The workforce is as competitive as ever, proving to be a challenge for college students seeking internships and employment after graduation.
University Career Services, located in the Carrier Center of the D.P. Culp Student Center, has a wide variety of resources available to students at no cost. The center’s goal is to prepare students for employment during and after college through many formats of professional training.
The center offers professional headshots that students can use for their career-related purposes.
“We have a little photo studio set up, and that to me is one of those things that is so empowering,” said Jenny Lockmiller, director of career services. “Seeing a photo of themselves looking like a professional, like someone who does that job, is really empowering for them.”
Personal branding is a deciding factor for many employers. Lockmiller reminds students that their personal brand is crucial and determines their perception in and out of the professional landscape. This ranges from social media, the interactions people make and materials that are digitalized publicly.
“Those kind of things can come back and affect you later in life,” she said. “We all want to be able to express ourselves how we are, but sometimes things that you do in college don’t necessarily need to be part of your resume or part of your personal brand.”
Career Services also offers interview preparation, an essential in developing professionally. Lockmiller emphasizes the importance of interview practice, a skill that many students need to advance in the workplace after college.
“We can have our professional staff, a graduate student, and even our student workers help do some basic interview prep with you that’ll just make a huge difference,” she said.
The center recently made changes last fall, transitioning their career coaches from generalists to more divided fields of study. This method aims for a more enhanced and in-depth career coaching experience for students in diverse fields.
Besides traditional advising, they regularly collaborate with employers to host yearly career fairs for students. Lockmiller said the Career Center is looking to target more specific majors, a change from their usual “all-majors” career fair.
“I think sometimes they felt lost with that big all-majors career fair when it was nursing mixed with engineering mixed with everything,” Lockmiller said. “Now, we’re trying to provide the services that employers are looking for, which is access to a specific group of students.”
Students in need of professional attire can visit Bucky’s Career Closet in the Career Studio, where they can receive one complete professional outfit per semester at no cost. Bucky’s Career Closet is committed to helping students feel professionally prepared by ensuring they have access to necessary items. The center also welcomes donations of new or gently used professional attire for all genders. Donations can be dropped off at Bucky’s Food Pantry or coordinated by contacting University Career Services at 423-439-4450.
The University Career Center is available for students of all majors and accepts walk-ins or appointments through Navigate. For more information, visit etsu.edu//students/careers/.
