07-31-2022 EDU - Flipbook - Page 3
The Baltimore Sun | Sunday, July 31, 2022 3
SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT
UMGC students receive career support as a complimentary resource for alumni to access for the rest of their lives.
Lifelong career support
University of Maryland Global Campus
F
or most college students, career services is seen as place you go for advising,
assistance with your resume, internship inquiry and then job hunting
starting your senior year. Of course, all
of this is done while you are a current
student, and, once you graduate, you’re basically on your own. This is not the case, however, at University of Maryland Global Campus
(UMGC), where students receive career support as a complimentary resource for alumni to
access for the rest of their lives.
“Our students are primarily non-traditional
students – veterans, adults, career changers,
and those juggling a career, school and a family.
They earn their degree, and they have made a
commitment to their education, so we are committed to them for the rest of their lives,” says
Francine Blume, Ph.D., assistant vice president
of career development at UMGC. “We’ve had
alumni in their 70s and 80s reach out to us,
as they are looking for a part-time career after
they retire.”
Blume says that current UMGC students
and alumni can access the same career services.
She says UMGC offers 12-15 webinars a year on
topics ranging from assistance with a resume
to leadership skills and changing careers. “We
also utilize AI (artificial intelligence) to help
refine resumes and interviewing skills. We also
have tools to make your LinkedIn profile more
discoverable. These are tools that alumni can
access on their own,” she says.
UMGC also has a Community Connect
Program that “connects UMGC alumni and
industry professionals with UMGC students
and alumni who are looking for career guidance or mentorship. With the online profilematching system and guidance tools, we can
help you start a valuable and rewarding connection that puts professional success front and
center,” according to UMGC’s website. “When
you are taking classes online, you can feel kind
of alone, so the mentorship program is wonderful,” says Blume, who adds that recent alumni
like to connect to those who possibly graduated
a few years before them, as they have similar
experiences.
Blume adds that UMGC alumni can also
speak one-on-one with a career specialist on
such subjects as revising a resume, how to get a
promotion or ask for a raise.
Perhaps one of the most utilized resources for UMGC alumni is CareerQuest, which
allows them to log in and apply for jobs,
internships and other opportunities 24 hours
a day. Plus, alumni can add their resume to
CareerQuest so that local and national hiring
managers can find them.
“Many jobs are not posted on online job sites,
and companies search UMGC’s CareerQuest
to find candidates. We had one individual
who posted his resume on CareerQuest at 10
UMGC .E DU
a.m., was contacted by an employer at 1 p.m.,
interviewed for the job at 3 p.m., and by the
end of the day, he was offered the job,” Blume
recalls. She adds that UMGC partnered with
Handshake, an online job database, and saw
job postings increase from 69 per month to
over 5,000.
UMGC also hosts recruitment events, and
Blume says that UMGC looks for companies
that match the school’s demographics. “We
want companies that are friendly to veterans
and second-career adults, as well as those with
DEI (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion) initiatives,”
she says.
Blume notes that approximately 60 to 70%
of UMGC alumni looking for a job are looking
for one in the Maryland-District of ColumbiaVirginia area; however, UMGC has alumni all
over the country. “Many jobs are remote now,
so it does not necessarily matter where you are,
and we look for companies that have offices
across the country,” she says. UMGC also has
strong relationships with employers and industries where many jobs can be found, such as
New York City, Atlanta and Delaware’s financial
and banking district.
Due to its proximity to Washington, D.C.,
and strong programs in areas such as cybersecurity, information technology, computer
science and public safety, UMGC has strong
connections to the federal government and
defense contractors. “Interestingly, the FBI is
very fond of our graduates, but not necessarily
just because of cybersecurity … they love our
business, accounting and finance graduates,
too. They tell us that they like the way they
think and problem solve,” Blume says.
Blume also recalls how a key employer in
the area – Northrup Grumman – was once
“resistant to UMGC for a little while when
trying to find the right candidates. So, I asked
them to send five job postings for positions
they were having difficulty filling. We found
and sent them great candidates. It definitely
opened their eyes to UMGC,” she says.
Another resource for alumni looking for
jobs is within the UMGC alumni network.
“When looking at job postings on LinkedIn,
LinkedIn will indicate whether there are other
UMGC graduates at that company. If so, connect with them and express your interest.
We also have many alumni from our human
resource management program who reach out
to UMGC to fill positions within their company,” Blume says.
Blume is retiring from UMGC this summer,
and she adds, “It’s been such an honor to serve
our alumni who have such rich diversity in
experience and backgrounds.”
125+ degrees & certificates designed to help you achieve
whatever you dream of next • Online & hybrid courses • Financial
assistance & scholarships for those who qualify • No-cost digital
materials replacing most textbooks • Lifetime career services
Classes are enrolling now.
© 2022 University of Maryland Global Campus