Bryan Jarboe -- Students can visit CBU’s Career Services website to search for job opening on campus.
The Career Services Center offers a surplus of resources and tools to students who seek employment opportunities during school.
Career Services operates on faith-based principles upheld by the university. Their mission statement comes from Jeremiah 29:11, which says, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not calamity, to give you a future and a hope.”
“We want to equip students to exceed expectations,” Kushi Jones, director, said.
Career Services begins the process by helping students identify their strengths, skills and talents. This evaluation helps identify where they are and what they want to do.
“The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet,” Jones cites from Frederick Buechner’s “Wishful Thinking.”
While some on-campus student worker positions do not require a resume right away, many off-campus opportunities and internships do. One of the tools Career Services recommends for resume building is OptimalResume.com.
Networking plays a crucial part in identifying job opportunities when students are in school and after they graduate. LinkedIn is a powerful online networking tool for professionals to connect, share their resumes and post and search for job opportunities.
“It is my belief that networking is the primary way students are getting jobs upon graduation,” Liz Jorden, assistant director, said.
An internship is an excellent way to create networking opportunities and to build “transferable job skills.” Jorden believes the company with whom students intern is not as important as the transferable job skills they learn during the internship, which can be taken into any future work environment.
“Internships are vitally important to equip you with all of the practical job tools … it is the perfect culmination of experience before graduating,” Jorden said.
Students interested in internships for academic credit are encouraged to seek out the internship they desire on their own. Once they find one, they can schedule an appointment with Jorden or visit the Career Services Center during walk-in hours, which are 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays, and 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. on Thursdays.
“Liz Jorden has absolutely transformed our internship program. She has done a phenomenal job,” Jones said.
Many students wonder where they can begin their search for jobs and internships. They can register for an online job board through the Career Services website, where there are postings for on and off-campus job opportunities and internships.
While Career Services has a number of resources available to students, the office’s role is to empower students to take charge of their own professional development.
Career Services encourages students to attend the job fair events hosted on campus, which receive great turnouts of impressive students, but Jorden and Jones would love to see more students take advantage of these opportunities.
There are a number of career services events remaining this semester, which include:
February 22 – Teacher Career Fair (Must be intern eligible or credentialed). 3-6 p.m. in the Copenbarger Dining Room.
March 5 – Resume workshop
March 6 – Interview skills workshop
March 21 – Etiquette dinner. 5:30- 8 p.m in the Copenbarger Dining Room. Reservations are required. This event costs $5 for traditional students and $25 for graduate and OPS students. Contact careersvsc1@calbaptist.edu for more information.
March 28 – “Afternoon with Industry” for business and communication studies majors. 3:00–5:00 p.m. in the Copenbarger Dining Room.
April 9 – School of Nursing career fair. 11:30–1:30 p.m. in the Copenbarger Dining Room.
The career services website is located at www.calbaptist.edu/career
