Career Day 2017 Brings Mississippi College Students and Employers Together

Clinton Public School District Assistant Superintendent Tim Martin and Public Information Officer Sandi Beason share information at MC Career Day with job seekers.

Mississippi College remains a prime recruiting target for Clinton Public School District leaders.

It’s smart because 62 percent of the Clinton teachers, administrators and staff earned their degrees at MC.

“That’s phenomenal,” Assistant Superintendent Tim Martin said as he welcomed prospective educators at the university’s 2017 Career Day on February 14. “And many have multiple degrees.”

Dr. Martin proudly notes he’s among them. He received his bachelor’s, master’s degree and doctorate all at Mississippi College in Clinton.

For four hours Tuesday, Martin joined district public relations director Sandi Beason to share information about one of Mississippi’s premier school districts. They fielded loads of questions, and sized up scores of future educators.

It was the same across Anderson Hall as school district leaders, government officials, and recruiters from banks, the media and accounting firms evaluated hundreds of students.

There were 76 employers staffing rows of tables as a parade of job seekers stopped by.

“There are a lot of opportunities,” said Michael Goodson, 36, a history graduate student checking on next fall’s openings at the Clinton district booth. He found it convenient to meet with employers under one roof.

The MC Career Services Office sponsored the annual event, and leaders felt good about this year’s edition on the Clinton campus.

“The student and employer turnout was positive, and the atmosphere was good,” said Career Services director Jim Miller.

While recruiters from DeSoto County, Jackson, Madison County, Pearl, Rankin County and other districts were pleased so were representatives from the business and government sectors.

“MC has some of the best accounting students in the area,” said Lauren Dendy, a BKD recruiter. “You can always count on MC,” she said.

Students were told to consider the more than 42,000 jobs in the Magnolia State by examining websites or visiting nearby Win Job Centers, says Clayton Smith of the Mississippi Department of Employment Security.

Having such a wide variety of employers “is very good for students,” said Monique Gilmore, public relations director for the McComb Public School District. “I love the diversity here. We met with several international students.”

MC professors, including nursing, business, education and the Communication Department, made the rounds at Anderson Hall. So did President Lee Royce.

Hunting for a new job can be a time-consuming process that requires a great deal of persistence. The Mississippi College Career Day is just one step along the way. “Finding a job is a full-time job,” Martin advised one of the students.

The MC event coincided with Valentine’s Day, and there were plenty of sweets displayed on the tables. Madison County schools recruiters seldom miss it. “We’ve placed a lot of MC student teachers, interns and secured their employment in the Madison schools,” said human resources director Shay Williamson.

“This was a well-organized event,” added Williamson, a graduate of Mississippi College.