Business Career Accelerator Is a Catalyst for Students Finding Jobs

Written by Associate Director Thomas Siebenaler

The Business Career Accelerator had an innovative and productive summer and is ready to implement new resources and tools this fall to help students get jobs. The Career Accelerator, conveniently located inside the Business Building, is a unique student resource that BGSU’s College of Business provides compared to other business schools.

This past summer the College of Business registered 146 students for internships in 11 different states.  This is a registration increase of 237% when compared to summer 2013 data.  Our students also averaged an hourly wage of $15.33 for paid internships.  During spring 2014, our office personally interacted with 75% of our students.  In an effort to increase this figure to 80% this fall, we welcome two new Career Coordinators to our office, Chris Faulkner, and Shahad Aldoori, who will help counsel our growing number of Career Accelerator users.  

Over the summer semester, we developed and promoted 93 full-time positions and 124 internship opportunities.  During fall 2014, we are proud to announce a slight surplus of permanent employment opportunities advertised to our students soon to graduate, and we continue to grow the internship and co-op pool for freshmen, sophomores, and juniors still developing their careers.  The Career Accelerator continuously networks with employers conducting site visits, in-person meetings at employer locations and on campus, to increase our Jobs Inventory.  This fall we are also making efforts to teach students valuable professional development skills through six Dean’s Guide to Practical Business Workshops and another six Dean’s Golf Workshops.  The Career Accelerator also presents in-class on all career-related topics, and hosts evening workshops and employer spotlight events.

This month, we welcome a new initiative created for our students, the “Career Report,” which is unlike any effort made to-date at BGSU.  The Career Report is a personalized effort made to educate our students about the many career opportunities and pathways available.  The report provides specific career data by specialization that has been personalized and soon will be sent directly to all 1,400+ enrolled College of Business undergraduate students.  Specific report data includes:

·      Career Fields & Earnings (Potential)  (including mapped data for U.S.)

·      Employment Trends (2012 projected to 2022)  (including mapped data for U.S.)

·      Previous Employers Recruiting BGSU Students

·      Additional Employers in their Industry

·      Professional Organization Contacts

·      Step-by-Step Job Search Guide

·      Career TO-DO List

Our students can use this as a career catalyst, helping motivate them about employment trends and opportunities in their chosen fields.  This system will also contribute to increasing retention and personal interest in career pathways and academic success.

The Career Accelerator looks forward to continuing its service to our students, faculty and the College of Business. Best wishes for all this Fall 2014!