SUNY Cobleskill provides career development assistance to its students through a resource center that all but mirrors the "One Stop" services of the Department of Labor and its WIB partners.
Associate Director, 
Donna Pesta offered some advice for those entering the job market.
"We really stress networking, getting out there and talking to people, and getting the word out that you're looking for a job."
When it comes to the writing of a resume, Ms. Pesta counsels those without extensive work experience to concentrate on a functional resume with a focus on their education and leadership skills.
For students with that option, she is a strong advocate of internships. "We feel that it's the critical key that's going to help them get a job. We want them to take their education and apply it to a real work environment. We feel that helps them stand out in the field when searching for a job."
"We stress preparation. We feel that the better prepared a student is before they show up for the interview the better they'll do."
"We want them to feel confident when they walk in." To that end she asks, "What are you going to wear? How are you going to get there? How do you meet the requirements of the job?"
"We want them to be able to focus on selling themselves," says Pesta. "We practice what we call your sixty-second commercial."
As part of that, Pesta urges the job seeker to have researched the company well enough to incorporate some of the employer's "lingo" - terminology of the job - into the presentation.
When preparing for the interview, the applicant should anticipate the typical questions and be ready with answers. To help them, she provides an "Interview Guide" which lists the 30 most commonly asked questions.
Regarding the ubiquitous strengths/weaknesses question, Pesta concentrates on the latter.
She says, "Don't go in there and disclose your deepest, darkest secrets." She advises instead that they pick a weakness that's not as damaging, and for which there are remedies in place.
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