Recruiting Is Now on Web, Asst. Director To Leave OCS

Hundreds of students flooded Science Center C yesterday for the first recruiting meeting of the season, organized by the Office of Career Services (OCS).

At the meeting, OCS unveiled a new on-line job recruitment service and a Web site (http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~fasocs/Recruiting) designed to facilitate the job search for students seeking employment with a spectrum of companies.

OCS also announced the departure of OCS Assistant Director and Business Counselor Marc P. Cosentino.

These changes come at an important time for students-the opening of the fall job recruitment season.

"I feel a little uneasy about leaving in the middle of the season, but it was out of my control," said Cosentino, who has accepted a position as associated director of career services at the Kennedy School of Government. "I'm very confident that Nancy Saunders will be able to handle my load for the present."

Many students were concerned about the loss of Cosentino.

"He's very good. I've talked to him on several occasions," said Eric L. Johnson '98. "I'm sorry he's going, and I'm going to try and get another appointment to talk to him before he leaves."

"It's not going to hurt me, but I wish he were staying," said Carolyn K. Yu '98.

OCS officials claim Cosentino's departure will not harm the recruiting season.

"We'll have a temporary person, and it won't hurt the students at all," said OCS Recruiting Director Judith E. Murray.

Harvard is one of the first colleges to utilize a full-service on-line job recruitment program, according to the seniors who developed the program.

The on-line service contains detailed fact sheets about companies registered with OCS that are recruiting at Harvard.

Students can use the Web site for everything from obtaining company contact information to transmitting resumes and other credentials to potential employers.

Creators Wellie W. Chao '98, Seth P. Sternglanz '98 and Phuc Truong '98 demonstrated various aspects of the new on-line program at yesterday's meeting.

Although the Web site offers services such as keyword searches, many said students were confused by the presentation.

"Can we use paper?" a student yelled from the audience at one point.

Others expressed security concerns.

"I think it's well-done, but they need to make sure of a lot of things before I feel comfortable putting my resume on-line," said Andwele J. Lewis '98.

"How can you make sure that your information got there in the proper form? People's futures are depending on what interviews they get," he added.

Chao said the system is designed to ensure security of transmitted information.

"You need a password at every crucial juncture to information," he said. "Right now, the only people with access to resumes are OCS."

"I'm excited about it," Sternglanz added. "A lot of universities are moving towards a system like this, but we've beaten a lot of them to the punch."

Brown and Yale Universities still use JobTrack, a job registry, and Stanford University admits to being behind the times.

"We haven't decided yet what Web based recruitment program we're going to use," said Robert W. Thirsk, Stanford's director of career placement and planning.

Princeton University plans to implement an on-line recruitment program next year similar to that developed by Chao, Sternglanz and Truong.

"We plan on using a Microsoft Access database register linked to our Web page, so companies can register with us and students can access them from the Web," said W. Judd Hark, assistant manager of recruitment at Princeton's Office of Career Services.

The developers of Harvard's new job search program have their own company, Crimson Solutions, and big plans for the future. "We're thinking about on-line student registration, financial aid, even rooming arrangements," Chao said

Many students were concerned about the loss of Cosentino.

"He's very good. I've talked to him on several occasions," said Eric L. Johnson '98. "I'm sorry he's going, and I'm going to try and get another appointment to talk to him before he leaves."

"It's not going to hurt me, but I wish he were staying," said Carolyn K. Yu '98.

OCS officials claim Cosentino's departure will not harm the recruiting season.

"We'll have a temporary person, and it won't hurt the students at all," said OCS Recruiting Director Judith E. Murray.

Harvard is one of the first colleges to utilize a full-service on-line job recruitment program, according to the seniors who developed the program.

The on-line service contains detailed fact sheets about companies registered with OCS that are recruiting at Harvard.

Students can use the Web site for everything from obtaining company contact information to transmitting resumes and other credentials to potential employers.

Creators Wellie W. Chao '98, Seth P. Sternglanz '98 and Phuc Truong '98 demonstrated various aspects of the new on-line program at yesterday's meeting.

Although the Web site offers services such as keyword searches, many said students were confused by the presentation.

"Can we use paper?" a student yelled from the audience at one point.

Others expressed security concerns.

"I think it's well-done, but they need to make sure of a lot of things before I feel comfortable putting my resume on-line," said Andwele J. Lewis '98.

"How can you make sure that your information got there in the proper form? People's futures are depending on what interviews they get," he added.

Chao said the system is designed to ensure security of transmitted information.

"You need a password at every crucial juncture to information," he said. "Right now, the only people with access to resumes are OCS."

"I'm excited about it," Sternglanz added. "A lot of universities are moving towards a system like this, but we've beaten a lot of them to the punch."

Brown and Yale Universities still use JobTrack, a job registry, and Stanford University admits to being behind the times.

"We haven't decided yet what Web based recruitment program we're going to use," said Robert W. Thirsk, Stanford's director of career placement and planning.

Princeton University plans to implement an on-line recruitment program next year similar to that developed by Chao, Sternglanz and Truong.

"We plan on using a Microsoft Access database register linked to our Web page, so companies can register with us and students can access them from the Web," said W. Judd Hark, assistant manager of recruitment at Princeton's Office of Career Services.

The developers of Harvard's new job search program have their own company, Crimson Solutions, and big plans for the future. "We're thinking about on-line student registration, financial aid, even rooming arrangements," Chao said