Help available for job seekers
By John Hejkal
Staff writer
Graduation means new responsi
bilities, a new environment and no
more discounts at the movies.
It also means finding a job.
That prospect may be what
makes graduation so frightening for
so many people approaching it.
Finding a job in the “real world”
might be intimidating, but persever
ance and the right approach can help
graduates secure their futures.
Marcia Phelps, assistant director
of Career Services at the Student
Employment and Internship Center,
said students need to keep focused
when looking for a job.
“Know the type of thing you’re
looking for, know what you’re will
ing to accept, know what’s not OK,
what you’re not willing to accept, ’
she said.
rinding a job has to be a student s
full-time job for as long as the search
is in progress, Phelps said. Until ajob
is found, students need to put energy
into getting ajob everyday.
Follow-up letters are important
tools, she said, even after getting a
rejection letter following an inter
view.
“Not many people follow up
when they get a rejection letter,” she
said.
A follow-up after a rejection
should express some disappointment
at not getting the position, but it
should also ask questions that may
help students continue the search for
jobs.
The letter should ask about how
many people applied and how many
were interviewed. Then, students
should inquire about their rank out of
those interviewed and what kept
them from getting the offer.
The letter should end with the
notice that the applicant will call later
in the week to get the answers.
Calling rather than requesting a
written response makes it more like
ly that students will get the informa
tion they want, Phelps said.
Companies usually are hesitant to
provide written information about
such matters for fear of lawsuits.
But getting the information can
There s no one service that meets
everybody s needs because job hunting
is highly personal."
be crucial in continuing the search
for a job, Phelps said. People need to
be sure they are competitive in the
field they are looking at if they hope
to have success there.
Larry Routh, director of Career
Services, said students need to
explore all their options when
searching for an employer.
“There’s no one service that
meets everybody’s needs because job
hunting is highly personal,” Routh
said.
He said new graduates who have
not yet found a job should use the
resources at Career Services to assist
their searches.
“If they’ve been experiencing
frustration, let s look at why, he said.
Phelps said students still looking
for jobs need to identify specific
things they do well. Only then will
they enjoy their careers and be suc
cessful at their jobs.
“The students who have the most
difficulty are the ones who are say
ing, ‘Well, I’ll go anywhere, I’ll do
anything,”’ she said.
One resource that’s becoming
more popular with students is the
Internet.
Career Services has tried to help
students make effective use of the
Internet by reviewing and listing
sites that may offer opportunities for
specific majors, Routh said.
Because the sites already have
been found and reviewed, students
can be more efficient with their
searches, he said.
“We’re trying to do some of the
work that you could do on your own,
but it would take you a lot of time,”
Routh said.
Phelps said the students should
take advantage of job Web sites.
“(Job-hunting sites) are certainly
helpfiil,” she said. “They’re a quick
way to get information.”
Larry Routh
UNL Career Services director
Career Services offers work
shops on Internet research
Wednesdays at 3 p.m, in 225
Nebraska Union throughout the sum
mer.
The Web
of assistance
Many Web sites cater to
job seekers in many fields.
Below are some
recommended sites.
Advice
www. uni. edu/careers
UNL Career Services
Job Banks
These sites offer the chance to
post your resume and search
job listings from
across the country.
Headhunter.net
Monster.com
Career Mosaic, com
CareerPath.com
HotJobs.com
BestJobs USA. com
A mericasEmployers. com
www.ajb.org
America’s Job Bank
CareerBuilder. com
Searches 50 job sites at once
JOBTRAK.com
Designed for recent college
graduates
Careersite.com
Targets small- to mid-sized
businesses
CareerCity.com
Targets high-tech careers
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‘Glass ceiling’ cracked,
but not yet shattered
Daily Texan
University of Texas-Austin
AUSTIN, Texas (U-WIRE) -
The “glass ceiling” that has histori
cally been a barrier to the advance
ment of women in the workplace
may be showing signs of cracking,
Census Bureau statistics show, but
several Austin female-interest advo
cates said the numbers may not
reflect a gain in financial opportuni
ties.
Census Bureau estimates reveal
that more than 7.1 million women
held full-time executive, managerial
and administrative positions in 1998
a 29-percent gain from 1993.
About 9.5 million men held the
same leadership positions, but that
number only represents a 19 percent
increase from 1993 to 1998. Figures
for 1999 are not yet available.
Janice Beyer, member of the UT
Faculty Women’s Organization, said
the increase in women holding exec
utive positions is a direct result of
affirmative action, which she said
opened up more employment oppor
tunities for women and minorities.
“Women are getting a solid toe
hold into executive positions,” said
Beyer, a professor of business
administration and chairman of the
Department of Management. “This
is cheering news, but the battle isn’t
over.”
In 1998, there were 514,000
more women in executive and mana
gerial positions than in 1997, com
pared with 392,000 more males in
such high positions during the same
time period.
Executive, administrative and
managerial jobs may include chief
executives, middle-level and lower
level management positions and
self-employed women.
Although statistics reveal an
increase in women hired for leader
ship positions, consistently low
median income levels for females
with such jobs reveal that the “glass
ceiling” may not cave in any time
soon.
While the median income level
for both men and women in execu
tive positions increased by 20 per
cent in 1998, men earned about
$17,000 more.
Hannah Riddering, president of
the Austin Chapter of the National
Organization for Women, said the
increase is a positive step but
expressed concern that women who
reach management levels are being
shuffled into lower-paying and less
powerful positions.
“Increase in executive jobs for
women does not reflect that they are
being hired in really powerful posi
tions; men still hold the more valu
able positions,” she said.
Citing an example, Riddering
said even though the responsibilities
of the administrative assistant, a
position more commonly held by
women, and the aide, a typically
male position, are exactly the same,
the aide usually earns more and
holds higher prestige.
“Sex stereotyping by job
Please see GLASS on 15
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