University Career Services is offering a variety of tools to help graduating students meet the demands of today’s employers, including free practice tests Saturday in Powell and Ayo Halls. Career Services is a department on campus that aids students in developing effective job search skills, locating possible part-time or full-time employment and gives them the chance to take practice tests that they may be required to complete before entering a job field.
The GRE, GMAT, LSAT, MCAT, DAT and NCLEX are the free tests offered by the department through Kaplan, a testing company.
“They’re good about working with students after they take the test. They let students know what areas they need to improve on and what books will help them to do that,” Kristy Tauzin, director of Career Services, said. “And they’re not too pushy.”
According to Career Services, each test will last up to three hours and be simulated like the actual exam. To sign up for the event, go to www.kaptest.com/practice. An e-mail will be sent to confirm registration.
The services the department offers are available to both students and alumni.
“We help them work on their resumes and practice for job interviews so they will know what to expect,” Tauzin said.
Another aspect that Tauzin said students should focus their attention on is internships.
“Companies like to see that people have taken a real interest in their future and career,” Tauzin said. “Plus an internship gives you a chance to see what a certain industry is like and lets you decide if it is right for you.”
Tauzin said companies also look at an internship as a training program because it saves them time to get a worker acclimated to the job.
Career Services also offers help building resumes.
“Students can come in with a rough list of information, and we can work together to build off of that,” Tauzin said.
“Now that I am going to be putting my resume out there more, I’ll probably visit Career Services to see if they can help me improve it,” Rachel Spreen, general business senior from Houston, Texas, said. “I’m also planning on taking the GMAT.”
Tauzin said that students should look for other things besides income when they are selecting a possible job.
“Instead of looking for a job just based on income, they should try to find a career that they are happy with. They should be happy with the service that their company provides and with the work that they do,” Tauzin said.
