Database of Resumes

Tired of squinting over the classifieds, searching for those few companies with job openings? Well, at one local career center, the companies come looking for you --your resume, to be precise.

Last year, Cal State Northridge’s Career Center began collecting resumes from graduating seniors and alumni and making them available to local employers with jobs to fill.

The program was started because the recession had made many companies less willing to devote time and resources to campus interviews and job fairs, center Director Leland C. Gassert said. In response, the center created a database of resumes categorized by career field, becoming a sort of job broker in the process.

“We saw this as a way for employers to target their recruiting,” he said.

Those who want to have their resumes on file complete a biographical form and select three fields of interest from a list of nine, including engineering, science, health and recreation, accounting and finance. Resumes are then forwarded to local firms that request job candidates in a particular field.

Participants are required to sign a release allowing the center to make their resumes available, although they are not notified when resumes are sent out.

Gassert explained that companies are charged a flat fee for their use of the service but added that the center will work with each employer to determine whether qualified applicants are available.

“We see if we have enough candidates to make it worth their while,” he said.

Cal State Northridge’s Career Center is located in the Village Square of the University Student Union, 18111 Nordhoff St., Northridge. Services include workshops, career counseling, job fairs, aptitude testing as well as specialized programs for minorities, the deaf and disabled. Services are free to students and $50 per year to college graduates. Office hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. Information: (818) 885-2878.