JOB RECRUITER SAYS STUDENTS NEED TO WORK BEFORE GETTING A DEGREE

Those who are willing to take temporary jobs and do internships before graduation have a distinct edge over the competition when the time comes to embark on a career.

This advice comes from Keystone Partnership's Ken Amsinger and Southeast Missouri State Assistant Career and Planning Director Loretta Schneider. Keystone is a professional recruiting service.

"Things have changed a lot over the last few years," Schneider said. "The person who is willing to do an internship or work on a temporary basis has a better chance of getting hired than the college student who waits until he or she graduates," Schneider said.

"Let's face it, if you're already in the door and giving a company a chance to see what kind of person and worker you are, you're a step ahead of everyone else," Schneider said.

Even if the internship or temporary assignment doesn't lead to a job with the same company, the connection with that company will serve as a window to your character. That could become the reference that leads to an interview.

Amsinger, who is based in St. Louis, was one of several business representatives at the Show Me Center Wednesday for Career Expo.

Other companies or agencies represented included Union Electric, Capital Bank, the FBI, Carbondale Police Department, the Missouri Division of Employment Security, Kelly temporary service, Becker CPA Review and many others.

Amsinger, a professional matchmaker who links job seekers with potential employers, recommends students work at least three jobs during a five-year span in college.

"Working at McDonald's while you're going to school prepares you for the real world of business in more ways than people might think," Amsinger said. "If you've got management skills from a fast-food restaurant, that will look attractive to an employer. You learn how to work with people and understand something about the work ethic."

Schneider said she was interested in bringing Amsinger back for a two-hour seminar. "I think that would be a good way to give students an idea what they need to do to get ready for an interview," she said.

Amsinger makes his pitch at other schools like the University of Missouri-Columbia and Culver Stockton College. "One student said that what I was telling him went against everything his teachers said to do when putting together a resume," Amsinger said.

"He wanted to know who he should believe, me or his professor. I told him he better believe me because if I don't place a client in a company, I don't eat. I've been able to put food on the table with this job for the last 20 years."

Although unemployment in many cities is at an all-time low, there are many jobs still available, Amsinger said. "But there are a lot of employers and job seekers who don't know what they need to do to find each other," he added.

Amsinger asks potential Keystone clients to fill out a registration form that includes a student's major, area of interest and geographic preference.

After talking with the student to learn, among other things, their qualifications for the type of job they're seeking, he searches for a company.

"I'll go to the company I think needs this person and sell them on why they should interview that individual," Amsinger said.

Keystone typically gets its fee from the company that hires an applicant.

Keystone Partnership studies the "corporate structure" of a company to provide advice that could make the difference between getting hired and being passed up for another applicant.

"Your first interview could be with the company you're most qualified to work for, but maybe something you did made it go bad," Amsinger said. "If I find out this company likes people who wear bow ties, I'll tell you where to get a bow tie."