Entering the workforce for the first time can be a scary experience whether you’re a high school student or even a college graduate.
Regardless of the situation, being prepared can have a major impact on how you may be viewed by potential employers. With so much emphasis on preparation, many may wonder what resources are available to them, and how they can get access to the information they need to better prepare themselves for the job market.
For UNM students, the prospect of finding a job is made a little easier by the vast number of resources available to them for that very reason. Advisors can help them determine what jobs they are most interested in and best suited for, and career services provides assistance with resumes and can answer questions or provide information about potential employment resources.
UNM also frequently hosts both career fairs and internship fairs geared toward connecting students with potential employers and work experience opportunities. Students can also apply for work study or student positions on campus, often granting them flexibility with their class schedule while helping them maintain a living wage.
University Honor Societies provide students with leadership training and professional development seminars. The societies also offer them an opportunity to be active among their campus community and to help them gain valuable life skills while still in school.
In an attempt to aid its students even further, UNM will soon be hosting “Suit Up!” on Sunday, Aug. 27 from 6:30 to 10 p.m. at J.C. Penney at Coronado Center. In the interest of promoting professionalism and improving employment opportunity, UNM Career Services is partnering with J.C. Penny to offer all UNM students staff, faculty and alumni a 40 percent discount off all professional wear.
While events like this are beneficial to students, what resources are available to the public when it comes to finding work opportunities and assistance?
Dress For Success is another organization that works to provide women with business attire and informational resources to promote their independence and confidence in the job market.
Resume, job application and workforce training/assistance can also be obtained from privatized companies such as Ascend Career and Life Strategies LLC, located on Marquette Ave.
Once job candidates have obtained a resume and appropriate business attire, it is time to start searching for work, and while UNM students have access to career fair and internship placement, many non-student residents of New Mexico still need assistance with the job search process.
Here, staffing companies can play a huge role in a first-time applicant’s employment opportunity. Businesses such as Express Employment Professionals and Excel Staffing Companies connect job candidates with potential employers and can assist with the application process or provide information to candidates who are confused about the employment process.
Though many of the positions offered by staffing companies are only temporary, they provide candidates with the ability to gain work experience and to learn valuable job skills that will translate to other positions. In some circumstances, permanent employment may even be offered to candidates in temporary positions based on their professional performance and capability.
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Another resource made available to new applicants is the Albuquerque Young Professionals group, which focuses on professional development, community engagement and social networking to provide young aspiring professionals under the age of 40 with the opportunity to improve their business portfolio and ultimately gain valuable knowledge and experience for entering the workforce.
Other cities in New Mexico, including Las Cruces and Santa Fe, have also implemented a Young Professionals’ group that works in the same way, providing young professionals with an opportunity to meet, mingle and network for employment opportunities, or to simply unwind while meeting new people with similar aspirations.
The ultimate goal of these groups is to promote communication among young professionals and to connect candidates with potential employers, while also reducing the rate of unemployment for recent high school and college graduates due to a misunderstanding of the work environment.
Kael Krepfl is a news reporter at the Daily Lobo. She can be contacted at news@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @thelobokael.
