Center for Calling and Career hosts Career Development Week

The Center for Calling and Career (CCC) will host its first ever Career Development Week from November 13 to November 17. This week will feature events and workshops to help prepare students for career opportunities and life after college.

“Career Development Week is a set apart time to focus on the skills and opportunities to help students grow professionally now for their current jobs, or things that they may be involved in, and then also to really prepare them for success in the future with their careers,” said Mallory Smolen, the Career Services Coordinator for the Center for Calling and Career.

The CCC will kick off Career Development Week on Monday, November 13 with “Expo-Prep: Resume and Marketplace Drop-In” from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Paul Conn Student Union (PCSU) in room 103. Students are allowed to drop in at any time to work on polishing up their resumes and find a free professional outfit at the Marketplace. “This piece of paper represents someone’s history, their story, and their aspiration for the future and [we help] them craft that in such a way that it presents who they are well and help them get where they want to go…,” said Kristin Pope, Director for the Center for Career and Calling.

On Tuesday, November 14, the School of Business will be having a “Professional Etiquette Panel” from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. in room 232. According to Pope, the panel will discuss “the unspoken rules and etiquette” surrounding the professional world.

The Career and Internship Expo will be held in the SMC Great Room from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Wednesday, November 15. The expo will feature a variety of companies looking to hire students for jobs and internships. Students are encouraged to dress professionally with a printed resume and interact with companies they may be interested in working for. “The Expo will have part-time jobs, full-time jobs, [and] internship opportunities,” said Pope, “There’s sort of something for everyone.” Free professional headshots will also be available for students at the event.

On Thursday, November 16, the CCC will host an online workshop on Microsoft Teams on the subject of interviewing from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. The workshop seeks to inform students on necessary and beneficial interview skills to help them be more successful and prepared when it comes to the interviewing process.

Career Development Week will wrap up on Friday, November 17 with a Core Skills Workshop on career and self development in the Humanities Building room 203 from 12:20 p.m. to 1:10 p.m. “It’s just one of these skills that employers are looking for so part of our intent in offering this is to not only help students build those skills now, but to know that they’re important,” said Pope.

The CCC encourages all students, lower or upperclassman to engage in this week’s activities. Smolen commented that Career Development Week is not specifically feared towards upperclassman, and believes that lowerclassman who engage with career development will be getting “a head start on things career development wise.”

“I think what’s really helpful for students is that the things that they learn now…apply to their careers in the future,” said Smolen.

The CCC hopes that this week will benefit students by helping them feel more prepared and confident when it comes to career development and life beyond college. Pope’s wish is that these events will expose students to the numerous opportunities that are out there and help students build professional skills and confidence.

Beyond this week, the CCC seeks to “provide resources for career exploration and preparation,” according to their website. The Center focuses on the ideas of explore, prepare, and connect to help students during their time at Lee. To learn more about the CCC, visit https://www.leeuniversity.edu/calling-career or email ccc@leeuniversity.edu. Follow their Instagram page for updates @leeucareer.