The Battalion
Tuesday ‘July 22, 1997
Get a haircut and get a real job
Graduating seniors head to the career center as they prepare to face 'the real world 1
By Rhonda Reinhart
The Battalion
fob hunting is a task many new college graduates may find
overwhelming, but the switch from from backpack to brief-
| case could be easier than expected.
Glen Payne, placement director at Texas A&M, said on a
Rational basis, there are more jobs than students.
“The market is certainly in the student’s favor right now,”
lie said.
Students can find help in their job searches at
lie career center, a centralized placement
Iffice on campus.
One service the career center provides is allowing
students to set up on-campus interviews with prospec
tive employers.
Each student who wants to interview on campus
should complete a disk resume and turn it in to the ca
reer center. The career center has a list of requirements
from all the companies registered there. Resumes that fit
a company’s requirements are sent electronically to the
company. The company then pre-selects which students
it would like to interview.
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Payne said September, October and November are
months when on-campus interviewing is intensive.
“Students can generate interviews by sending out
resumes directly or by using our system,” he said. “But
we’re a nice, convenient way to do it. Last year, we did
26,000 interviews.”
Charlie Davis, an industrial distribution major who grad
uated in May, said he got a job at Sepco Industries in Hous
ton through an interview he had at the career center.
“I only did one interview that wasn’t through the ca
reer center,” he said. “The career center makes it so
easy for you.”
Davis said the earlier students start in
terviewing, the better.
“You need to start interviewing at
-• least a semester before you graduate
just to get a feel of what companies are
looking for,” he said. “You should also re
search the companies you will be inter
viewing with. The career center has infor
mation on almost every company that
comes there.”
Davis said the most difficult
part of his job search was finding
a company that would offer him
the best opportunity.
Payne said the idea of job hunting
is a bit daunting to most students.
“Getting started is usually the hard
est part,” he said. “Students start out slow
and then start to feel more confident. If stu
dents involve themselves at the career
center, they get more structure in their
job hunting. They don’t put it off.”
Payne said there are not many
schools with an establishment like
A&M’s career center.
“More opportunities are brought here than any other
school with a centralized placement office,” he said.
“Most companies say they find a stronger work ethic here
than at other universities. I constantly hear that compa
nies find intelligent young people here. 1 also hear about
the ‘other education’ — students getting involved in ac
tivities outside of class.”
Payne said his formula for a student’s success includes
doing well in school and getting involved in one or two or
ganizations on campus.
Mary K.D. McKinney, a recruiter for Hewitt Associates,
an international consulting firm registered at the career
center, said past experience at A&M has been positive.
“A&M is one of the top schools,” she said. “We find
the students here bright, articulate and well-prepared
for interviews.”
McKinney said Hewitt brings back about 66 percent of
the students it interviews, and about 66 percent of those
students get job offers.
The career center presents workshops throughout the
semester on such topics as resume-building and salary ne
gotiation. It also holds mock interviews to help students
prepare for the real thing.
"There is very much a practice effect in interviewing,”
Payne said. “You get good at it. I see interviewing as an active
sport. It’s not a passive thing. Be ready to talk.”
Davis said the most important asset a student can have
during an interview is good communication skills.
“A high grade point average alone won’t get you a job,” he
said. “Generally, companies want to see someone with a high
energy level, someone who is teamwork-oriented who could
be a leader. The more interested you sound in a job, the bet
ter chance you have. Market yourself.”
Payne said he encourages students to have curiosity, to
get out and see what jobs are available.
“Your role is to keep presenting yourself,” he said. “I’ve
seen some of the strangest students get hired. For every
one, there is some employer who is going to love you.”
Student bodies need not live up to society’s standards of beauty
Columnist
Jenny Vrnak
Junior journalism major
was sitting in class a couple
Lyon | of days ago, listening in on a
v discussion between some
iefirls sitting in front of me. The
ubjectwas one that has been
irguedfor many years and will
de irobably be argued for many
- e dl fears to come.
The subject was, as one girl put
it,society’s complete and total ob-
sessioimth appearances.
1 The group of girls in front of me
«complaining about how much they hated wearing
3, especially during the summer. They were also
tipingabout having to lose weight for swimsuit season
iidgetting a tan and having to spend money to get all of
Knew summer clothes.
This went on for a while, until a guy in front of them
Bled around and innocendy remarked, “I think girls
bold just look more natural. You know, like Elle
bcPherson or Cindy Crawford.”
Dead silence.
Iwondered if this guy even knew what he had just
liked into. He had single handedly opened up an
normous can of worms, and he just sat there, waiting
la response.
Run, I wanted to scream at him, run like the wind. But
iwas too late; the damage was done.
ppi :
“Elle MacPherson?” said one girl, increduously. “Are
you kidding me? Do you even know how many pounds of
makeup she wears to get that ‘natural look’?”
“Cindy Crawford wears even more,” said another.
“And the only reason she looks so good is because she
can afford to hire a chef and a trainer.”
This went on and on, while the
guy who made the comment
looked like he wanted the
earth to open up and swallow ^
him whole.
As I listened, I started to
wonder where all of this hostility
was coming from. Then it oc- "
curred to me — it was the
media’s fault.
(A note—when in doubt, always
blame television or Hollywood. They are
easy targets and are usually at the heart
of all of society’s problems.)
When you look at it, the media real
ly do give the public images to live up to that are al
most impossible. Models are tall and stick-thin, with
hardly any body fat. Many movie stars are incredibly
skinny, too. And these images invade our lives on a
daily basis through TV, movies, magazines and
newspapers.
Many magazines will try to defend their publications
by running stories about the horrors of anorexia nervosa
or bulimia, and how the media is helping to promote
these problems. How ironic is it when these same maga
zines turn around and contradict their own stories?
A recent example of this irony centered around
actress Alicia Silverstone. Known for her
good looks and pretty figure, she was vi
ciously attacked by the press after she
gained weight. Many magazines that
had run stories on how Hollywood was
promoting images that were impossi
ble to attain, also ran stories call-
ing Silverstone “I’atgirl” and
> “Batbutt.”
Silverstone handled all of this
harsh criticism with amazing dignity and
grace. She said she was happy with her weight
and appearance, and that was all that mattered. If
only all young women had her confidence.
What is also ironic is that Silverstone’s weight
gain would not have been noticed if she had not been a
movie star. But she is in the limelight, so she is an open
target to be judged and criticized by the media.
But the rest of us aren’t open targets. We don’t have
to succumb to the pressures of society and the media.
So wear what you want to, eat what you want to, and
just be happy with the way you look. That’s all that re
ally matters anyway.
¥
MSC OPAS presents “A Taste of Summer” with
IBrcaidlwaiy Cailbanret
featuring The Brazos Valley TROUPE and Friends singing
Ercadway cff the 8C’s and 9C’s.
Friday, July 25,1997
7:30 p.m. in Rudder Forum
Free tickets available at the MSC Box Office,
1st Floor Rudder Tower (Mon-Fri 9-4:30).
Call MSC OPAS (845-1661) for information.
Two tickets per TAMU student.
■
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Opera & Performing Arts Society
#
Local radio news from the newsroom of
IMtemion
campus and community news
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during NPR Morning Edition
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Graphics: Brad Graeber
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