By Danielle Leonard
Career Services and the 1964 Society hosted two collaborative events to help students better prepare for the world after college. Both events gave students the opportunity to sit down with an experienced professional.
At Resume Rx, students could get feedback to fine-tune their resume, while Mock Interview Day allowed students to practice interview skills with rela professionals.
Kurt Steigerwald, a member of the Cleveland State Alumni Board and volunteer resume reviewer, expressed the importance of these skills when applying for jobs.
“I can tell you as somebody who comes across a lot of resumes and has interviewed a lot of different people, not everyone is prepared to go out on an interview,” Steigerwald said.
At Resume Rx, there was a mix of five people throughout the day who volunteered to help students on a first come first serve basis with their resumes. Volunteers ranged from Cleveland State alumni to employers contacted by Career Services.
Alumni Affairs in affiliation with the 1964 Society kept track of the graduates who volunteered at all events.
Jessica Colombi, executive director of Career Services, explained the collaboration of Career Services and the 1964 Society.
“It underscores the partnership that Career Services and Alumni Affairs already have. It’s a natural fit,” Columbi said.
About 130 students showed up for the event. Career Services made sure to have every student fill out an evaluation sheet after the event, so they can tell if the events are helping students. Cleveland State student Aneese Abdallah explained how Resume Rx helped her.
“My resume needed a lot of touching up,” Abdallah said, “I don’t use enough bullet points, I’m using more paragraph form and people don’t have much time to read it.”
Abdallah explained that Resume Rx came at the perfect time, as she was going to Grace Hopper — an IT conference for women — the following week. In addition to Resume Rx, Career Services also hosted Mock Interview Day to help students know how to talk and act in an interview.
“We are working with students now on professional presence coaching,” Colombi said. She elaborated that this includes skills such as making eye contact and talking about yourself in an interview.
Mock Interview Day features 15 employers with students tightly scheduled into 15 minute interview slots. Colombi stated that employers love mock interviews because they get to spend real time with students. Perhaps because of this, Career Services is hosting another Mock Interview Day on Nov. 14.
“It’s important to be able to talk about what you do to an audience that is not familiar, or be able to talk in a way that people understand you,” Colombi said.
She also stressed the importance of developing a network, saying that students should know people everywhere.
Colombi is passionate about helping students reach their potential and shape their futures.
“I want students to understand,” Colombi said, “Who they are and what they’re doing right now is enough, and it will enable you to be successful.”