VWC's Career Services staff (from left):
Deborah Hicks, Leslie Hines and Karen
Halman. Not pictured: Lisa Fentress
By Deborah Hicks, Director of Career Services
"I can't decide on a major."
"How can I gain experience in the field of...?"
"What is involved in applying to graduate school?"
"Can you help me get ready for a job interview?"
"I've been in this job since I graduated. I want to explore other options."
"My company in interested in hiring your students."
"I want Career Services to teach resume writing in my class."
These are just a few of the requests and questions that the Office of Career Services receives from students, faculty, graduates, and employers on a daily basis.
Working with four different populations can be both challenging and rewarding. But the Career Services staff is committed to the primary task at hand--helping students and graduates make informed choices, gain job search skills and locate meaningful career opportunities.
Historical Perspective
While the mission of Career Services has changed very little over time at Virginia Wesleyan, both the resources and delivery of services have matured immensely. Until the early 1980's, career-related activities were assumed by the dean of students and then a career counselor on a part-time basis. By 1985, the office had evolved into a separate entity, staffed by a ten-month career counselor and part-time secretary, housed in a suite shared with the College chaplain.
Today, Career Services consists of four full-time staff members with its own office suite. It is home to an extensive resource library, technological capabilities, mock interview space and private interviewing offices for on-campus recruiters.
Services
Virginia Wesleyan differs from larger institutions in its strong emphasis on personalized attention. Among the long-standing services provided are career counseling and traditional job search workshops. Employers visit campus as part of the annual job fair and for recruiting interviews and presentations. As student needs have been identified and resources have expanded, programs have been added to include business and social etiquette seminars, "Life After Wesleyan" presentations held throughout the year for graduating seniors, and workshops on using technology in the job search.
With approximately 25% of each graduation class pursuing advanced education directly after leaving Virginia Wesleyan, individual and group advising is also provided on graduate school application procedures and testing requirements.
Experiential Learning
The evolvement of experiential learning has been an important part of Virginia Wesleyan's history. Since the early days of the College, academic departments such as education, health and human services and recreation and leisure studies have required students to integrate what they have learned in the classroom into the real world. Those practical applications have taken the form of student teaching, practicums and internships as culminating experiences, usually during the final semesters in college. With growth and maturity, and an economy that rises and falls, the need for every student to gain relevant experience while in college has been more fully realized. Increasingly, disciplines throughout the liberal arts have designed internship options. It is gratifying to see a history intern make the connection between what he has learned in the classroom while examining funding sources for a local museum.
Career Services has consulted with numerous academic departments as they have developed internship components. Eighteen academic majors at Virginia Wesleyan currently offer credit-bearing internships/ practicums. The office serves as a resource for current openings, and trains individual students and classes in the fundamentals of conducting an internship search. As the popularity of internships continues to grow, Career Services often receives requests from students who also want to participate in internships outside of the parameters of their major.
In January, 1997, Career Services introduced another experiential learning program to the VWC community--the Student-Employer Externship. Modeled after a longstanding and successful program at The University of Virginia, it gives underclass students the opportunity to shadow a professional in a career field of interest. Each student spends a minimum of 25 hours with a seasoned professional working in a job that she may want to pursue after college. Students may observe job functions in a bank, veterinary clinic, television station, hospital emergency room, legal department, research lab, local law enforcement agency or advertising firm. From this brief experience students gain realistic information regarding the tasks and requirements of the job, increased focus on, and enthusiasm for, an academic major, and networking contacts for potential internships or jobs.
The success of externships led to its integration into the PORTfolio program in 1998. PORTfolio is a four-year experience which combines off-campus learning with liberal arts seminars to help students make informed career decisions and prepare them for early entry into a meaningful career. Career Services coordinates site development, student training and placement for both the general student population and PORTfolio.
The Future
The focus on experiential learning will continue to intensify. Technology will continue to play a vital role in the job search process. Virtual interviewing capabilities will allow students to sit in a private space with a computer, modem and camera and discuss job qualifications with prospective employers anywhere in the world. For recruiters who are reluctant to spend a day on campus, this is a cost-effective way to talk with qualified individuals. The development of a resume data bank for employers which can be sorted by hiring needs will make the selection of potential qualified applicants more efficient. And, as the mode for marketing qualifications and interests to prospective employers continues to become more technological, Career Services plans to provide more intensive instruction on the use and value of electronic portfolios in the job search and graduate school admission process.