Career Week Activities Help MC Students Gain Valuable Insight into Current Job Market

MC students can get valuable career advice and meet face-to-face with potential employers and graduate and professional school recruiters during Career Week activities.

Dozens of Mississippi College students and recent MC grads will have the opportunity to polish up their resumes, get professional advice on appropriate business attire, and practice their interviewing skills during Career Week 2022, scheduled from March 1-9 on the Christian University’s Clinton campus.

The weeklong event culminates in a pair of Career Day events – one for all disciplines and one for the School of Education – where MC students will come face-to-face with representatives from regional companies interested in finding smart, accomplished applicants for internships and jobs, and graduate and professional school recruiters seeking to connect with students about the advanced educational programs that are available.

According to Taylor Ormon, director of career services at MC, the various Career Week activities are a series of fun events designed to help MC students and graduates feel prepared and confident to participate in the current job market.

“It gives students an opportunity to become educated about a diverse group of jobs,” Orman said. “They will be able to meet with employers, make professional connections, and hopefully have the opportunity for internships or full-time positions that can launch their careers.

“It’s also great for employers to share with the students about their workplace, culture, available opportunities, and how to be successful at their company.”

Ormon said more than a dozen prospective employers have signed up to participate, representing such diverse industries as health care, business, banking, communications, and education. Representatives from several graduate, professional, and law schools will be on hand as well to provide information for students interested in furthering their academic foundations.

Some of the businesses who will send representatives to Career Day include Community Bank, Regions Bank, BankPlus, Southern Farm Bureau Life Insurance Company, the Federal Bureau of Investigations, the University of Mississippi Medical Center, Region 8 Mental Health Services, and the NeuroMedical Center of Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Representatives from most academic departments at MC that offer graduate degrees, MC Law, several seminaries, and Jackson State University – among other schools with professional programs – will also be on hand to provide information to students.

Ormon said all MC students are welcome to participate in the Career Week activities and to speak with the various recruiters.

“Whether they’re freshmen or seniors, students need to be thinking about their futures and gaining experience while they are still in school,” Ormon said. “They need to develop concrete resume and networking skills that will ultimately lead them to lifelong careers that they will enjoy and find fulfilling.”

Hannah Lopez, a senior psychology student from Olive Branch, attended Career Day at MC last year and credits the skills she developed in school for helping her land an internship at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital last semester.

“I was really looking for an internship and to further my connections, and thought Career Day was a good opportunity,” said Lopez, a peer mentor in Career Services. “I wanted to go and talk with some employers and learn more about what they have to offer. It got me interested in working with nonprofits.”

Her experience attending Career Day helped Lopez make a career-defining decision.

“The earlier you start participating in Career Day, the better,” she said. “It’s never too early to make connections. In getting that internship, I’ve learned the earlier you can get comfortable talking with employers and seeing what they do, it helps to decide what you actually want to do.

“After my experience, now I know I want to work for a university, so I’ll be attending the Education Career Day.”

The Career Week activities begin with “Breakfast, Bingo, and BCI” at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, March 1, in Self Hall. Sponsored by Business Communications, Inc. in Ridgeland, the event will offer a “road map” to navigate Career Day. Attendees will snack on tasty complimentary waffles from Waffle House restaurants while learning what companies like BCI are looking for in job applicants.

“They will tell the students how they can stand out at Career Day, how they should dress, and how to give a short ‘elevator pitch,’” Ormon said. “We’ll have a video after the presentation, play Bingo, and have giveaways and prizes.”

On Thursday, March 3, “What Not to Wear” will feature professional wardrobe tips and a fashion show at noon in the Quad. Students will sit at tables with employer representatives, field an interview question, receive feedback on their response, and move to the next table.

“It’s almost like speed dating, but it’s speed interviewing,” Ormon said. “During an intermission, we’ll have a runway in the middle of the Quad to show what students should and shouldn’t wear to Career Day.”

Graduate and Professional Studies will join in the act on Friday, March 4, with “Getting into Grad School is a Cake Walk” from 2-4 p.m. in the Quad. During the event, students will have a chance to win a “bundlet” from Nothing Bundt Cakes while learning about how to get into graduate and professional schools.

Two events highlight “Career Day Eve” on Monday, March 7: “Coffee and Critiques” from 8:30-10:30 a.m. will offer fresh java from a Rolling Beans truck on Pedestrian Walkway while participating students have their resumes reviewed by professionals.

Then, in what has become a tradition for Career Week, a literal “Race to Career Day” one-mile fun run will begin in front of Nelson Hall at 5 p.m. Runners clad in “business professional” attire on top and athletic gear on bottom will race through the campus for snacks and prizes, including a Lulu Lemon or a Fleet Feet gift card. Special MC socks will be available to all participants.

“We’re partnering with the Office of Student Experience in this event, so we can help more students learn about Career Day and answer any questions they might have before the big day,” Ormon said.

The “big day,” of course, is Career Day itself. The main event is from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Tuesday, March 8, in Anderson Hall in the B.C. Rogers Student Center. Education Career Day is scheduled from 2-5 p.m. on Wednesday, March 9, in Anderson Hall.

The Ann Taylor Loft in the Renaissance at Colony Park in Ridgeland is contributing to Career Day by offering MC students an extra reduction on top of their usual 40 percent MC student discount on March 2 purchases only.

"It will be a great opportunity for students to begin to build their professional wardrobes,” Ormon said.

To register for Career Day or for more information, students can visit MC-csm.symplicity.com/events/CD2022, visit their respective Symplicity Account, visit mc.edu/career, or call Career Services at 601.925.3901.