Alma Mater Matters in Job Searches - Using University Career Services in Your Employment Search

Universities and colleges are now offering their career services to alumni looking for new jobs or careers as well as students, according to an article in the Wall Street Journal. I decided to check out local universities as well as my alma mater to see what they have to offer alumni in a job search.

I found that universities provide many of the same services and resources that outplacement and career counseling agencies offer. The difference is that the universities provide many of these services free for alumni so you can avoid the cost of for-profit agencies.

Sometimes individual colleges within universities have their own alumni associations that offer career services. My alma mater University of Iowa has a Liberal Arts Alumni Association that provides help to alumni in a job search. So research career services within your degree area as well.

Finding your university career services for alumni can take some digging. I couldn't locate the sites easily. Although there are some online career services, most require you coming to the career center at the university and so are really only available to local alumni.

Here are two examples from local universities:

UMKC Employment Help for Alumni
See UMKC Career Services for Alumni and Students site at www.career.umkc.edu
UMKC offers a variety of career services for alumni searching for a job including

• Career Counseling
• Resume Development and Critique
• Workshops on resume development, interviewing, and job search
• Mock Interviews
• Jobs Database
• Career Fairs
• Online Videos

Services are free for UMKC students, alumni and faculty/staff members except for the career assessment. Also, current non-UMKC students who are prospective students will not be charged a fee.Services for community members are fee based. The first appointment is free; fees will be assessed after initial meeting.

KU Career Services for Alumni

KU offers job search help similar to UMKC's through its KUCareerHawk.com career services for alumni . Some services are free and some include a fee. Workshops seem to be free but there is a charge for career counseling and assessment.

And my alma mater's career services?

Although I'm proud of being a Hawkeye, there aren't many career services I can take advantage of from Kansas City. The University of Iowa's Career Services for Alumni at the Pomerantz Career Center offers a wide range of services for local residents. One resource that I can benefit from is the alumni network database that can put me in contact with local alumni I can use in my career networking.

Have you used the career services for alumni at your alma mater? What was the quality of the services?