By Kristy Volmert | Staff Writer
All-University Career Day will take place from 12 to 5 p.m. Wednesday at the Mark and Paula Hurd Welcome Center. All students are welcome to come and go and will have the chance to connect with job recruiters.
Students of all majors and years are highly encouraged to attend, Amy Rylander, career center director, said.
Rylander said there will be 100 different employers with a diverse selection of positions. She described Career Day as “a wide variety of employers all in one place looking forward to meeting [our] students,” and that many have solidified full-time jobs from the connections they made at Career Day.
Though most employers look to recruit students in the fall, spring Career Day has just as much to offer.
“This event really is for all students,” Rylander said. “If there’s an employer you want to see, find someone from the Career Center. We work hard to bring the employers you’re looking for.”
She advises any student who desires to speak with a specific company to bring it up to the staff, and they will try to make it happen.
She said that she had a communications major who came in blind and ended up landing a full-time job with Sewell Automotive in sales where she has been working for a while now.
Jalyn Monken, career success professional, serves students in studies such as journalism, communications and English. She received her master’s degree in student affairs administration and higher education from A&M University after earning a bachelor’s in psychology from Baylor.
Monken said Career Day is like “a playground of opportunities” and a perfect way for students to take advantage of the helpful resources that the Career Center provides.
“You don’t need to be a professional walking in,” she said. “You’re learning, you’re exploring, you’re figuring it out. You can have fun with it.”
Rylander said many liberal arts majors or students with majors that aren’t tied to a specific job should know that many employers aren’t looking for a particular major, just a degree.
“Don’t tie your job with your major, because they don’t have to align,” she said. “Companies are looking for a degree. They’re not usually looking for the major.”
Underclassmen, though still beginning their college career, can use Career Day to look ahead and form connections early on. Freshmen have a great opportunity to learn about the job market, Rylander said.
Monken said that the Career Center is very dedicated to the success of students, and that her use of its resources during her own experience at Baylor helped her discover her path.
She said she came into Baylor undecided and felt totally lost at first, so she is grateful for the resources the Career Center offered her.
“The Career Center was the main reason that I even figured out what I even wanted to do,” she said.
According to the Career Center’s 2024 Annual Report, they had a 92% overall success rate and a 99% knowledge rate, meaning almost every single student was known and served by a career professional.
Another feature of Career Day is that many employment recruiters brought in are Baylor alumni. According to Rylander, they won’t bring in employers who do not hire Baylor students, as they want to ensure that recruiters intend to meet students they will hire.
“That can be another fun thing for freshmen and sophomores — to find Baylor alums and connect with them,” she said. “It’s a great networking opportunity. You might not be ready to go with them now, but they might be able to connect you with somebody else.”
Both Rylander and Monken recommend registering for Career Day ahead of time so students go in with a plan and know who to talk to.
“It’s a hard truth — once you’re out of college, opportunities like Career Day do not exist,” Monken said. “Take advantage of it while you can.”
