CAREERS 0 dawn to sign up for interviews with particu- larly desirable employers. Craig Seitel, a senior economics major at Minnesota, re- cently managed to make the lists by arriving at the guidance center at 6 a.m.-and count- ed himself lucky: "I know a couple of really sharp guys who didn't get interviews be- cause they were all filled up. They have only 12 spots per company." growing number of universities are switching to a "bid system'" in an. attempt to beat the crush. Begin- ning usually at the start of senior year (and sometimes earlier), each student is awarded an equal number of "points." Then the placement office assigns points to an inter- view according to overall student interest in each company. The student is left to decide whether to spend a lot of points on a few appointments or nurse his allotment for many chances. Theoretically, this gives ev- ery student an equal chance, but almost nobody is willing to give the bid system wholehearted endorsement. True, it helps eliminate fistfights in line, but some stu- dents think it's unfair that they may have to blow all their points to get a crack at an IBM recruiter. It is, however, a rough approxi- mation of a market economy. "Philosophi- cally," says Texas A&M placement director Louis Van Pelt, "the system is as good as any we've come up with." Whatever the problems, the services re- main important to students. More than 5,000 registered last year at both Stanford and Texas A&M. At Colby, reports assist- ant director Nancy Mackenzie, 93 percent of last year's graduating class-plus a few students fromotherschoolsin theneighbor- hood-used the career services office. How does an institution manage hundreds of stu- dents, thousands of jobs, millions of choices? One answer is automation. Many bid systems are run by computer, and counsel- ing services are starting to use computers as electronic advisers. Two of the most popular programs are Discover and SIGI (System of Interactive Guidance and In- formation). To use Discover a student first enters personal data such as class and educational background. The computer then offers a series of questions about his or her career interests-things like "Do you place more value on the financial re- ward of a job or personal satisfaction?" After the student responds, the machine analyzes the answers and suggests career areas. The student can then ask up to 14 specific questions about a particular ca- reer. The system carries information on 420 occupations, including experience re- quired, entry-level salary and current sup- ply and demand. The counselor's secret weapons, though, paigning has been dedi0tew to the Democrats. Sen. Alan Cranston of California has de- ployed students as canvass- ers in several states. George McGovern has drawn en- thusiastic college crowds; his Northwestern organiza- tion grew from 10 to 60 mem- bers after an appearance last fall. The Rev. Jesse Jackson has also proven persuasive; his backers registered 80 new voters after the fiery orator spoke at Southern Methodist last November. For Sen. John Glenn, students have traveled from Northwestern to Iowa and from Ohio State to New Hampshire. Mondale has not only carried his own message to campuses, but has dis-v patched his sons, 22-year-old William and 26-year-old Ted, as emissaries to students. On- ly Sen. Ernest Hollings of South Carolina and former Florida Gov. Reubin Askew have failed to solicit much stu- John Hart dent support. Not surprisingly, the most massive mo- bilization thus far has been for Hart, the man who used students so effectively in the 1972 primaries when he was McGovern's campaign manag iv. stude weekends in October and November, students from Wisconsin, Colorado, Missouri and Illi- nois canvassed 23,000 households door-to- door in Iowa, while 400 out-of-state colle- gians canvassed 25,000 households in New Hampshire. "The quickest way to students is through their stomachs," laughs Eric Shwarz, 23, Hart's national student coor- dinator, who threw a generous beer and hot-dog bust for New Hampshire stal- warts. Such largesse was sufficiently allur- ing to sway Oberlin student Jim Farns- Spa~n84, It~ all there. It's endless beaches and Windsurfing. It's backpacking. It's tennis. It's the paintings of Goya, Velazquez, Mir6 and Picasso. It's castles, palaces and cathedrals. It's a feast of foods and wines. It's the country of festivals, dancing, singing, where everyone joins in. It's amazingly affordable hotels and pensions. It's an incredible exchange rate. It's a host of Som2T'lps foriob Hunters t organizing for his father: Youth appeal worth, who says he picked his politician on the basis of hospitality (room but no board for Mondale versus two meals plus shelter for Hart.) n January about 90 students gave up two weeks of their vacations to work for Hart in New Hampshire. One group of five-three from Columbia and two from the State University of New York in Alba- ny-acted as an advance team for a swing through the southwestern part of the state. Rising at 5:30 a.m. from their sleeping bags, the volunteers drove 20 miles to get to Nonie's Food Shop 15 minutes before the candidate arrived, ready to exhort the 30-odd customers. "About 100 of us came For students dauntedby the prospect of a grueling job hunt and confused by the thou- sands of choices before them, professional career counselors offer the following tips: (1) Start early. Harvard's Linda Chernick warns that "a successful job search begins before the senior year. Starting early takes the pressure off yourself." (2) Be organized. Construct your resume carefully, advises Harvard's Martha P. Leape in "The Harvard Guide to Careers" (Harvard University Press). Observe dead- lines. Research prospective employers, be- cause a recruiter will want to discover how much you know about his company as a sign of your interest. Keep accurate records of your contacts with all possible employers. (3) Dress up. Samuel M. Hall, placement director at Howard, urges students to look the part when they meet with corporate recruiters: dark suit, white shirt, conserva- tive tie for men; business suit, plain pumps, modest hairdo and absolutely no provoca- tive blouses for women. (4) Don't depend entirely on on-campus in- terviews. It's complicated and expensive for a company to mount an on-campus inter- viewing operation (Holy Cross estimates that 3M shells out $90 for each student it talks to); increasingly, small and medium- size businesses are unable to afford it. That means on-campus recruiting "may be mov- ing by the wayside" as a method of hiring, says Nancy Nish of Colorado College. "I'll invite anybody and everybody to come here, but students will still have to look outside." (5) Know yourself "Students need to know themselves, because they're going to be asked about themselves," says Texas A&M placement director Louis Van Pelt. Adds Harvard's Chernick, "The neglected ques- tion in the whole process is 'Who am I?' Students forget that when focusing on the glamour, the impressive titles, the big companies." (6) Keep level. Texas business-school place- ment officer Glen Payne cautions students to keep perspective during the interview season: "One day you're told you're fantas- tic, the next day you're told, 'We don't want you.' It can be a real emotional roller coaster." (7) Relax. . . if you can. David Stansbury of Texasworries thatstudentsmay panic, grab the first chance that comes along, miss their true calling and regret it later. "The first thing I want to say to students is 'Lighten up!"' Stansbury says. Payne agrees: "Some people think they're setting their lives in stone. They're not. Most people have three or four careers in their lives, and this is only the first job out of college." Glenn with Iowa's Marycrest basketball team: Have students, will travel ;_! National Tourist Offices of Spain: New York, 665 Fif th2Aenue, New York, NY 101122. Tel: (2t2) 759-8822. Houston: 4800 The Galleria, 5085 westheimer, Houstee, TX 77056. Tel: (713) 840-7411. Chicago 545 N. Michigan Ave .Chicato, IL 60611. Tel: (312) 944-0215. San Francisco: 1 Hallidie Plaza, San Francisco, CA 94102. Tel: (415) 346-8100. NEWSWEEK ON CAMPUS/MAR 94H 1984 NEWSWEEK ON CAMPUS/MARCH 1984