Resume | Photo by Rose Taylor | The Wright State Guardian
As Wright State University students gear up for graduation this semester, Career Services hosted a campus-to-career seminar to equip them with essential job search skills. The event focused on resume and cover letter writing, interview strategies, leveraging professional social media, and more, ensuring students are ready to transition from academia to the workforce.
About the event
With the close of the semester, many students are preparing to graduate. Going from college to a career is a scary experience, and it is important for students to understand what they are looking for and what options they have.
Ashley Hill-Mercer, the assistant director of career education and success, set up the event and shared what information was being taught to students.
“Students were provided with resources on career document writing (resume, cover letter, references), interviewing and job strategies, ways to leverage professional social media and more,” Hill-Mercer said.
These skills are all crucial to have when trying to find a job and not all students have experience writing them. This event gave students the opportunity to learn the skills they may have missed.
Why host this event?
The purpose of having the campus-to-career seminar was to ensure students know about all of the WSU resources available to them to make sure they are confident and ready to interview for jobs in their chosen career field.
Another purpose of the event was to inform students of what future employers are looking for from recent graduates.
“Employers look for relevant, field specific-skills, whether technical, lab-based, computer-related [or otherwise]. This includes a solid educational foundation in a related field, though expertise is not usually expected for recent grads,” Hill-Mercer said.
Overall, the team at Career Services wants students to know that if they put the work in they can all find careers in their fields and use the university’s help to get there.
Xanthe McCoy, a WSU graduate, shared her experience with getting a job after college.
“My master's program was super helpful. I had professors that were actual teachers in the field and could help with real-world scenarios. Their experience caused me to be confident in getting a job and ultimately in the classroom,” McCoy said.
WSU opportunities
College is an important stepping stone to entering your career which is why it is so important for universities to help their students prepare for graduation.
Career counseling and advising are a big part of the university’s resources. All students have their own academic advisor to help them navigate through their degree audits, but there is additional advising specifically created to help students pick their careers.
Career Services also helps get students set up in internships. Internships are very important for students, as it gives them experience in their chosen field to make connections, network with people and get a foot in the door.
“We can help you post internship, co-op and career opportunities as well as generalist positions that accommodate currently-enrolled student schedules,” the career services website reads.
It is never too early to start preparing for graduation and taking advantage of all the resources you have while still in school.
