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Some Basics on Career Placement
Finding a successful job depends on many considerations. For
undergraduates, employers are looking primarily for good oral
and written communication skills, sharp analytical reasoning
capacity, an ability to work hard , individual initiative, leadership
potential, and a drive to succeed. Knowledge of both historical
and contemporary issues, along with international language and
cultural skills provides further strength to a resumé,
as does prior work experience and professional internships. Some
employers are more exacting of applicants regarding these skills
than others and may use a variety of measures to judge prospective
employees. Others may use proxy measures from a well written
resumé: one's academic institution, the overall and discipline
GPA, knowledge and experience with computer applications, along
with indicators of community leadership and involvement. In all
cases, appearance and maturity, in addition to solid accomplishments
on a professional resumé, are critical filters to prospective
employers.
There is no single route to a successful position. Job search
efforts should include preparation through university
career placement services, on-campus recruitment interviews,
responses to written and electronic position announcements, contacts
and recommendations through friends and relatives. One also should
look carefully at current trends in employment from business
and government sources, and keep well abreast of events through
regular reading of national and international newspapers and
business publications. Finally, one needs to answer the question
of how does a prospective position match with one's own personality
and skills predisposition.
Economics continues to provide a good foundation for successful
careers in a variety of fields. It links the humanities and social
sciences with business disciplines, and serves as a good background
for those interested in advanced degree
programs in economics, finance, and law, among others. Choosing
a good graduate program depends on good advisement, staying abreast
of employment trends, along with all of the skills and aptitudes
already noted. Although most Ph.D. graduates in economics pursue
careers in academic institutions, there also are opportunities
in banking, business, government, and international institutions
that can be quite rewarding. Again, the choice ultimately depends
on what kind of career one finds most fulfilling and for which
drive and determination are essential for success.
Access Financial - Stamford,
Connecticut contingency fee service
America's Job Bank -
U.S. Public Employment Service search engine
Bureau of Labor
Statistics Job Profiles - good source of employment trends
Career
Fairs - site and calendar locator
Career Forum (Yourcareer.com)
Career Mosaic and
Accounting Net - Accounting and Finance Jobs
Career
Path.com - fee-based links to newspaper and employer listings
Career Web (cweb.com)
Chronicle
of Higher Education - mostly academic positions for Ph.D.
graduates
Council on
Grant Foundations - a directory of major foundations and
corporate giving programs
Dept. of Labor Information
- analysis of job markets
Fastweb.com - financial
aid search engine
FedWorld (U.S. Department
of Commerce)
Job
Ads for Statisticians via Amstat (Ph.D. graduate job opening
in statistics)
JobCenter (JobCenter.com)
Job Openings for
Economists (AEA, UTexas at Austin) - (Ph.D. graduate job
openings)
Jobweb (National Association
of Colleges and Employers)
Monster.com - commercial
job search engine company
National Science
Foundation Salaries by Major and Occupation (Cal. State U.
Survey Data)
The New
York Times Job Market (NY, NY)
OnLine Career Center (monster.com)
Peterson's Guide
to Careers and Jobs - a good complement to BLS data - undergraduates
FinAid! - financial aid
search engine company
Westech Virtual Job Fair
- a complement to on-campus and off-campus job fairs -undergraduates
Wetfeet.com
- San Francisco, California job search engine company
Yahoo!
Employment - Yahoo job search engine
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