOCUS account. The FOCUS main menu allows students to create a Work Assessment survey and a Personality Assessment to help identify the best-suited career for a student. Also, the Excel Center offers other programs to assist student needs.

“We train more than 50 students to become leaders in Peer Tutoring, Mentoring, and other forms of leadership,” said Cheryl Rice, director of the excel center, “We assist students who have not decided on a major or career to make that decision with our FOCUS Program.”

Students can call the Excel Center at 678-839-6280 to schedule an appointment or learn more about the offered programs.

Professors can also be valuable sources. They can provide helpful career information as well as become a vital reference for a job. When in doubt, always ask a professor.

The UWG website is an important component for providing students with information. Karen Lingrell, Program Specialist for the Department of Career Services, hopes to include an online job questionnaire for the website in the future.

“StrengthQuest is an online questionnaire that helps seniors recognize their skills and explore job search strategies,” said Lingrell.

For more information visit the UWG Career Services website http://careerweb.westga.edu.

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