New job database launched

March 26, 2007 —

Recently, SVSU abandoned the College Central Network online employment database in favor of the Cardinal Job Network, an online source that allows all SVSU students to upload resumes and view a list of employers in the surrounding area that are looking to hire. Among the network's features is an announcement feed upon login that shows any job fairs that are going on in the area and other such upcoming career events.

For a fee, employers can access students' profiles that are registered on Cardinal Job Network. If they are interested in a specific student, they can request to see their resume and contact that person for an interview.

"All employers that can check resumes are pre-approved," explained Assistant Director of Career Planning and Placement Mike Major. "They are screened and limited to what they can see on students' profiles."

All SVSU students and alumni can access the Cardinal Job Network on the Career Planning and Placement Web site. Since the program is still new, it is hard to determine exactly how many students are using it. All students are automatically registered on the network as soon as they are enrolled at SVSU.

The network is not without its drawbacks, however.

"One problem with it is that once a student posts their resume, they have to actually change their settings to allow employers to view their profile," Major said.

Settings can be changed by clicking on the "My Account" link, then clicking on "additional info."

The Career Planning and Placement office holds resume building workshops throughout the semester. Each workshop is limited to ten students to allow for more one-on-one help building a resume. The workshops are open to all SVSU students and alumni and are free, but interested participants are asked to register in advance. For the first 25 minutes there will be a lesson about resume building. After, students are given the opportunity to actually work on their resume, get tips about using the Cardinal Job Network and are given some job search strategies.

Major believes that once more students learn about the Cardinal Job Network and upload their resumes, the program will take off.

"It would be wonderful if we could get every single SVSU student on the Cardinal Job Network. It would be very beneficial to both the students and employers."