Union News

Wingate’s Office of Career Services is kicking off Career Week on March 20 with a graduate school fair and a session about internships and other difference-making experiences that students can pursue to make the most of their college years. 

On March 21, students can attend a session about personal branding and networking. On the following day, they’ll hear from alumni on a Welcome to the Future panel and get to put their networking skills to work at an alumni/faculty mixer. The week will end with mock interviews on March 23, followed by an etiquette dinner. With the exception of the dinner, which will be in LaVerne Banquet Hall, the events will all be in the Crowder Welcome Center, either in Helms Forum or Huntley Commons. 

The mock interviews, a popular part of last year’s Career Week, have been expanded to allow more time for each interview and to include interviewers from outside organizations, such as Broad River Retail, Novant Health and Truist.

Liz Biggerstaff, assistant vice president for career services, says Career Week events are designed to benefit students at every class level.

“Too often, students think Career Week is just for seniors, a last-minute push to figure out how to get a job, but students can start preparing for their careers as soon as their freshman year,” Biggerstaff says. “The earlier they start connecting the dots between the classes they’re taking and the professional skills they’re developing and how it all can be applied in the workplace, the better.”

Career Week, designed to help students set themselves up for success, is the centerpiece of a three-part “Ready, Set, Go!” series offered by Career Services. To help get students ready for the week, workshops on how to draft and polish a resume were offered in February. Also, students were encouraged to clean up their social media, assess their professional wardrobes and seek help from the University’s new Career Closet if needed.

“The idea was to get these elements in place so that students could come into Career Week feeling prepared and already having a level of confidence so they can make the most of this week of events,” Biggerstaff said.

After Career Week, they will have a chance to take their new professional skills and freshly polished resumes to Look Local, a March 28 showcase of Union County companies, where they will be able to network and apply for jobs.

Check out the Career Week web page for details.

Original source can be found here.