Career Center: Your One-Stop Shop for Everything You Need to Make a Great First Impression

Imagine walking into your first job interview with complete confidence, the kind that comes from years spent working one-on-one with a career coach.  A coach who not only possesses knowledge but also has tons of connections sounds like a dream, but it’s what the College of Business and Technology’s Career Center at UNK does every day. They do it all to help make dreams come true for their students. In fact, their office is always open for students to set up appointments for one-on-one assistance.

It’s easy to spend your college years focused on what’s required from you on a daily basis, but it’s important to understand that it takes more than just classes to prepare you for your future career. When you consider that your career choice will dictate how you spend your future time, it makes sense to prepare early and prepare well. A visit to the CBT Career Center is a one-stop shop for everything you need to prepare for and obtain a successful career.

It all starts during your freshman year, but it certainly doesn’t stop there. The classes taught by the CBT Career Center, required for those enrolled in the business program, are designed to assist students with the transition from high school to college as well as the transition from college to career. Dustin Favinger, CBT Career Center Director, states that “it’s a transformation; it’s not a transaction” when sharing the details concerning the preparation needed to transition from a college student to someone who has a successful career. The first step to complete this transformation involves a visit to the CBT Career Center to get this relationship between students and the company that will eventually hire them started.

Although the CBT Career Center has an excellent website to assist students with everything from how to acquire business attire to information about job openings, the best help isn’t always found online. Don’t settle for good when you can have what’s best, and the best choice you can make for your future career starts with a relationship with the people who know which tools to use to help make your career dreams come true. The CBT Career Center’s mission involves an individualized approach to student support while also acting as a go-between for the numerous employers they have spent years developing a relationship with.

Brenda Jochum, a certified Gallup Strengths Coach who serves as Associate Director of the CBT Career Center, understands that students need to use an assessment tool to determine their top five individual strengths before deciding on a career path. Through individualized coaching, students can progress from learning their personal strengths to training for internships. Jochum, as well as everyone else in the CBT Career Center, is available to teach you how to network, how to communicate professionally, and how to prepare for everything from giving a firm handshake to writing an impressive resume.

 Through the internship program the center has developed, which is closely aligned with UNK’s experiential learning and career planning philosophy, students have the opportunity to learn how to find and land the job they’re most interested in. The six-step internship process is designed to help you feel prepared before you ever set foot on a job site. Companies who participate in the internship program state that they appreciate the work completed by UNK students because the excellence practiced on campus carries over into the workplace.

According to Tyler Clay, a national recruiter for clothing company Buckle, he often reminds UNK graduates that he already knows they’re prepared by the time they’re hired. He states that these graduates are “a critical piece of our corporate hiring.” He credits UNK for helping Buckle succeed, sharing that it “starts with the university and their feedback and openness to curriculum updates.”

Bailee Knott, recruitment specialist for GiX Logistics, represents another of the many companies that are part of the employer partner program established by the CBT Career Center. She explains the benefit of hiring UNK graduates starts with “our availability and our access to these students.” Sharing that “what keeps us coming back to UNK” is the “high caliber of students,” she credits the connection between the CBT Career Center and professors across all departments as the reason they have been reaching out to UNK for their hiring needs for several years.

In addition to assistance with internships, one of the best resources co-offered by the CBT Career Center is the Career Fair. This year it’s scheduled for October 13^th. It’s the perfect opportunity to observe the relationship between area companies and the staff of UNK. As Brenda Jochum explains, the CBT Career Center helps students prepare in advance by the way they start “with the career fair and work backwards to make sure that they’re prepared.” Through close contact with professors who help facilitate class presentations as well as serving as a liaison to assist companies who are looking for part-time employees in the form of internships, they work behind the scenes to prepare students to work with future employers.

At the Career Fair, there will be companies in the building available to discuss career opportunities with students. Thanks to the hard work of the CBT Career Center and their impressive number of contacts, it will be possible for students to spend the day successfully networking for their future.

Accomplishing your career goals starts with a visit to UNK’s College of Business and Technology’s Career Center. Take advantage of their focus on coaching, mentoring, and connecting you with their Career Center Partners as they share with you the services that are waiting for anyone who simply walks through their door. With their help, you’ll be prepared for much more than just October’s Career Fair, you’ll be prepared for the rest of your life.