Sources: Angela Hayes, alumni career services consultant, 785-532-3392,  ahayes@k-state.com; Steve Logback, director of communications, 785-532-5051, slogback@k-state.com

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

K-STATE OFFERS FREE JOB SEARCH SERVICE TO ALUMNI

MANHATTAN -- Kansas State University's Alumni Association and Career and Employment Services are launching a free service during the economic downturn to help members and all graduates of the university locate jobs that require advanced work experience.

"Offering this service is our way of responding to the needs we know many alumni are experiencing, given our current economic climate. We want to continue our commitment to their success," said Angela Hayes, alumni career services consultant with the association.

She said they currently have 500 active job listings in the university system seeking applicants with multiple years of job experience that match the skills of alumni.

"These are positions the typical entry-level graduating senior would not qualify for," Hayes said.

The university will allow anyone who has earned a degree from K-State and members of the K-State Alumni Association (who may not have earned degrees there) to post their resume online, search job vacancy listings and research employers. The usual six-month $60 fee has been waived.

"Alumni who register can be alerted by an automatic e-mail when a new job opening is posted that matches their criteria," Hayes said.

Career and Employment Services has a primary emphasis on campus helping graduating seniors locate their first professional job, as well as helping undergraduates locate internships. Hayes said there are employers who seek K-State graduates because of the specific skills they learned at the institution. She added there are employers registered with K-State who also seek alumni applicants for more advanced job openings.

Last year, nearly 1,500 jobs were posted for full-time experienced candidates. The largest number of jobs listed was in engineering, education, agriculture and environment, information technology management and marketing/sales, she said.

Organizers said they hope this service will encourage K-Staters to reach out and help others by sharing job leads that can help alumni and students. To post a job, go to http://www.k-state.com/Careers and click on "Employers: Post a job."

To sign up for the job search service, go to http://www.k-state.com/Careers and click on "Job listings/post resume" and fill out the form. Processing will take 24-48 hours and will include an introductory e-mail with log-in instructions. A number of other alumni career services offerings and resources are available at this Web site or by calling the K-State Alumni Association at 800-600-ALUM (2586) for more information.