DCAA helps Cardinal students prepare for workforce

Every year since 2008, DCAA board members have visited Cardinal staff at the office to teach students about getting into the job market and dealing with the working world. The topics cover the life cycle of the process, including resume writing, conducting job searches, managing interviews, and working through the first year on the job.

On Nov. 8, the DCAA held its most recent session. Anthony Sansone, with Mike Juley and Herman Baumann, reviewed these topics with Cardinal editorial staff.

New this year, the DCAA asked students to submit resumes for review ahead of the talk to provide immediate feedback and examples for the resume guidelines presented. Another difference this year was that a representative from the university's Letters & Science Career Services attended. The DCAA is looking to offer a modified version of this talk for a broader audience while still leaving part of the talk as special to the Cardinal staff.

Much of the resume talk unpacked how to make the best pitch for what employers seek, not the haggard advice of the past that students still receive — such as emphasizing educational achievements at the expense of practical experience, or providing a mailing address but not online links to their work. The session delved into how to look for jobs and how to approach the interview. So much has changed with these practices that some new advice is necessary. The last piece was how to handle the first year on the job, an often overlooked aspect of gaining employment. Students need to know how different the working world is after college before they enter the workforce.