Competing for Jobs in Tough Times
From résumé marathons to interviewing tips,
Career Services Center equips UC San Diego students to win jobs

Christine Clark | Oct. 27, 2008

The Triton Job and Internship Fair

In these tough economic times, UC San Diego is providing students with the support they need in a variety of ways.

Students feeling the crunch of the economic crisis are taking advantage of the many services offered by the Career Services Center. The center recently dedicated a week to help students seeking careers in the business and financial sectors.

Business Week featured a series of workshops Oct. 13-17, during which students received advice from representatives of Morgan Stanley, Bainbridge and other financial service and consulting companies. Additional events ranged from résumé marathons to speed interviewing and even an industry networking night.

UCSD's Career Services in the News

The campus' efforts to help students navigate a difficult job market were featured on TV this month. Watch a CW6 segment about a college class that teaches students what it takes to land a job in this economy.

Watch Andy Ceperley of UCSD’s Career Services Center offer ideas for fining a job on CW6.

Business Networking Night was just that: alumni, students and professionals from the finance industry hung out and discussed the state of the industry and new opportunities in the business sector.

More than 3,000 students attended, the Triton Fall Job & Internship Fair, a Business Week event where Bloomberg, Pfizer, Sony and about 145 other companies gave presentations and recruited students as new employees. In addition, several of San Diego’s new companies and a number of representatives from the “green” job sector were at the event.

In order to prepare students for the weeklong event, the Career Services Center hosted a resume marathon and suggested the best ways for students to present themselves to potential employers. “It’s a competitive market,” director of the Career Services Center Andy Ceperley said. “But we’re helping students get an advantage by equipping them with the tools they need.”

Cornerstone Research was one of more than 140 companies that attended the Triton Job and Internship Fair.

Although fewer companies from the finance industry were at the event compared to previous years, Cornerstone Research, a finance and economics consulting firm, attended for the first time. “The direction of the economy is uncertain, but we are still definitely recruiting,” said Cornerstone Research analyst Alexandra Cherry. “We came here because we want to branch out and we know UC San Diego is a top school and we’re very impressed with the economics department.”

Shalin Mehta, a graduate student in the department of computer science and engineering, felt certain he would get a job after attending the event. “There is a lot of opportunity here,” Mehta said, dressed to impress in a suit and tie. “I feel like I have a 100 percent chance of getting a job after today. A lot of companies said they would call me after looking at my resume. I will be able to take my pick.”

 “I think the students looked very professional” Ceperley said. “It’s clear they’re serious and want to make a great impression on the recruiters.”

Senior Tyler Van Buren

Senior Tyler Van Buren said he was excited about his job prospects after attending the fair. “There are a lot of big name companies here,” he said. “It’s so often that I apply online and I feel like my résumé gets lost in a black hole, but that is why an event like this is a great opportunity because we get to have the face-to-face time with the companies.”

Although the rising unemployment rates might make students nervous about entering the job market, there is hope, Ceperley said. “Companies will continue to hire students for entry-level positions.”

In addition to the services offered by Career Services Center, UC San Diego’s Financial Aid Office is continuing to make an education at UC San Diego affordable to low- and middle-income students, said Director of Financial Aid Ann Klein.

“We are unaware of any students who are having difficulty this fall,” Klein said.  “However, we are here to support students and their families during this financial crisis.”

UC San Diego students are able to secure low-cost educational loans in spite of the economic downturn and tighter credit, she added. More than half of our undergraduates receive need-based support to meet the costs of attending UC San Diego and one third of our undergraduates receive the Federal Pell Grant for low income students.

“Students who are having difficulty should contact the Financial Aid Office,” Klein said. “Our staff is here to assist students and we can help them identify several options for paying for college.”