Jack Hanson
Equinox Staff
Finding a job outside of college is difficult. Interviews and resumes can pose a huge challenge for students, but luckily Academic and Career Advising (ACA) has a solution: hosting Career Clinics throughout the semester.
ACA is constantly packed throughout the year with drop-in hours and appointments. Appointment times are usually one hour, so it’s hard for students to get that one-on-one time with advisors.
It’s also hard for the advisors to try and guide students in everything they need direction on in that one hour.
The career clinics are designed for students to drop in and get help with their resumes, advice on jobs, internships, career goals, graduate schools and job placements based on their degree.
An advisor for ACA Beverly Behrmann thinks that the career clinics make it more convenient for everyone.
“We started to do them because of the nature of the drop in format… it’s a very easy way for students to drop in and get advice without making an appointment,” Behrmann said.
“We just had a career clinic on Monday ,and we had 14 students, so that’s good. Otherwise that would be 14 hours blocked on our calendars.”
While convenience is a huge factor, Behrmann also thinks it’s a great way for students to make connections and get advice from Keene State alumni.
“They get to tell students what they wish they had done when they were a student because they didn’t do it. And now that they are out working in the profession, they realize what they would have done differently. What they should have done as students,” Behrmann said.
Keene State Alumni Morgan Lowe, class of 2015, currently works for Barton Associates, a healthcare staffing company that works with doctors and physicians throughout the country and places them in temporary positions.
Lowe thinks everyone should attend the clinics and has advice for current students.
“It is super important [that] students go to these events. The biggest thing is making sure your resume is up to par. Getting a job after college is competitive,” Lowe said.
“Make sure you are putting everything on there. Internships are great to see on your resume. Even if you can’t get internships, doing something other than school definitely helps to show you are able to go above and beyond instead of just those standard four classes.”
Other than the career clinics, ACA also puts on events for students like graduate school preparation and LinkedIn workshops.
Future fairs are also held almost every semester, where over 150 employers come into the Spaulding Gym for students to have a chance to give out their resume and see what their interests are.
Junior Laura Valastro thinks events like the future fair gives students the chance to see what they can do with their degrees.
“I became more comfortable talking to future employers, and it gave me an opportunity to see what kind of jobs are actually out there… I talked with people who were actually interested in my majors and minors,” Valastro said.
“It opens people’s minds who don’t really know what they want to do, and it gives you a chance to find what sparks your interests.”
Career clinics for the semester are going to be on Feb. 26, March 28 and April 17 in the Rhodes Hall Atrium.
The full schedule for career clinics, workshops, and future fairs this semester can be found on the Academic and Career Advising page on Keene’s officials website.
If you have questions for an alumni or about Barton Associates, Morgan Lowe can be contacted at mlowe@bartonassociates.
Jack Hanson can be contacted at
jhanson@kscequinox.com.
