For many students, searching for internships and full-time employment is one of the most stressful experiences of their college career. However, the functionality and options of the Center for Career Education’s new job database, LionSHARE, go a long way to improve the process for students. Going forward, CCE should use the system’s flexibility to enhance LionSHARE’s interface while continuing to expand its career services.
CCE made the transition to LionSHARE after its former job-seeking service, MonsterTRAK, informed universities that it would no longer support on-campus recruiting platforms. The new system, used by several other Ivy League schools, allows students to see personalized calendars, create task lists, and access historical data on companies that have hired Columbia students. These new features, along with the On Campus Recruiting section, allow students to organize their job applications and filter their searches to specific companies. The employer section even shows students facts about individual companies, including the types of jobs they recruited at Columbia in the past and the academic qualifications they are looking for in applicants.
Even with all the improvements, CCE should continue to make the Web site more accessible and easier to navigate. As it stands, LionSHARE makes it difficult to do simple things like change a password, but its customizability should make it easy for CCE to fix such flaws. Rather than waiting for something to force a change, CCE should view the new system as a work in progress. New ideas and innovations should be tested and implemented as they are conceived, not only when a new system is installed.
Over the past few years, CCE has made an effort to welcome students interested in all careers, and it should use LionSHARE to highlight opportunities outside of finance and consulting. The program marks an opportunity for CCE to reinvent itself, but to truly do so the center must deepen its connection to industries outside of Wall Street. With LionSHARE, CCE has the opportunity to revitalize its image, but only if it focuses on becoming a place for people to find employment in any industry they choose.
