On Thursday, January. 30, Southern Utah University students embarked on a special flight with the Campus to Career event. From 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. participants gained insights into different aspects of professional life with university alumni at the Sharwan Smith Student Center Convention Center.
Upon arrival, students received a “boarding pass” assigning them a starting station. These passes also served as raffle tickets to win prizes such as a laptop sleeve, a leather zip portfolio, an Owala water bottle and a gift basket from SUU Alumni Relations.
Given that students started at different gates, after 10 minutes, a voiceover, similar to airport announcements, signaled when it was time to change “gates.” This allowed participants to experience each station.
“I love understanding how people think when they’re picking someone for a job, and I am way over-awkward most of the time, so I love coming to networking events. I’m looking for any tips and tricks I can use,” said Nancy Johnson, attendee at the event. “Plus, I loved the boarding pass idea. I thought that was really good. It was like going onto each different plane. It added a little bit of fun to (the event).”
Speaking of awkwardness, in station number six, “Networking Minus the Awkward,” Tiffiney Linton Christiansen, Leavitt Center vice president of sales, explained how to network without pressure while standing out. One of her main tips was, “People remember 5% of what you said but 100% of how you made them feel. Go out and take the chance to make connections.”
Other featured stations included “Resume Runway, What Recruiters Really Look For,” “Digital Footprint, Decoding Benefits, From Dorm to Your Own Place” and “Networking Minus the Awkward.”
“I think we had really awesome presenters today. I love that they were coming and sharing their knowledge, but I really liked the break out of the end. People stayed and talked to each other and networked,” said SUU Career Center Director of Career & Professional Development Office Brandon Street.
Besides valuable advice, students were able to have their resumes reviewed, get a professional headshot, participate in a tradition and enjoy refreshments afterward. During this time, they were encouraged to engage with alumni.
“We do have some seniors out that I’m sure who are still feeling that way. Like ‘I don’t know what to do still for a job,’ or ‘I don’t know how to make the transition into adult life,’ if you will,” added Street. ”But the point is that you have services here that can still help and don’t forget that, right? The career center is happy to help. Alumni services do have services to understand what you need for graduation and things like that, right? So if you need help, don’t hesitate to reach out.”
SUU Career Center is located in the Sharwan Smith Student Center in room 204, while SUU Alumni Relations is in the Hunter Alumni Center, room 103. For more information, check their websites.
Author: Fanny Felixine
Editor: Isaac Hirschi
Photos by Gannon Lovisa
life@suunews.net