Career Center News
November in the Career Center
December 02, 2024
By Katie Chitwood, Career Center Writing and Communications Intern
We’ve entered the home stretch of the Fall 2024 semester, and what a semester it’s been so far! From seeing record-breaking event attendance in October to hosting a whopping 34 events in November, it’s safe to say that we’re eager to see what other opportunities for growth 2025 will bring. But before we get ahead of ourselves, we want to share with you some of the month’s highlights so you can Engage, Connect, and Discover how you can join in on the fun.
Engage
On November 7th, the Career Center Intern Cohort hosted the
second-most attended event of the month, the 2024 Etiquette Dinner,
for 114 students who came hungry to learn about the best practices for
fine dining and networking events. Cindy Brown, a beloved Career
Center team member, guided students through the nuances of dining
etiquette while they enjoyed a delectable three-course meal and
entered a raffle for GVSU dining dollars. The best part of the night
was simply watching students interact and practice networking with
peers of completely different majors and backgrounds, like the
professionals they’re becoming.
We surveyed students after the event to ask about their experience so we can improve this popular annual event. We were pleased to see that 100% of students said they would recommend the event to another student or friend, and their favorite part of the night was being able to ask Cindy questions about fine dining. We received a glimpse into some of the students' thoughts in our comment section, so we thought we’d share some with you all!
“I really enjoyed this and found it very helpful. I would like to learn how to make others feel comfortable when we are in a group or strangers.”
“Please increase these types of events as much as you can.”
“It was lovely!!”
Connect
Our main goal at the Career Center is to connect as many students
as we can with people, places, and resources that will support them
through the career development process. You’ve seen our aim to achieve
these connections through large-scale events like the Career Fair, but
what you might have missed are our smaller efforts to meet students
where they are, like through our Career Connector Presentations.
These presentations, covering topics from resume and cover letter
writing to using LinkedIn to network, are offered to all student
groups and organizations across campus. Facilitated by our amazing
group of trained student employees called Career Connectors, these
visits are the perfect way to reach groups of students where they are.
By bringing the Career Center to them, students are encouraged to ask
questions, join in on activities and discussions, and see how programs
they are already involved in can lead to a fulfilling professional
career. Sharing this resource with your department’s student groups
will encourage students to actively explore their fields of interest
outside of the classroom.
Discover
The Career Connectors don’t get to have all the fun - you can
too! The classroom is already a space where students gain knowledge
and experience in their field, so why not also teach them to translate
those skills into the real world?
We’ve assembled a Digital Resource Library of interactive presentation slides, guides, and other tools for faculty to use on their own. In this library, you’ll find pre-made slideshows centered on career-readiness that you can use to answer all of your students’ questions about how to take the next step in building their professional network, updating their resumes, and using GVSU-provided resources like the Career Center and Handshake to find opportunities in their chosen field. We encourage you to take a look around the library to stay updated on all things career and help yourself help others!