"Because the world is changing so rapidly, the ability to change with it is a quality everyone in the workforce has to possess."

- Jeannine Parisi

Jeannine Parisi has the ability to work both sides of the hiring desk. As employer relations coordinator for Career Development, her primary task is to cultivate and maintain positive relationships with employers, but she also serves as a career counselor to students, helping them develop qualities they need to succeed in the workforce.

Parisi's best tactic for building strong relationships between Montclair State and employers is to bring them to campus where they can meet qualified students interested in becoming future employees. Many of these students have taken advantage of Career Development workshops and information sessions that cover a variety of topics ranging from resume and e-resume writing to interviewing and getting into graduate school. Parisi also handles on-campus employment and maintains a Web site with links to workshop information, articles and more.

This year's Career Fair (April 3, from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. in the Student Center Ballrooms) will welcome 56 companies from various industries that are hiring all majors for a variety of internships and full-time positions.

The Employer Relations coordinator took a breather from Career Fair preparations to talk about her job, current trends in the job market and new projects, including an online job-posting site she plans to unveil this week.

Q. Tell us about some of the industries participating in the Career Fair.
A. There are many, including business and financial sales; government agencies such as the Secret Service, FBI and IRS; social service agencies including the Division of Youth and Family Services and Careplus NJ; and hiring agents from private and public schools. Students benefit when employers come on campus because they work with students, share experiences, and warn them of pitfalls. We receive a lot of positive feedback from the employers about our students and their work ethic.


Q. What do students need to land an entry-level position?
A. The National Association of Colleges and Employers puts out a survey every year of the top 25 qualities of a successful candidate. The top quality is communication skills, both written and verbal. The first impression employers get of these skills is the resume and the interview. Second on the list is honesty and integrity, and third is work experience. I've yet to meet a student here who doesn't work in some capacity or hold a leadership position on campus. These students have a great work ethic in the sense that they are able to balance school and work. They're busy but they know how to budget time and they have a lot of discipline. After students prepare themselves it's time to network because 80 percent of jobs are filled by word of mouth.

Q. Are graduates entering careers related to their majors or are they moving into other areas?
A. Major does not always correlate with the job, and no one works for a company for 30 years and gets the gold watch anymore. Because the world is changing so rapidly, the ability to change with it is a quality everyone in the workforce has to possess. We published a survey on our Web site on what 2001 graduates are doing now. It allows students to see what graduates in their major have gone on to. English majors, for instance, who think they are locked into teaching, can see the paths other English majors have taken.

Q. Tell us about some recent initiatives.
A. During the Career Fair, Alumni Relations and our office will launch an exciting new system called College Central, a Web site where students can post their resumes and access jobs listings 24-7. Students can go to the database, find a job and send a resume with a click. We're also working with the Alumni Office to add alumni mentors to the system. Career Development also is working with the College of Science and Mathematics and the School of Business on the second annual PharmFest, scheduled for Wednesday, April 30. Pharmaceuticals are a huge industry in New Jersey, and we want to make students aware of career opportunities and the future of the industry.

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