Future graduates and alumni can learn how to write a resume, interviewing skills and can find the “right” job through NIU’s Career Planning and Placement Center.

Center Recruiting Coordinator Jean Callary said the center, located in Swen Parson Hall, is an extension of NIU’s educational process. She said individuals learn how to find the “right” job.

Joseph Leonard, 1987 NIU graduate, said he is working for United Stationaries in Des Plaines, Ill., as a computer programmer. “My job was a direct result of the center’s efforts,” he said.

Leonard said he considers himself lucky to have received three interviews. The service the center provided was excellent, he said.

A staff and various resources are available to NIU students and alumni free of charge because the center is funded by student fees, Callary said.

Professional counselors are available to assist students and alumni with all aspects of the job search process, Callary said.

In addition, the center provides specific literature on companies, occupations and job outlooks.

Another service is preparing students and alumni for job hunting by offering workshops on resume writing, interviewing techniques and tips for second interviews, a flier reported.

People graduate from colleges that do not have a program such as the center’s, and they are learning on their own to write resumes and prepare for interviews, O’May said.

He said he had help and now he has a job while others are still looking, he said.

The center also invites employers to campus to interview students who must register in advance for this service, a flier reported.

Appointments may be made by calling or stopping by the office, Callary said. Persons with quick general questions do not need an appointment and can talk to a counselor in front of the center’s office, a journal stated.

A memorandum dated Jan. 27, 1988, to NIU’s deans and department chairs, stated 200 employers recruiting on campus was the best fall season since 1981, Callary said.

This is an increase of 9 percent over 1987, she said.

Callary’s memorandum added student involvement declined 28 percent since 1984 because the center was “often unable to fill employers’ recruiting schedules.”

However, the average number of interviews per registered student increased from 2.5 to 3.5 since 1984, the memorandum stated.