Students who want some advice on “How to Market Yourself Effectively” can attend tonight’s career development seminar.

The seminar will take place from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Center for Black Studies in Kishwaukee Hall.

Van Amos, programming coordinator for the Center for Black Studies, said the seminar consists of three parts.

The first part gives students advice on how to prepare a resume. Amos said students will learn what to put on a resume and the different styles of resumes available.

The second part tells students how to present a professional image. Students will learn what employers look for, how to dress and act from male and female perspectives and things not to do, Amos said.

The third part of the seminar addresses the interviewing process. Amos said they will look at interviews from the view of employees and employers, how to research a company and what kinds of questions might be asked.

“We hope to have some mock interviews,” he said.

Amos said the seminar is free and open to the public. Amos said this seminar “will be particularly helpful to students who are looking for a job for the summer, an internship or a full-time job.”

He said the seminar was put together by the Center for Black Studies and some African-American NIU Alumni. He said some alumni had been calling him with suggestions for a program that would help the students.

“The transition from college to the working world can be horrific,” Amos said. “We’re trying to ease this transition.

One of the coordinators, Winnie Davis, graduated from NIU in August 1987 with a bachelor’s degree in marketing and is currently the account executive for Catapult Software Training Center.

“When I was in school I think it would have been interesting to have something that was peer-to-peer like this,” Davis said. She said students will feel more comfortable asking questions of their peers.

Amos said the seminar will give students the opportunity to meet alumni and talk to them about their experiences at college and in the working world. “It’s an opportunity to meet young professionals,” he said.

Amos said the seminar will give students some pointers and a perspective on how college is different from the working world and it might give students some contacts.

“Finding a job is like picking a hen’s teeth,” he said. “We’d like students to have an idea of what they face.”

Davis said this seminar will give students an idea about what employers look for. “We want to let them know different interviewing techniques,” she said.

“I’d like to gain a sense of self-fulfillment that I helped shed light on some information that will help students,” Davis said.