As we dive deeper into the spring semester, many of us may be looking forward to the end of the academic year, while others may be worried about what is to come.
There is no doubt that the impending doom of graduating, leaving the secure bubble of our humble college campus and having to venture out in the “real world” consumes the deepest parts of our soul every day and night, but thankfully the Career Resource Center (CRC) is there to help us hawks fly out of our nests.
A staple in the Humanities building, the CRC, which is to be credited for Hawkhire, is also responsible for helping students become better equipped for life after college. They have a staff that can provide specialized guidance according to people’s majors and connect them to resources such as jobs, internships and even graduate school searches.
“The idea is that the career resource center is here to help students either find internships or jobs, to help them with that search, also to prepare them to go on interviews,” said Senior Career Counselor for business Christine Daly. “We do mock interviews. We also want to get students ready for life after college.”
“Most people want to work after they graduate,” Daly joked, which is why she emphasized the importance of one of the CRC’s biggest events being the upcoming Networking Fair for Jobs and Internships.
Taking place in the MPR on Wednesday, March 6, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., the fair will feature over 70 employers, ranging from various fields of work. An extra feature the CRC will have at the career fair is a chance for students to get professional headshots taken for their LinkedIn profiles.
“There’s something for everybody at this career fair,” Daly said. “There are opportunities for students in business of course, engineering, sciences, liberal arts students and even fine and performing arts students.”
Having to organize a correspondence of this size, encompassing so many different people, is no easy feat.
“Beth King [Internship Coordinator] and I coordinate the career fair. We have to pick a date, get the venue and do all the logistical legwork. Then we send out invitations to a list of employers and there are hundreds of employers on our list and out of the hundreds of employers we have over 70 actually coming,” Daly said.
While some people may be nervous about the career fair itself, the CRC understands this and is there to ease that ailing as well.
“Not only do we have the career fair, but we try to get the students prepared for the career fair as well. I would really emphasize that this career fair is for all students and if you feel uncomfortable, or you have any questions, when you come in, the Career Resource Center will be there. You can ask us any questions about employers, about who you might be interested in talking to,” Daly said. “Or if you don’t want to wait until the day of you can certainly come over before the event and meet with us.”
A supplemental event the CRC is doing prior to the career fair is Resumania. On Monday, March 4 in the CRC, located in Humanities 105, students will be able to come in and have their resumes reviewed from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Not only will the staff of the CRC provide insight and tips, but they will also give students 10 free sheets of resume paper to bring to the career fair itself.
Other events taking place include an Indeed.com kick off taking place at 10 a.m. on the day of the career fair.
For more information about the Career Resource Center, visit www.newpaltz.edu/careers/.
