Video by Morgan Kilgo | Broadcast Reporter and story by Seth Jones | Reporter
As students settle into the fall semester, staff members at the Career and Professional Development Center aim to show students as well as alumni the center is not just for students but professionals as well.
The center offers mock interviews, career fairs, internships and professionals to talk with students about what the future holds.
While current Baylor students may know about the services offered to them through Career and Professional Development, Jarrod Mathis, programming specialist for alumni engagement for the center, said he sees that many current and former students are unaware that the center offers all of its services to former students as well.
“One of the little-known facts about Career Professional Development is that all the services are available to Baylor alums,” Mathis said. “Your life as an alum is much longer than your life as a student.”
Mathis said it is important for students to know about these opportunities and know that they have help if they need it.
“We want people to know that being a part of the Baylor family means that you also have the care and support of the Baylor family,” Mathis said.
That care and support extends to many different opportunities for students to get real-world experience. Ryan Meredith, assistant director of peer outreach and internships for the center, stressed the importance of internships along with other services offered on campus.
“A young professional doesn’t have to wait until they graduate to get real-world, experiential learning underneath their belt,” Meredith said. “[Internships are] really now the only way to differentiate yourself between you and probably 50 other people that are going after that very competitive spot.”
HireABear Career Fairs are another way that students can interact with recruiters and learn more about future opportunities.
“These are real-life recruiters from Fortune 500 companies all the way down to startups,” Meredith said. “These are recruiters that have paid to get on campus to hire Baylor students.”
While there are students who are looking to land a career immediately after they graduate, others are busy planning for graduate school. Amy Ames, assistant director of professional development for the center, said she recognizes that graduate school requires an immense amount of preparation.
“We help with graduate school planning,” Ames said. “I think that’s a little known fact.”
Ames said that she sees students all the time who don’t realize the Career and Professional Development Center can help them plan for graduate school, medical school or law school.
The HireABear Career Fair will take place today from 12:30 – 4:30 p.m. at Waco Convention Center.
Connect with the CPD Center online through their Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, or Pinterest by searching “@BaylorHireABear.”
