At first glance, it looked like nothing more than a roomful of students tapping away on their laptops. But for Warsaw Sports Business Club members participating in a recent pilot of the Lundquist College's new virtual networking tool, it was an opportunity to forge connections with young alumni who had already gained a foothold in a sought-after field.
“Everyone went here. Everyone was in the Warsaw Sports Business Club. Nobody has been out more than five years," said club advisor Whitney Wagoner.
Current club members linked up for online chats with graduates working at a range of high-profile organizations, including American Express, Nike, and the Seattle Sounders.
“For this pilot, we wanted to bring students together in a single room so we could watch the networking happen in real time," said Career Services director Jane Evarian. At future events, students will be able to log in from wherever they happen to be at the moment.
The new virtual networking service is just one of the ways the Lundquist Career Services office is working to accommodate the 24/7 lifestyles of today's undergraduates.
Job Search Saturdays are another endeavor. Inspired by the amount of activity she saw in the Lillis Business Complex on weekends, Evarian came up with the idea of offering career counseling sessions on some Saturday mornings from 11:00 a.m. through 12:40 p.m.
“During the week, students are busy with classes. With weekend drop-in sessions, they have a chance to connect with us at a less hectic time," said Evarian.
And the innovations don't stop there. This summer, Career Services will soft launch of a suite of e-advising tools. Students will be able to get instructions on designing and building resumes, cover letters, and interest letters at any time of the day (or night). They will also receive feedback on these documents through an online review center.
“We know students are often nocturnal and sometimes they want to write their resumes at 2:00 a.m.," said Evarian. “We want to be sure that our office will be there for them—no matter what time it is."
Will traditional sit-down career advising appointments continue to be available? Absolutely.
“Face-to-face sessions will never go away," said Evarian. “But with these new avenues we'll be able to reach even more students in ways that mesh with how they really live."