Monday, Nov 21, 2011
Rider’s Senior Year Experience will prepare students to recognize their own assets within a job description at Tailor Yourself to Fit the Job on December 1.
by Andrea Panno '12
Intimidating. Broad. Foreign. These are the words that daunt graduating seniors who will begin their job search in the coming months. Fortunately, Rider University provides its students with the opportunity to feel familiar, confident and ready to take on this task.
The Senior Year Experience invites members of the senior class to attend Tailor Yourself to Fit the Job, on Thursday, December 1, from noon to 1 p.m. in the Princeton Room of Daly Dining Hall. Hosted by Howard Joffe, Esq., adjunct associate professor of Communication and Journalism, the workshop aims to help students discern their own skills from within the verbose job descriptions they will soon encounter.
“Many times, job descriptions are written in a way that appear to be well beyond what we think we’re capable of managing,” explained Lynn Schindel, associate director of the Office of Alumni Relations. “The trick is to step back and assess our experiences to see how what we know may translate into what the job description states.”
After a lifetime of schooling, the first task students experience as they embark on their sometimes uncertain journey is their long-anticipated job search. Though students leave Rider with a mind full of knowledge and a portfolio filled with various experiences, recognizing their place in the workforce can still be intimidating. For that reason, the Senior Year Experience hosts such programs to prepare seniors for what to expect from the “real world,” while assuring students that they are, in fact, ready for what follows.
“The purpose of the workshop is not to teach students to change who they are to fit the job descriptions, but to recognize in themselves the opportunities available that may not be as clear at first glance,” Joffe explained. “Job postings are out there, but the difficult part is recognizing yourself within them.”
One of the most challenging aspects of job searching, aside from understanding the often technical and highly specific word usage, is defining your own job search in order to generate a precise job niche. Joffe will discuss tips seniors should utilize in their job search to make them stand out among other competing applicants, such as the inclusion of key words in your résumé to match those used in the listed description.
“My hope for this workshop is that seniors will walk away feeling more confident recognizing and showcasing their skills to employers,” explained Angelina Franco ’12, senior class president. “Up to this point, seniors have learned extensively about their field of study, and it is now time to recognize their role in the workforce.”
While it can be tricky to decipher the language of an ad and overwhelming to imagine you have the expertise to fill the requirements of such a job, “You’ll be surprised at how prepared you really are to take that first step to finding your dream job,” Schindel said.