The proliferation of new technologies has created ample opportunities for recruitment for both students and employers. A prime example of this is I-Link, the Career Management System used at the University.

I-Link is a service provided by 10 different career service offices across campus. It is an interactive website in the sense that it displays tens of thousands of job postings from various employers and gives students the opportunity to make their resumes available by uploading them online.

During the 2013-2014 school year, 17,902 University students used I-Link, according to the Career Center’s recruitment benchmarks.

“Any employer that wants to recruit Illinois students can post jobs or internships online,” said Jennifer Neef, associate director at the Career Center. “Employers can schedule on-campus interviews while students can find out about career fairs, career development workshops and information sessions.”

With such a wide array of opportunities available to both students and recruiters, it is important to note that I-Link is a two-sided interactive platform that serves as a great networking tool.

“It is a software that has been in use for over a decade and is subscribed to annually by the University,” Neef said.

Essentially, it is a means of facilitating the connection between students and employers, while establishing relationships that coordinate job prospects.

I-Link tends to attract larger firms in the Midwest that are likely to hire fresh graduates; their decision to use I-Link is based on return on investment.

“Within their own organization, they have a talent acquisition group and on-campus recruiting team,” Neef said.

The Career Center also plays an integral role in job searches.

“Depending on the student’s professional aspirations, we help them identify which strategies are the best for sourcing jobs and internships that are aligned with their goals,” Neef said.

Neef mentioned that I-Link is one of many tools which when used in conjunction with other resources, can help students engage in a thorough on-campus recruiting process.

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