Hamilton’s Maurice Horowitch Career Center is without doubt one of the most valuable assets on campus for students preparing to make the transition off the Hill and into the “real world,” but sometimes stepping through the doorway and into the third floor of Bristol can be a little intimidating. To address this issue, the Career Center has teamed up with the Days-Massolo Center to offer a collaborative workshop series spread out over the course of the second semester.
The workshops, which range in topic from resume writing to the basics of interviewing, make Career Center services more accessible and allow staff and student mentors to deliver their message to those students who would have otherwise had trouble securing appointments during the Career Center’s busiest time of year. “I'm delighted to be partnering with Days-Massolo on this initiative,” remarked Assistant Vice President of the Career Center Mary Evans, “in order to bring career exploration and development programs beyond the third floor of Bristol and into spaces where our students live and work on a daily basis.”
Although the Days-Massolo Center has been on campus just since 2011, it already boasts a steady stream of students who frequently make use of its services. “The goal of this collaboration was to provide career planning workshops in spaces where students visit often and are comfortable,” said Days-Massolo Center Director Amit Taneja.
This initiative is part of the Career Center’s larger goal to get students involved in the career planning process as early as possible by “meeting them in a physical space where they feel comfortable gathering for conversation about career development,” says Evans. The Career Center is also expanding its services to provide a satellite office in the Burke Library on Monday nights and to deliver its message in unique venues like residence halls and athletic facilities.
Given the success that this workshops series has seen so far, Senior Associate Director of the Career Center Kino Ruth suspects that it will become an annual installment on the hill. Students are encouraged to register for and attend the upcoming Days-Massolo workshops on the Alumni Directory and Networking (Feb 28), Cover Letter Writing (March 6), and The Basics of Interviewing (April 3). For juniors and seniors, the career search process should be pursued like a fifth class, says Ruth, and students should keep in mind that career planning is an ongoing process – putting together a good resume and securing an internship are just two stops along the long the road to career success.
