When students start their job search, they quickly learn the value of the resources and relationships Fordham’s Career Services office has in New York City. What they may not know is that those benefits can extend beyond New York through a program offering reciprocity between Jesuit career services offices nationwide.
The Jesuit Career Center Consortium provides access to job postings and other resources for Fordham students interested in searching for jobs outside the metropolitan area.
This connection to the broader Jesuit community helped Chris Rittenhouse, GSB ’14, secure his job as an associate in account management at Tradition Energy in Stamford, Connecticut.
As he approached graduation, Rittenhouse decided to focus his job search in Boston or elsewhere in New England. Through the reciprocity program, Fordham’s Career Services office helped him connect with Boston College, another Jesuit institution.Within a month, Rittenhouse secured a job in a field about which he cares deeply. The Jesuit consortium, he said, gave him an edge.
“There was the additional benefit of being a part of a recruitment pool several states away in a city I am particularly keen to live in. That kind of flexibility and, more importantly, mobility, was awesome,” he said.
Kate Dunham, a sophomore in the Gabelli School of Business, is taking advantage of the reciprocity program as she works with the career services office of Loyola University Chicago to find a summer internship in Chicago.
Dunham said she has been deeply impressed by the program and the ease with which the Loyola career services office has answered her questions. She said the experience has helped her realize the value of the broader Jesuit community.
“I think it is such a perfect example of the Jesuit way of being men and women for others. It really doesn’t matter where you are in the country, you have people to help you out,” she said.
Cassie Sklarz and the Fordham Career Services team are constantly working to increase student awareness about the reciprocity program and all of the services Fordham offers. She said she’s pleased to keep supporting students through every step of their search—no matter where it might take them.
“For students applying elsewhere, this program gives a little bit of comfort and makes them feel a little more confident navigating the waters of their job search,” she said.
Students interested in accessing the resources of another Jesuit school should send their resume to Cassie Sklarz, associate director of Fordham Career Services. All requests for reciprocity must be handled through the student’s home school so that the partner school can verify the student’s enrollment or status as a recent graduate.
For more information about the Jesuit Career Center Consortium, contact Cassie Sklarz at 718-817-4358 or sklarz@fordham.edu.
—Jennifer Spencer
