New Director of Career Development

In November, the College welcomed Philip Jones as its new director of career development. Jones comes to Mount Holyoke from St. Michael's College in Vermont, where he worked as the director of career resources for five years.

In his new position, Jones will oversee the Career Resource Center and the Internship Programs Office, which recently moved from Shattuck Hall to its new location in the wing connecting the Health Center to the Career Resource Center.

Mount Holyoke's academic reputation and tremendous sense of community drew Jones to the campus. Jones describes himself as someone who works very much by intuition. "You get a feel for a place right away, and I knew immediately that Mount Holyoke would be a great place."

Jones' philosophy of career development is based on early intervention. In order to facilitate this philosophy, one of his primary goals is to bring students into the Career Resource Center prior to senior year. Jones also plans to bring the Career Resource Center to the campus. He iscurrently working with Michele Rosenthal, director of residential life, and Aimee Eubanks '95, hall president of MacGregor Hall, to offer career-related workshops in the residence halls. Jones hopes that by addressing students "on their own turf," these workshops will attract students from all class years.

According to Jones, the greatest challenge facing graduates of the class of 1995 is maintaining perspective. "It's a full-time job to look for a job," says Jones, "and many students become discouraged and disheartened when that first interview or initial attempt at networking does not bear fruit right away." Jones adds that challenges facing any graduating class include understanding the changing nature of the job market, employing the best tools and resources, never letting an opportunity slip by, and never undervaluing yourself. "Job-hunting is a situation in which blowing your own trumpet, be it in academics or another arena, is absolutely required."

A number of new projects await Jones' expertise and leadership. The new location of the Internship Programs Office adjacent to the Career Resource Center is the first step in the eventual integration of the two offices. In addition, the Five Colleges recently received a grant to support technological collaboration between the five career offices. With the grant, a model for other consortia efforts in career development, the Five Colleges have already purchased software which will eventually place Five-College job listings, career libraries, and interview schedules on the Internet. Jones is also involved in an endeavor to pool and share alumnae resources with the seven sister colleges.

Jones walks to work each day from his new home in South Hadley. A self-described history buff, Jones earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Wales and his master's degree from the University of Wisconsin. He is currently working on a doctorate in higher education from the University of Michigan.