Career Day opens new doors for students in search of internships, jobs

Since graduating from Pittsburg State University nearly three years ago, Lisa Winter has been living the life she always dreamed.

After finishing her degree in business management, she took a position with Sherwin-Williams and moved to Albuquerque, N.M., where she went through the company’s management training program and ran her own store. A year and a half later, she moved to Dallas to take on a new role with the company.

On this sunny afternoon, she’s scoping out apartments in San Francisco, where she’s relocating to take yet another step up with the company. In her new job, she’ll recruit employees in areas including Las Vegas and the states of California, Arizona and Hawaii. “I can’t believe what they want in rent out here,” she said with a laugh. “But this is exactly what I want to do. I wanted to work for a company that would offer me a fast-paced environment where I could excel and give me opportunities to see different places.”

It’s a big change from growing up in a small Midwestern town, and an opportunity Winter knows she never would have had if it hadn’t been for Career Day at PSU. It helped that she did her research: before the fair (put on each year by PSU Career Services), she examined the list of companies to decide who she wanted to speak with. After sitting through multiple interviews, she walked away feeling confident about her current employer.

“I didn’t know if I would find a position, but I knew Career Day would be a good place to start,” she said. “I knew PSU had a good reputation with employers and that they wouldn’t let me graduate without being prepared for a job. It was overwhelming, but I put my best foot forward with all the companies.”

Jessica Monson, a 2007 graduate who was hired as a credit manager for Wells Fargo Financial Services after meeting company representatives at last year’s Career Day, agrees the event is a unique and convenient way to meet a number of potential employers.

“I had no idea what I wanted to do, so I interviewed with everyone who would talk to me,” she said. When taking part in the Wells Fargo information session, she says everything clicked. “Maybe it was a shot in the dark, but I feel like this is just the beginning of my career with them. I’ve found a really good company to work for because of who I met at Career Day.”

Approximately 90 employers are signed up for Spring Career Day 2008, which will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 14, in the Overman Student Center. Mindy Cloninger, director of Career Services, says the companies taking part vary from schools and hospitals to corporations and summer camps.

“This one really runs the gamut,” she said. “The main thing is that they’re offering internships, as well as jobs. It gives students an opportunity to connect with folks in the hiring capacity in an easy, conversational setting.”

On Thursday, the Office of Alumni and Constituent Relations is also offering Alumni Sharing Knowledge (ASK), a new program that allows recent graduates to speak to students about what they’ve learned in the professional world and to answer questions about what finding and adjusting to a job after graduation is really like. The sessions will be held at 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. in the Sunflower Room.

For more information, check out the Career Services Web site at http://www.pittstate.edu/car/ or call the office at 620-235-4140.

---Pitt State---