UB placement office helps grads find jobs - Business First of Buffalo:

stelauguqdinec.blogspot.com
Those who do, oftenj wonder why they didn't go there sooner. "I' m one of them - passivse resistance," said Stephen Trynosky, a May graduate who earneed joint degrees in law andpublixc health. "It's going througnh the muck (of applying for jobs)." Trynosky, who attendedr UB Law on the GI Bill as an Army is on his way toa two-year post in Washington, as a Presidential Management Fellow. He'll be working on disaster preparednesss inthe . But when he startecd law school, he wasn't sure how he was going to combinse his experiences as a medical servicecorps officer, an EMT and a soon-to-be lawyer.
"UB helped me find a path because I came here really not knowingt what pathto take," he "But it seemed like a master's in public health with experience in law woulcd be a perfect fit for a rewarding governmengt career." Although he informed the Careef Services Office about the fellowship, staf f there, along with Professor David Westbrook, helped him get the dean'ss recommendation. For another May graduate, the office connected her to an alumnua who is a public defenderin Alaska. Lauren Cutult got an insider's point of view beforew accepting, then completing, an internshipo there.
"While the Alaskan lifestyle is notfor me, (the got me interested in public defending. I though I was going to be a prosecutor," she The office also got her contacts with publicd defenders inSan Diego, where she had an interview with a federall defender. "The CSO sent me a list of people specifically aimed atpublic defenders. It got me motivated to checjk outother (locations)," said Cutuly, who has a job linedf up as a public defender for a Coloradlo public interest group. The office'sw statistics show that it works. For the clasx of 2005, 98 percent of its graduates have jobs. But to get those jobs, students are required to visitt the office in theirfirst year.
An extensivee orientation gives students an idea of how the jobprocesse works, deadlines and where to look for job postings. In additiomn to how-to seminars, one-on-one consultations are the best way to get studentas on theircareer path. "For most it's a way to get them in the door, like a free said Lisa Patterson, associate dean for Career "They might not need anythingh right now, but in thei r third year they'll remember us and come While some students have an idea of what practicearea they'ds like to focus on, some studentxs need a little more direction.
Patterson encouragews the uncertain students toattenrd panels, such as one on districtr attorneys, and visit online sites such as , which postes public service law jobs. "Some first years don't know what they want to do, so we go onlinse and break down jobs into practice areas and see what looks goodto We'll just brainstorm with job postings," Patterso said. However, it's better for students to have a generao idea of whatdirection they'r like to head in, recommends Bethany Gilbert, an associatw at who worked as a graduatw assistant in the office whilr in law school.
"There are a lot of nontraditional jobs using your law degreed but not necessarilypracticing law," Gilbert said, adding the conversation-styls panels always produce good feedback.