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What's in a name? Plenty, according to Tom Devlin, the new director of Career Center, formerly called Career and Graduate School Services. The new name signals a renewed commitment to quality services for students and employers and "signifies more succinctly," he says, "that we are the primary service provider of career activities on campus." Devlin, the former executive director of Cornell University's Career Services for 18 years, assumed his post at Berkeley this June. His goal, he said, is to establish the Career Center as "the premier career operation in the country." One key to this effort will be updating the unit's technology. Already he has facilitated a partnership with Jobtrak, a national service that allows students and alumni to check postings on the World Wide Web 24 hours a day, seven days a week (URL: http://career.berkeley.edu/). This collaboration will provide improved service for employers and save students a trip to the center's offices at 2111 Bancroft Way, near Shattuck. Devlin, who enjoys having one foot in academia and the other in the world of work, looks forward to interacting with the wide variety of people that make up the campus community. Partnerships with all sectors of campus, he believes, are key to the center's success. "We can't be a successful organization by ourselves," he says. For faculty members, in their role as student advisors, the center will offer web-based information about different career and employment trends. Effective partnerships with employers is another goal. "We need to understand employers' values and operational style," he says, "...and adapt our services to accommodate their needs." The Career Center is also developing an aggressive outreach program to students, featuring on-campus career workshops and activities tailored to specific interests. A new business fair in early September has drawn an overwhelming interest from employers; nonprofit and public sector employers will be featured at another new fair scheduled for spring. A web page enabling students to set up interviews online will improve students' access to recruiting services. Twenty computer kiosks will permit access to electronic career resources at the center, whose lobby, resource room and interviewing facilities are under renovation. Devlin also hopes to develop stronger collaborations with campus alumni
organizations and to expand services for alumni who are within ten years
of graduation. |