Of the 17,000 students enrolled in the College of Liberal Arts, only 1,000 have discovered the Office for Special Learning Opportunities.
And only three students registered for the Tuesday morning workshop that Kimberly Strauss, an OSLO coordinator, conducted on search strategies.
The hour-long informational meeting covered the step-by-step process for landing a job.
“I don’t think a lot of students know we’re here,” said Mary Dwyer, a career-services coordinator.
OSLO is CLA’s free career-development center that helps students search for internships and jobs and offers instruction on interviewing and rÇsumÇ writing. The services are available to students for one year after they graduate as well.
Funded by CLA, OSLO offers placement assistance for CLA students researching employment opportunities and careers. While the program helps seniors get jobs, coordinators encourage freshmen to become familiar with the office’s resources. That way, students can get internships while still in school.
Dwyer said upperclassmen approach her, saying they wished they had known about OSLO as freshmen.
But neither Strauss nor Dwyer are discouraged by the small number of participants in OSLO programs.
“For students to be able to land a job, they need a degree, but they also need some outside experience,” Strauss said. “They need to know how to present themselves when pursuing a job and career.”
OSLO will introduce its new Web site, CLA Link, in January. Students will be able to place their rÇsumÇs online, making them easily accessible to employers. Businesses will be able to post job opportunities in CLA fields on the site as well.
Additional programs and workshops will be offered throughout the year detailing specific aspects of career planning.

Pam Steinle welcomes comments at [email protected]. She can also be reached at (612) 627-4070 x3236.