The UM Career Center, located at 303 Martindale, is hosting its inaugural Career Readiness Week today through Thursday.
The week is comprised of several events, each of which is related to a specific element of job searching.
Wesley F. Dickens, career planning specialist and instructor with the career center, said while the initial aim was to target juniors and seniors, Career Readiness Week hopes to attract students of all grades.
“I think anyone can benefit from it,” he said. “It’s never too early to start thinking about the job search.”
Career Readiness Week events cover such topics as resumé building, professional wardrobe building, searching for jobs and internships, networking events, leadership skills, job interviews and gaining experience while on campus. Representatives from several major corporations will be in attendance to provide expertise and give comments and constructive criticism to students.
Dickens said one of the main problems students face is being prepared to impress potential employers after graduation.
“Some are more prepared than others to know what they need to be doing right now,” Dickens said. “Sometimes you have students come in that think just a college degree is worth a job now, but that’s only one part of it. You have to get some experience in any way possible.”
The timing of Career Readiness Week was selected carefully to coincide with other events to be hosted by the UM Career Center. With two career fairs coming up, one on Oct. 1 for engineering students and an all-majors career fair on Oct. 8, Career Readiness Week was scheduled prior to both in order to allow students time to prepare.
Dickens hopes that in the next few years, the Career Readiness Week will grow and expand into an event that each academic department adopts.
Free food and door prizes will be offered throughout the week, as well as a Career Development package to be raffled after the conclusion of Career Readiness Week.
