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Career Services

You can bring a horse to water...

Before my first official day at St. Joe's I was already meeting with the head of our career services area. Since then we have partnered to offer etiquette dinners, found new ways to structure job fairs, and tackle 'dress for success' gaps by filling “Ellen's Closet” with interview-ready clothing. In reaction to a high school teacher identifying interview skills as lacking for her students, I developed Interview360 where we bring in 20-30 real employers each spring to do work with students. They do mock interviews and practice networking skills, but also group work to improve their soft skills. I am on several committees with DOE colleagues to improve career pathways and enhance work-based learning options. One's connections in life are paramount, so I actively curate a list of colleagues in different disciplines, and funnel them into the programs we offer. Some will join our Board of Advisors (BOA), while others will be panelists or guest speakers. Every course I teach involves students interacting with people in the industry, so students are constantly growing their network. This ultimately results in more internships than we can fill, as well as job offers. We use Handshake at SJC, which is a great platform for managing internship and job opportunities.