CPPS works to procure jobs, dispel myths

The Career Planning and Placement Service wants to show that it's not just for Wharton students. Amid the endless parties and screamers celebrating the "beginning of the end," many seniors have also begun bemoaning the necessity of starting to plan for their post-graduation lives. For the Class of 1998, the fall semester marks the start of the job search and graduate school application process. And for a significant number of undergraduates, Career Planning and Placement Service, part of the Division of University Life, is the place where it all begins. Under the direction of Patricia Rose, CPPS is tucked away in the bowels of the McNeil Building. In a recent interview, Rose outlined the goals of CPPS and tried to dispel some of the "apprehensions" attached to the office and its services. "There is something for everyone here," Rose said, adding that she was aware of the misconceptions of the office as exclusively for "Wharton and Engineering jobs." "We want to make sure that we're bringing as many opportunities to [students'] attention as possible," she said. Lauding the University's "outstanding" on-campus recruiting services, Rose cited statistics showing that students had about 16,000 interviews with 432 businesses last year and met individually with CPPS counselors approximately 13,000 times. The statistics include multiple visits by the same person, however, and CPPS does not have information on the exact number of students who use the service. Despite Rose's enthusiasm, many students give a much more negative opinion of CPPS, citing friends' bad past experiences. College senior Andrew Hertzmark, who is currently looking for a job in the business sector, complained about the difficulty he has had in obtaining information for "Wharton" jobs as a College student. Many of Hertzmark's friends in the Wharton School get a slew of CPPS mailings about job opportunities, but he complained that getting the same information requires him to "catch up" with Wharton counselors. "I have friends who don't think CPPS is helpful," he said. "The resume drop is scary? you don't know where [the resume] goes." Instead, Hertzmark said he and his friends have begun to "network," relying on relatives and other contacts for job opportunities instead of CPPS. Despite perceived benefits for Wharton students, Wharton senior Enrique Saez voiced similar concerns. "I'm not putting much hope into this," Saez said as he slipped resumes into boxes labeled with each employer participating in the resume drop. "Most people go out on their own to find jobs." Others, however, found the service's self-help resources beneficial. "It's not that difficult to gauge where you are in the [application] process," said Wharton senior Denise Lee, who hopes to attend law school next year. But Rose said she was delighted to hear of these students' independent, if somewhat reluctant, job searching. "No one can find you a job. You have to find a job," she said. Emphasizing what she sees as an "extraordinary time to graduate," Rose urged students to take control of their futures by using CPPS as an aid, not a crutch. "We don't want people to become complacent," she said. "You still have to do a lot of work."