The Indiana University East Office of Career Services is ready and eager to help current students and alumni throughout their academic career and beyond.
Career Services is using a new online platform, Handshake, to connect students and alumni to potential employers. Over the past year since Handshake has been in use, the number of participants has continued to increase, and the department expects this to be a continuing trend.
Within a year, 844 students and alumni have activated their accounts with IU East Career Services.
Handshake is a free online service where students can view job listings and internship opportunities tailored to their degree program and career interests. Students may sign up for events such as career fairs and schedule appointments with Career Services through Handshake.
The senior account activation rate totaled 22.7 percent—9.7 percent above peer institutions. Profile completion between undergraduates, graduates, and alumni totaled 21 percent—15.4 percent above peer institutions.
But even with job listings at their fingertips, wading through job searches and preparing to enter the professional world can be intimidating. That’s why Career Services encourages students to reach out and take advantage of their assistance.
The Office of Career Services provides students a chance to develop their professional skills through free workshops and career coaching. They also assist students with finding the right internships and employment opportunities.
One of the most important aspects to Career Services is the personal attention they devote to students.
Students are treated as individuals. It is important for students to start networking with Career Services and to let them know what sort of career path they are interested in so they can be provided with an individualized experience once something is available on Handshake.
Career Service Specialist Kara Bellew offers that individual support and dedicates her time to meeting with students and providing valuable feedback on how to develop and improve their professional skills.
Handshake was initiated on campus by Bellew and former director of Career Services, Sally Saydshoev.
IU East student-athlete Joao Vitor de Lima appreciates the personal assistance he has received from Career Services and Bellew. He is from Curitiba, Brazil. He is a senior who is majoring in finance with a minor in economics, and first reached out to Career Services at the end of his sophomore year in 2019.
“They prepared me for interviews,” Lima said. He appreciates the help he received when building his resume. “Kara helped me a lot with the way I should portray my resume.”
Lima said that she took the time to help him learn about ideal resume layouts and using action verbs to describe his work experience.“They have been very, very helpful when it comes to getting ready for being face-to-face with a recruiter. That’s how they helped me the most.”
He added that the support Career Services provided was a major factor toward obtaining his remote internship with the Indiana Economic Development Corporation in Indianapolis. At his internship, Lima had the opportunity to help evaluate applications for a program that provides relief to small businesses.
Alex Hakes of Yorktown, Indiana, is a senior double-majoring in Political Science and Spanish. He is also pursuing a double minor in Economics and International Relations. Hakes reached out to Career Services during his second semester for resume advice and assistance in tracking down internship opportunities.
“Career Services has helped me gain so many professional experiences that I wouldn’t have been able to find on my own,” said Hakes. “Kara is amazing, and she is always looking for new opportunities to tell me about.”
Hakes was able to connect with The Partnership for Public Service, a non-profit organization with a mission to “build a better government and a stronger democracy.” He is currently an intern with the federal workforce team.
Both Lima and Hakes used Handshake to aid their search for internship opportunities and applauded the Office of Career Services for their use of the platform.
“Career Services helped me utilize many platforms, specifically Handshake, to find employers looking for interns,” Hakes said. “With Handshake, the application process was seamless and so easy to navigate.”
Lima agreed the online platform helps ease the job finding process.
“I think it’s a great tool,” Lima said. “It really shows that they’re keeping up with technology.”
IU East is no stranger to virtual innovation. With IU East’s expansive online program, Career Services encourages distance education students to reach out to their department too.
Career Services finds opportunities and makes connections with online students as well.
Bellew said she has met with distance education students and successfully found remote internships and student-worker positions that fit within the students’ career goals.
Career Services wants students and alumni to connect with the office, to have a conversation and to know that there is support at IU East for them to be successful.
To connect with an IU East career coach or for more information, visit iue.edu/career.