Even though the job market is recovering slowly, the Georgetown University Career Education Center will be busy this month.
Director Mike Schaub is confident that this year will be successful for job and internship applicants, pointing out positive trends in data culled from the class of 2010. He says 62 percent of the class of 2010 reports having secured a job so far, up from 57 percent for the class of 2009. This fall’s career fair saw a 14 percent increase in employer attendance, and on-campus interviews saw a 23 percent rise from 2009 lows.
While the job market has expanded, Schaub’s reaction to the recession may have contributed to the Career Center’s effectiveness.
Schaub, who has been with the Career Center since 2000 and has been its director since 2006, said that a main part of his strategy has been to strengthen ties with the alumni network.
“When the recession hit, our strategy was to enhance our collaborations with alumni,” he said. “As you try to develop opportunities in different industries, the first step is really to work closely with alumni.”
He has also created a new position, the Director for External Relations, currently held by Tara Duprey. Duprey’s job is to manages alumni relations and focus on networking between alumni and former Georgetown students. Her efforts include organizing a networking event, which will take place on Feb. 15. February is historically the month when many Georgetown students procure jobs and summer internships.
“If you look at the stats, this fall was better than the previous fall,” Schaub said. “We have a very robust interview environment.”
Kristen Focella (MSB ’12) can attest to this robustness. Looking for a summer internship in the banking industry, she has participated in upwards of 10 interviews in the past two weeks.
“The Center’s been very helpful,” Focella, who hopes to forgo graduate school and find a job after graduation, said.
According to Schaub, students in certain industries have already begun to see recessionary contractions dissipate.
“Certainly students who are interested in [public relations], student relations, and marketing are seeing an increase,” he said. “Science as well.”
Lately, the Center has focused on federal employment opportunities.
“There are some pay increases in the [federal] government that are widespread,” Staub said, adding that there are always political-based uncertainties in the public sector. “But we’re still using our government contacts.”
Another strategy has been to approach small firms, but this tactic came with a catch—small firms may not be able to make up for big employers’ hiring practices.
“We saw [the recession] as an opportunity to work with smaller employers or employers who’ve not come to Georgetown, and feel like they can’t compete with more well known companies,” he said. “With this recession, we need every posting we can get.”
Focella, who applied for several internships, has received more responses from larger companies.
“I’ve applied to a few smaller corporations, but it’s mostly the bigger ones who call back,” she said.
Nonetheless, Katie Hogan (MSB ’12), who is using the Career Center for the first time this year, has been satisfied with the University’s help.
“They’re super helpful,” she said, “They give great advice. Anything you need help with—they help you with it.”
