Students in Suits: Career Week Spring 2019

Last week, several workshops and seminars were held leading up to the Career Fair. These events give students the tools and information needed to succeed in a professional setting, and it helps with gaining internships to prepare them for the career lifestyle of their choosing.
“We have two career fairs every year, one in the spring and one in the fall,” says Director of Career Services, Tamara Montgomery, in a past interview with Black Enterprise magazine.
Throughout the week, representatives held information sessions at the College of Business, giving advice to first-year students. They then talked to students providing information on how to achieve their many career goals.
On Tuesday, there was an event that was called “Career Advice and a Slice,” which was held by the spokesperson, Laquitta Thomas. This event was opened to all students of Southern University. Representatives from different companies from across the company came to give Southern University students advice on going through an interview process.
Companies such as Blue Cross Blue Shield, The CIA, Teach for Life, University View Academy, and WBRZ, among others, participated in the festivities reviewing students’ resumes and advised on how to improve them. In the event there were twelve stations and at each station, students were given 10 to 12 minutes to simulate interviews and to go over resumes.
Career-orientated events like this one are beneficial to any college student. Delaijah Ferguson, a social work major from Zachary, Louisiana, says that “I learned what to expect once I graduate and that I would need a lot of motivation.”
Employer representatives also gave students an insight into what any future employer will be looking for in an employee, The support serves to calm a students, and alleviate fears of not being able to handle the professional world.
After graduation, there can be a lot of difficulties that would make a person want to give up. However, within these workshops, some of the representatives have experience with those challenges and gave tips on how to work through them.
Southern University student from Zachary, Louisiana, Tori Bonds agrees, commenting, “Even though there will be times when you want to give up, you have to continue to push through.”
Throughout a student’s college career, there will be opportunities for them to gain tools that will help them in the professional world. There are other ways that Southern University students can learn career skills for a professional setting.
Students can schedule an appointment at the Career Service Center, which is located in T.H. Harris Hall in suite 1100. The faculty members are happy and willing to help. There is also the Career Service mobile app which can connect students to different services like Handshake, Big Interview, Interview Stream, and Jobs4Jags — all which help users increase their professional skills. For any additional information, students can go to the Southern University website, www.subr.edu and visit the Career Service Center page.