On Tuesday, September 23rd, the Boerigter Center for Calling and Career hosted another workshop as a part of the current Career Camp. One of the sessions students were able to attend was on the job search and how students can begin to prepare for not only the physical act of applying to jobs but also setting up a strategy on how to be on the lookout for potential work opportunities.
This week’s session was once again hosted by BCCC staff member Dale Austin, who was joined by Morgan Seiler `15, who is a Division Lead at TekSystems, an employment agency that helps attract talent for IT jobs.
Dale started the session off by highlighting a few key steps to beginning your own job search. The first step is to really develop a career focus, and know what you want to go into. If you are beginning the job search you shouldn’t be considering anymore than three careers at once. The second step is to take care of your support materials, that is your resume, portfolio, cover letter, and online accounts, these are important factors that need to be refined to stand out during the application process. The last step is to practice the interview, that way you will be able to demonstrate your passions, skills, and knowledge. Practice interviews can be set up with a staff member at the Boerigter Center for Calling and Career.
Another part of this session that I really appreciated was the insight that Dale gave on the importance of in-person interactions. As someone who has grown up in the “digital age”, I have always assumed that most applications are dependent on online interactions and having a great resume that stands out among the pile. This session helped me to understand that while that is still very important, the most vital factor to increase your chances in the hiring process is to interact in-person with employers. This in-person interaction helps demonstrate what working with you would be like, and even if there are not many job opportunities available at that time, you can use that connection to find other openings in the field.
After Dale’s presentation, we moved into a Q/A with Morgan where we got to hear about what Morgan’s recruiting perspectives are as a former Hope student and someone in the hiring industry. Morgan emphasized the importance of networking and how she thinks that it is the single most important thing someone can do in the hiring process. Her second priority was using your resources, not just a Google search but also taking advantage of the resources at the Boerigter Center. She also emphasized being true to yourself and your passions. And finally, being a student of your own job search.
The job search can be difficult but as both Dale and Morgan said, use your resources! The staff at the Boerigter Center is always willing to help you with whatever step you are at in your job search, so do not hesitate to reach out!
Next week is the last Career Camp session and we will be discussing how to prepare for the upcoming career fair! Be sure to tune in to this and reach out to the Boerigter Center for any more assistance that you may need!