A student can walk into the C.C. Cunningham Career Center as a lost soul and walk out with a new direction and an intended major.
The center offers students of all majors and classifications the opportunity to start the career of their choice on the right foot.
From the FAMU Career Expo to SIGI Plus (a database that aids students in choosing a career), there are many ways for a student to plan their career, learn about their career and start their career after using the resources of the center.
“As a freshman and an education major, my career options were very broad,” said Kay’Shayla Bennett, 20, a junior elementary education student from Miami.
“However, using the career center and its sources has been very helpful in helping me step towards the right direction of my career,” she said.
“I know where I am going and where I want to be.”
Attending a career fair can also get the student on the right track. This year’s Career Expo will be held Tuesday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Tallahassee-Leon County Civic Center.
One of the most important things a student can do to start career planning is to go to the career center, said Delores Dean, the center’s director and adjunct professor.
It is important to meet the counselors and staff and to get acquainted with the books and other resources, like SIGI, that will help guide students to their chosen career.
“The first thing to do is visit the career center,” Dean said. “We offer programs for freshmen, sophomores and students who don’t know their majors.”
“Students need to get involved and get registered so they can secure an internship that upcoming summer and get started,” Dean said.
After students are registered, Dean advises them to prepare for the year’s Career Expo by producing a resume, going to practice interviews and attending workshops sponsored by the center.
She advises students to research companies that interest them.
“Students should first find out what companies are going to be there and learn about them,” Dean said.
“Track the company you want to work for, keep cards and drop e-mails to people.”
Sandra Grabczynski, a consultant for Effective Recruiting Solutions, recommends students first have a good and solid resume.
She says even freshmen should always keep a good resume and continue to add to it throughout their time in school.
“Your resume needs to be about your accomplishments, you need to prove yourself and show them why they should hire you,” she said
Grabczynski also said that appearance is important. Specifically, she said, students should show confidence, be dressed professionally and remember they are selling themselves to the recruiters.