Even with the economy in the worst slump our generation has seen, graduating seniors may have a reason to smile after all, thanks to a recent University hire.
The University Career Center hired Linda Williams Favero, a 1989 University graduate, to help recent University graduates find jobs in the Portland marketplace. Favero will serve as the assistant director for the Alumni Career Services in Portland.
Favero brings 18 years of networking experience to the table from her previous job working at two law firms, Davis Wright Tremaine and Perkins Coie. Her formal training at Perkins Coie allowed her to work with 14 offices and connected her with more than 200 attorneys, preparing her to work as a University resource for alumni.
“I spent a lot of time doing business training and one-on-ones with attorneys,” Favero said. “We’d see if they wanted to develop their own practices. I’d strategize with them and identify how they could become a leader, and we’d figure out how they could be competitive and make themselves look unique in order to get noticed by other places.”
Her evaluation sessions with attorneys often led to discussions about potentially shifting careers while preserving their current skill sets. In her training, Favero grew very comfortable helping clients identify their strengths and encouraging them to pursue ideal careers.
In September 2008, Favero herself switched career paths, opting to help young people find their dream jobs in the greater Portland area. She said her role in the alumni office uses many of the same skills she developed as a career counselor at the law firms.
Deb Chereck, director of the University’s Career Center, said alumni have one year post-graduation to take advantage of this opportunity. Once more than a year has passed after students have graduated, they are only entitled to one free appointment with Favero before they are required to pay.
“We know there’s a considerable number of students that fall through the cracks upon graduation, pack up their bags, move up north and don’t have a clear idea of what their goals in finding a job are,” Chereck said. “That makes finding that job hard.”
University graduate student Kirsten Cooper, who has worked in the Career Center for three years, said she’s noticed an increase in student visits this academic quarter. Cooper speculated that the increasing number of visits may be a result of the current economic state or intensified pressure to find good jobs before the holiday break. Cooper added that at this point in the academic year, the Career Center has seen many more students than in past years. She said appointments are normally booked solid closer to the end of the school year.
“It seems that more students, and alumni and faculty, are really working toward getting their portfolios built, their interview skills down and taking advantage of the different seminars we have to offer,” Cooper said.
Chereck said the Career Center has wanted to hire someone for Favero’s position for years but has never had the funding to do so. This year, the Provost’s Office and the Vice President of Student Affairs contributed funding for the position.
“We’ve been working on this for a few years, but we finally found people in the right place at the right time last spring,” Chereck said. “We had no idea at the time that the bottom was going to drop out of the market.”
Recent graduates do not have to be Portland residents to visit with Favero, but she said because she is a fourth-generation Oregonian and a Portland native, she considers herself more “tapped in to the Portland community.”
To take advantage of this resource, Favero said recent graduates can make an appointment with her to discuss what sets them apart from the competition. Under her guidance, students will work on perfecting their resume and cover letters, tailoring them to specific jobs in the marketplace.
“In this economy, it’s even more important to start early,” Favero said. “It’s such an excellent time to be thinking, ‘What do I want to do?’ You can still definitely find those great jobs, you just have to be more planful of how you approach it.”
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