Daily Pioneer News

PLATTEVILLE - Just as elsewhere in the country, soon-to-be graduates at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville are using all available resources to search for that first job after college. What many UWP students may not realize is that they have an important potential contact at the Dubuque Area Chamber of Commerce: UWP alumnus, Bob Berglin.

Berglin graduated from UW-Platteville in May 2002 with a degree in business (emphasis in human resources) and a minor in political science, and went to work for the Dubuque chamber shortly after. As the director of workforce development, his efforts on behalf of the chamber include administering a job database that serves approximately 90-100 employers in Wisconsin, Iowa and Illinois, and thousands of job seekers. Potential employees can post resumes to the site and employers can browse through to look for skills that match their needs.

His main goal, Berglin says, is to recruit a high quality workforce from the Tri-State area and that, increasingly, Platteville is playing a key part in providing quality employees. The Dubuque chamber has also been working on an initiative during the past year to gather more information about area employers and what their internship needs might be.

"We hope to open up more internship opportunities for students from area colleges, including those at UW-Platteville," he said. Internships offer students a way to clarify career goals, gather information about the industry and specific employers, and enhance skills and knowledge related to the career field, according to Berglin.

Berglin also urges students to take advantage of the Career Center resources located on campus.

"I'm a big fan of the UWP Career Center. I used it a lot while I was a student, and I stay in close touch with the people who staff it now. They are a great group and are a valuable resource for everything from resume writing to interviewing to networking," he said.

Another strategy Berglin recommended for job seekers is to attend career fairs and talk to a wide variety of human resource directors. During this process, he suggested that it's important to learn as much about individual companies as possible.

"I can't stress that enough. It sends a pretty strong message to a prospective employer if you've taken the time to research the company and the industry. If a human resource director can tell that you have a good idea about the product or service it provides, you've gone a long way toward making a strong first impression," he said.

Berglin lives in Belmont with his wife, Robin, also a UWP graduate and their 8-month-old son, Aaron. They met while both were residence hall directors and students on the campus, and their decision to stay in the area after graduation was an easy one, he says.

"This is a great area to raise children, with great schools, and a lot of opportunity within a small driving radius. I'm not sure people realize how many wonderful companies there are in our area. For my part, I'm going to do everything I can to work in partnership with UWP to help graduates see that this is a great place to live and work after graduation," he said. Anyone interested in speaking to Berglin can contact him at the Dubuque chamber office at (563) 690-9211.

Contact: Sharon Becker, director, Career Center, (608) 342-1054, beckersh@uwplatt.edu

Prepared By: Evelyn Martens, Public Relations, (608) 342-1194, martense@uwplatt.edu