Career-Services Department Jumps on App Bandwagon

Texas Christian University’s career-services office has unveiled a set of career-oriented resources that can be accessed right at your fingertips, on the iPhone or iPad.

“I remember sitting in the waiting room and flipping through magazines before a job interview,” said Susan Nethery, director of student-affairs marketing at Texas Christian University. “The main idea was, What if you could instead spend that time brushing up on how to answer interview questions, or even look at some questions you may want to ask your potential employer?”

The new Career App was recently added to the university’s larger smartphone app, called iTCU. The Career App is divided into six sections, ranging from tips on interviewing to even dining and business etiquette.

For example, app users can gain perspective on how to answer more than 50 of the tough but often inevitable interview questions—such as “tell me more about yourself” or “describe your biggest weakness"—by seeing the past responses from students and alumni who ultimately received job offers.

The app also includes short video tutorials on career-related issues, including advice on how a college student who is new to the negotiating table should approach the topic of salary.

The significant rise in smartphone use in the past two years was one of the main influences behind the project, Ms. Nethery said. In comparison with January 2009, the university saw a nearly 400 percent increase last month in Internet users accessing its home page via iPhones.

Since the Career App was added to the package in early October, approximately 2,700 additional people have downloaded the free iTCU app from the iTunes store. “The old model of career services made it the responsibility of the student to seek out the information,” Ms. Nethery said. “We’re instead going to where the students are and delivering this information to them, because it is crucial to prepare students with the skills they will need to find a job in this economy.”