Career Development Center helps students prepare for post-graduation

Minnesota State University, Mankato’s Career and Development Center continues to educate, equip, and empower students as they plan and explore future careers while considering how COVID-19 might affect them.

The Career and Development Center’s main goal is to provide resources and guidance for students through individual career planning, hosting career events, jobs and internships and access to online resources. 

One relatively new section on the CDC’s website in tips for finding careers in the virtual world. Under this module are resources such as virtual interviewing 101, tips to impress at a virtual career fair, and a video library with over 7,000 videos discussing a variety of careers which give tips and other valuable strategies to help students achieve their goals. 

“It’s reasonable for candidates who go into a job search and students who are graduating this year to have a realistic expectation and sense that it’s not gonna be the same world pre-pandemic,” says Mandy Weister, associate director for the Career Development Center. “The way you interview will be different and during a pandemic, you might have to stretch your standards. Any position in a full time job will build transferable skills that can help you build onto the next level. Even if it’s not what you hoped your first job would be post-graduation, that job is still very valuable and will show future employers that you’re able to adapt with the current environment.”

Students at MNSU who are looking forward to graduating this spring have an interesting path ahead of them as they navigate the job world during a challenging time. 

Senior Hope Wickert offered this advice.

“Take different types of classes to get a feel of what you’re interested in,” she said. “If you take classes in the major you thought you wanted and didn’t like them, trust your gut and try something new.” 

As far as a post-graduation plan, Wickert says she has a solid plan. 

“Following graduation,” she added, “I plan to work at a school or an institution as a counselor until I get my Ph.D.”

Most of the Career Development Center events have moved online for the duration of this academic year. 

The #Adulting Fair is an online virtual event coming up this Thursday from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. Just like a job fair, this event will have over 100 employers from different occupations that students can talk to and learn from during the group and one-on-one sessions. 

For details about what employers or industries have signed up, you can visit the MNSU website under the Career and Development Center home page as well as register for this event on Handshake. 

Another helpful guide to jobs for students is the Majors in Minutes virtual event, scheduled for April 5. It will showcase upper-class students’ thoughts on why they chose their major and the experiences they’ve had at MNSU. 

Over 50 students have already submitted 2-3 minute clips talking about their journey as more students are predicted to share their stories within the upcoming weeks.