Biology concentrator Arthur E. Li '94, who isapplying to medical school, refined his personalpresentation skills by walking through aninterview with OCS counselors. "It got me to thinkabout a lot of the ethical questions which I'dtried to think about before but I'd never had toarticulate before, questions about my own goalsand what I envisioned my medical dream to be," Lisays. "Being able to articulate that was veryhelpful."
"The interviews I had after that were morepolished and more relaxed," he says.
Students can use other OCS resources such asthe Career Advisory File to start their jobsearch. The file, a list of more than 3,000alumni, including the ex-vice chair of ChryslerCorp., can help put students in touch with alumniwho are available for career advice.
"They're not there to provide jobs, but you canbuild your network up," Cosentino says.
OCS' video collection is one of the mosthelpful but underused sources of advice forseniors, according to Cosentino. Useful videosinclude a panel of Harvard Business Schoolstudents' discussion of investment banking and aseries on the senior job search process, he says.
Gavin M. Abrams '94 says he started using OCSin his junior year when he attended somerecruiting sessions. Abrams says the service wasinitially informative, but its usefulness maydecrease with the number of sessions attended.
"They give you the overview of what theindustry is like," he says. "Once you have that,they become slightly less helpful but you can seethe atmosphere of each company."
Abrams has found OCS to be helpful on thewhole, but notes the office's high traffic."They're a bit overburdened, I think."
Kerry A. Nelthropp `94 agrees. "I've hadproblems scheduling appointments with counselors,there should be more advisors and more slotsopen," says Nelthropp, who wants to work inconsulting, advertising or marketing. "I won't beable to see the counselor until after somecompanies have already started accepting resumesand cover letters for spring recruiting, so itputs me in a disadvantage."
Female seniors can find more personalizedcounseling than OCS can offer at Radcliffe CareerServices (RCS). About 100 women who graduated lastJune used RCS, which offers individual counseling,sponsors speakers and workshops, and contains alibrary of materials for the public, alumnae andundergraduate women.
Undergraduates and alumnae form 30 percent ofRCS' clientele, and paying public job-seekersconstitute the remaining 70 percent.
RCS differs from OCS because its counselors donot have specialties like OCS counselors do. It isa smaller organization that focuses more on issuesof gender in the workplace and on the careers ofwomen throughout their lifetimes, says RCSDirector Phyllis R. Stein '63.
"What we do is different because we are dealingwith the lifespan question," she says. "We seeseniors but we also see the equivalent of theirmothers."
Stein says individual counseling and the "4:00Forum" speaker series are among the office's mostused services. Last week Cambridge City CouncilorAlice K. Wolf and Radcliffe Public Policy FellowPamela Greene discussed "Pros and Cons of a Careerin Public Service."
Minority students can tap into the resources ofCrimson & Brown Associates, a firm founded byHarvard and Brown graduates to help companiesrecruit minority undergraduates.
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