No matter if students are going into their second or last semester at Eastern, there are a few things they should keep in mind while planning for future careers.

What employers are looking for in potential employees differs depending on the job.

Bobbi Kingery, a career counselor, said it differs from major to major, and industry to industry if grades or experience are more important when employers are looking to hire.

She said in the field of education, employers look for a strong grade point average as well as being able to teach in a classroom.

“Sometimes we have 4.0s who can’t share that information with anybody else,” Kingery said, “So that is truly one of the fields where they look at both, but I guarantee you if you have an extremely low GPA, you’ll never get a chance to prove to them that you can do work in the classroom because you’ll be filtered out before you get to that stage of the hiring process.”

Joy Russell, the chair of the department of early childhood, elementary and middle level educations, said students in her department should volunteer and partake in activities that allow them to work with children in order to make themselves stand out when they apply for jobs.

In career fields such as journalism and theater, Kingery said employers are looking for people who have skills and experience.

While finding a job in theater performance requires experience, finding a job in the field of accounting requires a high GPA.

“An internship is critical, but a strong GPA is vital,” Kingery said.

Patty Hudek, the interim academic adviser for the School of Family and Consumer Sciences, said jobs under FACS require employees that have a balance of good grades and experience.

“I think employers are really looking for someone who is well rounded and doesn’t just either have high grades or has poor grades with a focus on extra curricular activities,” Hudek said.

Kingery said the first two years in college should be spent on career exploration. Students should spend this time figuring out what they want to do with their future.

“If you know what skills you have and who needs them, you, nine times out of 10, will always be able to find a job,” Kingery said.

During their freshmen year, Cheryl Noll, chair of the School of Business, suggests students work on their resume and map out what they will participate in the coming years.

“You need to start building that resume from the time you start,” Noll said. “Not when you’re a senior figuring out how it’s going to get formatted.”

As a sophomore, she also suggests students look into internships and job shadowing to see what the career they are interested in is like.

James Painter, the chair of the School of Family and Consumer Sciences, suggests students in his department take low-level internships and work in their field to see if it is really what they want to do.

“I think it’s very important for them to get out and get a job in the field to see what it’s like and to live it for a while and see if they really like it,” Painter said.

Getting hands-on experience through internships are important for the last two years, Kingery said.

She said internships are the No. 1 way some employers find employees.

“With an internship, you want the best experience you can get,” Kingery said.

Getting the “best experience” to Kingery means having practical experience and not just fetching coffee.

Lisa Canivez, an academic adviser for the School of Business, said students majoring in business should participate in mock interviews and attend career fairs as well as take an internship to prepare for finding a job after graduation.

“In addition to being a strong point on a resume, many internships can potentially lead to full-time employment,” Canivez said.

Editor’s note: This article is part one of a two-part series. The second article will run Tuesday and will be on internships and campus involvement.

Sam Bohne can be reached at 581-7942 or shbohne@eiu.edu.

(Jordan Boner

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