Continued Inactivity on CareerNet
Ten full-time, paid employment opportunities have been posted on CareerNet for several weeks, and as of Thursday, Sept. 19, not a single student has ...
Sep 21, 2013
Ten full-time, paid employment opportunities have been posted on CareerNet for several weeks, and as of Thursday, Sept. 19, not a single student has applied. The 80-plus internship positions on the online interface have received alarmingly few applicants. Such inactivity on CareerNet may have severe, long-lasting consequences on this institution and the students that comprise it.
CareerNet is an online database software for jobs and internships that is an interface for external and internal audiences. Many employers reserve highly selective positions for NYU Abu Dhabi students.
Students, however, are not applying for the full-time and part-time jobs and internships posted on the online database. The postings on the site are a product of the well-established relationship between employers and the Career Development Center. When employers receive few to no applications, the relationship between these two parties can be damaged.
Senior Attilio Rigotti, one of the many students who scarcely uses CareerNet, described the root of the problem.
“Honestly, as a theater student, CareerNet doesn't offer me opportunities I'm deeply interested in,” said Rigotti. “I don't think this is CareerNet's problem, but perhaps the city[’s], which probably doesn't have [many] internships in the arts. The large theater opportunities are usually offered through the school and not advertised through CareerNet.”
Other students have also had trouble finding internships geared towards the arts.
“There is not much for arts-related majors,” said senior Adam Pivirotto. “Luckily, NYUAD students have access to the Tisch Career portal, so there are more opportunities there. I will be visiting [that site] a lot this year — looking for a job this time.”
However, some students have been able to secure internships without using CareerNet.
“This summer I found my internship through the help of one of my professors,” said junior Gaby Garcia. “I wanted to participate in research, so I started by talking to one of my psychology professors, who encouraged me to contact professors here at NYU. I was able to get in touch with several professors and one of them offered me a position in her research lab, which I am continuing during this semester.”
Although CareerNet is used by thousands of universities, its interface can be confusing, especially for freshmen.
“The internship database isn't very helpful … Finding internships by categories is a confusing process,” said freshman Kunal Thakar.
Sophomore Robson Beaudry expressed a similar sentiment.
“I found CareerNet a little bit difficult to use in that my primary purpose when using it was to find available internships,” said Beaudry. “I also found it a bit cumbersome that we had to attend an orientation seminar in order to use CareerNet.”
The CDC hopes to address the difficulties students face when using the site and to encourage more students to complete internship applications.
“We’re hoping that the [upcoming internship] fair and the conversations with actual employers will instigate more applications,” said Dana Downey, the recently hired assistant director of employer services at the CDC. “If these major deadlines for full-time jobs pass and we have no applicants then we will [reevaluate] whether or not we’ll recruit full-time jobs for students anymore.”
Julia Saubier is a staff writer. Email her at thegazelle.org@gmail.com
related
trending