Job-search sites offer options for students, recent grads

When the unemployed or underemployed research job listings, the first place most of them will go, the Internet, presents almost endless possibilities, leaving students and recent graduates with no direction on which website to use. 

National employment websites, such as Monster.com and CareerBuilder.com, have designed search sites to help students and recent graduates looking for internships and entry-level jobs. 

CareerBuilder.com career adviser Allison Nawoj said her company’s newly opened CareerRookie.com is a good resource for young people to find jobs well-suited for students and require less experience than those listed on the main site.

Carol Monical, program director for career resources at the University Career Center, said students often told her that the national sites’ job listings were aimed at people with more experience. She recommended websites like CareerRookie.com as well as MonsterCollege and CollegeGrad.com as places geared toward students and recent graduates. 

Career Web Links, one of the most popular sections on the center’s website, according to Monical, includes about 350 career-related links that enable students to define their job searches by field, location and level of experience. 

Careers4Terps, an online service providing students and alumni access to listings from employers seeking workers from this university, is another search tool and networking resource. 

However, some students said they would continue finding and applying to jobs the old-fashioned way. 

“[Job websites are] really convenient and a great idea,” said sophomore civil engineering major Russell Phillips. “But it’s no comparison to walking in and getting your face out there.” 

But even if students and graduates have no intention of applying online or are overwhelmed by the amount of information they can access through these websites, Monical suggested they still look at online job listings to get an idea of what skills and experience they should highlight when speaking to employers. 

“If you want to know more about a career field, you can look at actual job listings to see what real employers want,” Monical said.

ga@umdbk.com