by Teewhy Dojutelegan and Tahira Carter
Cameron University’s Career Services, a branch of the Office of Student Development, recently introduced a new program to assist students seeking employment.
The program, appropriately named “Hire Cameron Aggies”, was designed to facilitate the employment process by providing a common location where employers and students can interact. This common location will be the College Central Network (CCN).
Career Services Coordinator Jacob Johnson is in charge of this project and expressed the importance of a stable internship program that can help students create links with professionals who they can work with and gain experience.
“There is a big push this year to build the internship program,” Johnson said. “This project is the first of many to help create and sustain the internship program at Cameron.”
Employers can access the College Central Network and post internships, part-time and full time job openings as they become available. Students have the opportunity to browse the available options and apply to the ones that most interest them.
Although publicity efforts for the project have increased within recent weeks there are still many students who are not aware of the new services or are misinformed. Junior Computer Information Systems major Moshood Ojulari had heard of the new program but was unsure about the services it offered.
“I always thought the CCN was for people searching for full-time jobs. I didn’t know I could find internships there,” Ojulari said.
It is difficult for supervisors to gauge the popularity of the site among students. The lack of statistics is the biggest obstacle that the program has faced.
“Once someone gets the job, then they are done,” Johnson said. “Seldom do they report back to let us know.”
Students are encouraged to access the services of the CNN by visiting www.hirecameronaggies.com and clicking on the students and alumni link. First time users will need to set up an account and specify the type of employment they are seeking. The process is easy and new job opportunities are posted daily.
Johnson is also responsible for the Cameron Guarantee, another new academic program that would assist graduate students looking for employment. The Guarantee will ensure that Cameron University graduates are competent workers when they enter into the work field.
Cameron University has taken the lead in this endeavor and is the first public university to introduce the program. The 2011 Higher Learning Commission’s comprehensive review of Cameron described the university as a “role model institution.”
Eligibility for the program stipulates that the student must have graduated from Cameron University in Spring 2012 or later and must be employed in the state of Oklahoma. The Guarantee Program will reassure employers of the aptitude and professionalism of Cameron graduates.
“It is an amazing program,” Johnson said. “It is the way we guarantee employers that our students are going to do the job they want them to do.”
For more information or for employment advice, the Career Services Office also offers personalized assistance for students who need help to design resumes, learn interview skills or plan their careers. The office also provides review materials for the GRE, MCAT, LSAT and GMAT examinations.