When Opportunity Knocks, Lynn Students Will Answer The Door
By SETH LOVELY
Staff Writer
After students graduate, it seems as if they suddenly stop in their tracks when employers ask for college graduates with one to two years of experience.
These employers are not kidding and it continues to be a huge problem for graduates. Lynn has taken notice to this issue and has created a way for students to gain the necessary experience for the workforce with great opportunities.
On Nov. 3, the Career Connections Center is hosting their annual internship fair with more than 50 employers attending. Representatives from organizations such as the Miami Heat, The Hilton, ESPN and Zimmerman Advertising and many more will be in attendance.
“Getting an internship is very important,” said Anne Marie Van Casteren, alumna and coordinator for programming and student engagement at Career Connections Center. “It’s great to get your degree, but employers want to see experience. You become more marketable.”
The process of landing an internship is very daunting, but through the Career Connections Center, students are now able to properly prepare.
“Students may be scared to take that initiative and that first step through the door, but as soon as they come in and show us that they are serious about doing this, we will help them from start to finish with building their resume to preparing for the final interview,” said Van Casteren. “We will be there to coach them and help them land a really cool opportunity.”
The Career Connections Center also hosts a mini boot-camp prior to the internship fair, in which, students go through a series of different stations. One being a resume helper, an interview session and even a wardrobe stylist. The Career Connections Center gives students the most valuable information to help get them started in their careers that generally starts with an internship.
With four years of college, students have a lot of opportunities to get involved in internships. Van Casteren touches on the fact that, too often, seniors come into her office looking for internships and jobs right before they graduate. In this case, the Career Connections Center wishes that they could come in their freshman or sophomore years.
By students applying for internships early, they gain an incredible number of knowledge not only through numerous opportunities, but because they get to figure out what they like and dislike before starting a career in their particular field. Perhaps hospitality is what a student likes in the classroom, but when he or she start working in the field, he or she may strongly start to dislike it. By getting a jump start on work experience, students have the opportunity to work through all of their likes and dislikes.
“We are hoping to have 300 students attend the internship fair,” said Van Casteren.
She also believes that the Career Connections Center has hopes for about 350 students to be enrolled in internships throughout this year.
The Career Connections Center is really stressing on how important these internships are and how freshmen should start looking.
In order to attend the internship fair, students must register through the Career Connections Center. When doing so, the student will receive a full list of all of the employers who will be attending.
It is important to know that students should not go into the internship fair blind-folded. Make sure to do some research on the many organizations prior to attending. It should also be noted that business attire is mandatory upon check-in.
