Jack Abbot- General Reporter
The library presented a career display as well as a discussion workshop for the duration of the week to help students build their plans for the future.
“I do get asked a lot of questions about companies, company research, market research, industry research” Business Research Librarian at Buley Library Amy Jansen said.
Jansen is a resource for students who are looking for information on careers and professional research. She created the display and led the workshop on career and market research.
The display included several relevant books from the collection at Buley, some of which were ordered for this event. There was also a link to help students access The Wall Street Journal for free and information about job resources on campus.
Many of the books focused on topics such as career research, personal research and work life balance.
The workshop, which took place on March 4, also focused on research. Specifically, it focused on researching companies in preparation for applying or being interviewed. Jansen specified that before interviewing, applicants should understand what kind of company they are applying for, the kind of market they are becoming involved in and if these companies have been involved in the news.
The topic of how artificial intelligence is affecting the job market also came up as a source of concern for many students.
“I think that it’s going to affect it very profoundly,” Jansen said. “It’s probably going to become even more pronounced as time goes on.”
Jansen’s main advice from the workshop was for students to be conscious of the state of the industry that a student wishes to enter. Job markets can change frequently, and it is important for students looking to enter any field to know its state. Jansen even suggested that the job market will shift, meaning that as new careers open, many others will no longer be available.
“Be flexible. Be adaptable. Be willing to learn,” Jansen said. “There’s no sure-fire one thing to know or one thing to study that’s going to ensure you a job for the rest of your life.”
The display also advertised a research guide created by Jansen two years ago that is available for students to research careers. This guide is regularly being updated.
“It’s basically a research guide that I put together that incorporates using library resources,” Jansen said.
Jansen compared the advice provided by the display to that students could find from a presentation from the School of Business. She claims that whereas the School of Business would help to provide information on building LinkedIn accounts or applying for jobs, her advice focuses mostly on skill sets and background research.
“I have a college age child. I have children in high school. I can see the anxiety and sometimes the apathy and the nervousness,” Jansen said. “I really wanted to develop something that would ease that anxiety.”
