Students walking into the multipurpose room of the Averett University Student Center Friday, Oct. 1, found more than 20 prospective employers waiting to talk about future plans, employment, internships and preparations for life after college.
Averett’s Director of Career Competitiveness Angie McAdams from the Center for Community Engagement and Career Competitiveness (CCECC) said she was thrilled with the student turnout, and even more so by their engagement.
“We are excited and pleased by the number of students who attended the career fair last week. We had 175 students visit, which is higher than the pre-pandemic level of attendance,” McAdams said.
Students like freshman Jeanna Cook, who is majoring in history with a focus on social sciences and a teacher licensure, attended the career fair to seek better opportunities over her current employment. She said it was helpful to hear from prospective employers about what was available.
“I think this is a good opportunity because I’m in my freshman year. They explained part-time jobs, and it was a great opportunity to be engaged,” Cook said.
For freshman nursing major Jenna Drew, she visited the career fair to find out what jobs might fit her after graduation.
“I mostly came today for networking in the community, and to find what job opportunities might fit what I want to do in the future,” Drew said.
Chesterfield County Police Department Sergeant Joey Kierson ’07 enjoyed meeting with students and encouraged anyone seeking employment in the criminal justice field to do so because of its rewards.
“It is the most rewarding career out there. We see people at their worst and we have an opportunity to improve someone’s life from where they are in the moment. I’ve had people in different critical incidents reach out to us later and let us know how we changed their lives,” Sgt. Kierson said.
In his 12-year tenure at the Chesterfield County Police Department, Sgt. Kierson said he has found various similarities in the community he works in and Averett.
“For an Averett grad, what they’re going to take away from this school is what they will find in Chesterfield County. A community that loves you and a community that you will want to be involved in. I was involved in the Boys and Girls Club here in Danville, and that’s something I was able to take and apply when I started my career. I was able to help underprivileged youth, and that helped me start the kids and cops program,” Sgt. Kierson said.
Even though the career fair was a two-hour event for students, Career Services continues to have offerings throughout the year.
Recently, Coordinator of Career Competitiveness Ryan Taube held a workshop on, “building your brand.”
Jamie Lynskey, a freshman majoring in bio medicine, an Averett Bonner student and member of Averett Cheer, said it seemed like a rewarding workshop to attend.
“I wanted to see what building your brand was about,” Lynskey said.
During Taube’s presentation, he explained how to dress for a job interview, perception, cleaning up social media and keeping it positive, body language, giving a speech and briefly touched on résumés.
Taube used a popular Jeff Bezos quote during the presentation, “your brand is what other people say about you when you’re not in the room.”
“It’s true though, right? Because if you think about it the decision to hire someone is likely not going to happen when they are going to be in the room,” Taube said.
The team also recently held a workshop called “The Art of Being a Good Employee,” and will hold multiple workshops throughout the semester in Averett’s Blount Chapel, including:
Building Your Perfect Résumé – Monday, October 11, at 6:30 p.m.
Students will learn the basics of résumé building and polishing, and can even have their résumé reviewed at the workshop.
LinkedIn, Handshake and You – Wednesday, Oct. 20, at 7 p.m.
Learn about building a social media profile for jobs being sought. Students will also explore whether it’s a good idea to apply for a job through a job posting site, or directly through the prospective company. There will also be discussion surrounding job sites where employees leave reviews about different companies.
I Have an Interview – HELP! – Tuesday, Nov. 2, at 11:15 a.m.
This workshop goes in depth on job interviews from what to wear, to delivering answers on some of the toughest questions interviewers ask. Students will also learn next steps following a prospective job that falls through.
All Things Grad School – Monday, Nov. 15, at 7 p.m.
Students will learn about the application process, any standardized testing that may be required and how to prepare, materials needed and deadlines.
Taube reminds students who are seeking entrance to graduate school or need to have any standardized testing completed to learn more about the testing assistance program at the CCECC.
“There are testing assistance programs up to $250 per student between the CCECC and the Student Success Center for students looking to take standardized tests and licensure tests,” Taube said.
