Career Development Center paves future. 

By Lauren Keuning
Contributing Writer

The Center for College Affordability and Productivity reported close to 50 percent of college graduates are working jobs that do not require a degree, such as waiting tables or driving taxis, in its 2013 census.

Additionally, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the unemployment rate for those with a bachelor’s degree or higher was at a 3.8 percent the same year, according to an article published by The New York Times.

This trend has affected college students nationwide, but with help from Brookhaven College’s Career Development Center, students can set themselves apart from other applicants, according to Adam Clawson, senior career planning specialist in the Career Development Center.

For the past four years, Clawson said he has dedicated his time to help students achieve their professional goals post graduation.

Clawson said those who obtain information from the Career Development Center are from local and national employers who give feedback based on their current experiences with recent graduate applicants. These services are focused on the relevant needs of reputable businesses. “It’s our job to make sure [students] are employable and ready to work … the career services department has a crucial role in that whole process,” Clawson said.

According to the Career Development Center’s website, the center offers services to improve student employment, such as job listings, career counseling, résumé assistance and mock interviews. These services are designed to help students find career success after college.

Dominica McCarthy, Career Development Center director, said one service the center offers is a career assessment available to students for free, as well to the public, though some services cost money for non students. The assessment is online and can be accessed on any device and completed in less than 20 minutes. The results are then relayed to participants in a one-on-one counseling session with advisers in the center, she said.

Another service often utilized at the Career Development Center is résumé review, McCarthy said. “We don’t create résumés for students, but we give them templates and documents to help them build [them],” she said.

Jarred Shaffer, a student assistant, said he has been working in the Career Development Center through on-campus work-study for the past year and said it has taught him a lot about what employers want in a résumé and how to make himself employable. “[The services in the Career Development Center] gives [students] guidance on how to approach an interview so they don’t walk into it blind,” he said.

The Career Development Center will continue hosting annual workshops, and the center services will be available to students over the summer, as well, McCarthy said.