With spring break less than a month away, most students are dreaming about the perfect tan . . . while graduating seniors are dreaming about the perfect job.

But students in non-technical majors may be feeling discouraged with Career Development and Placement Services because the majority of on-campus recruiters are searching for students with technical degrees.

The career center, located in Boucke Building, offers students assistance in preparing for their future. One of the services available is on-campus recruitment, which gives students the opportunity to interview for jobs before graduation.

Although students of all majors are welcome to participate in this program, most interviewers are searching for seniors with technical degrees. This past fall, 75 percent of the interviews were for engineering and business majors, said Ralph DeShong, associate director of Career Development and Placement Services.

As a result, seniors in the non-technical disciplines tend to feel ignored.

"I feel slighted. My job search is independent of the University," said Amanda Ferguson (senior-English).

Students tend to assume that the career center determines who will interview on campus. On the contrary, the staff at the career center does not decide which companies will visit --interested employers contact them, DeShong said.

Lisa Donofrio (senior-broadcast-cable) understands why there haven't been any interviews for her.

"In the field I want to get into, they don't come out and look for you," she said. "You have to look for them. We will have to be more motivated."

Marcia Pomeroy, a counselor at the center, said the non-technical majors are taught to utilize other sources.

"They must conduct a self-directed job search, something everyone should learn," she said.

"Getting a job is a full-time job," DeShong said.

Students participating in the on-campus recruitment process must be organized, DeShong said. Each week, campus interview notices are posted in Boucke. They inform students about which employers will be visiting the campus the following month.

If students meet the employer's criteria, they may fill out an interview request form. The employer will then receive all the requests to decide who to interview.

The center acts only as the liaison between students and employers. DeShong said all requests are sent in without any input from the center.

Roughly 18 percent of seniors in all the disciplines will receive a job as a result of recruiting. That number is slightly higher for engineering and business majors, DeShong said.

Students in non-technical majors are encouraged to check the job vacancy notices. These notices are sent in by employers who will not be interviewing on campus. Students must initiate contact with the employer.

DeShong said that last year they received 20,000 job notices that went unsolicited.

"Students must be assertive," DeShong said. He added that some students must take alternative positions when seeking their first job and should not be overly concerned with location.

Preparing for the future can never start too soon. Students as early as their freshman year are advised to go to Boucke to look for summer employment, internships, co-ops and anything related to their major, DeShong said.

"Any exposure to your field of work is certainly going to help you," said DeShong. "You've got to position yourself to be competitive -- you can't sit back and expect the market to come to you."