OCR Text |
Show m 5. L aMfci AMPlifying connections Programs and resources helping students network, find jobs Hillary Boccagno Staff Writer I 2 Imagine waking up in the morning and heading over to your dream job. You have an established business network and connections. You are working with someone who already knows the ropes. And you are enrolled as a student at Westminster College. There are several alumni programs in place that are designed to help college students see life beyond classes by introducing them to alumni working in the students field of interest. The Alumni Mentoring Program or AMP and Take a Griffin to Lunch are two of them. Its estimated that 75 percent of people get their s, job from networking, said Michelle assistant director of alumni for Westminster ColBarber-Lyhna-ki- Networking is building relationships something we do every day, according to Barber-Lyhnaki- s. She also explained there is less risk in hiring someone recommended to them, rather than going through an extensive interview process for new employees. The Take a Griffin to Lunch program is a one-timeeting for approximately an hour where a student is matched to a person in the schools alumni bank. We partner 85 percent, said Barber-Lyhnaki- s. The more broad your options are, the better we can match you. This is the second time the school has done the program. In the first round, their goal was 20 pairs. We had 64 go through the process, said Barber-Lyhnaki- s, who considers the high number a huge suc- lege. Linkedln is also a good way to build your online presence for future employers. Recruiters tell me they s. look at Linkedln all the time, said Using her own profile as an example, she had 175 friends on the network and as a result, she is linked to over one million other people. While alumni programs are a good introduction to recommends that life after college, Barber-Lyhnak- is students visit the career center on campus. She said the career center does a great job of helping students write resumes and perform mock interviews. The programs offered at Westminster provide great resources for students preparing for life after college. AMP is developing the whole person, said Barber-Lyhnaki- s. Personal and professional life are not different. By utilizing these programs, students can create networks and connections that will help them in the professional world. Barber-Lyhnaki- Aubrey Hart, sophomore, meets with a mentor who works in nursing. me cess. The next set of applications are due in January. for notifications. Check your Westminster AMP makes it possible for students to meet with alumni for job shadowing, academic advising, and describes networking purposes. Barber-Lyhnak- is AMP as Take A Griffin to Lunch on steroids. The program helps students prepare for life after college before they actually get there. AMP was created in 2004 by the Alumni Board in 2004, and has since grown into a program connecting many different students to alumni working in their field of interest. AMP is composed of two parts. For the first part, a student will meet with a mentor individually for personal guidance. Saturday sessions make up the second part. Saturday sessions feature an alumni speaker who discusses problems and solutions students may encounter in the work force. Aubrey Hart, a sophomore majoring in nursing, is currendy part of AMP. Hart said, For some people, they can see the results and what they need to go through. Hart is currendy paired with the head surgical nurse at Shriners hospital. Hart learned about a project her mentor was doing in Laos. I think it would be fun to go,said Hart. To learn skills to help one man, Joseph Kony, terrorizing 4 countries. It is the longest running conflict on the continent, ,,lr Jt 4 I - t nTftrir r fW -r m and the soldiers are children ail people. I really like AMP, said Hart. Its cool because noryou are in a group of 10 other students that you mally would not have a relationship with. You have to be committed to what you want from yourself, said Hart. Its all for you and youre taking time to find what you want for yourself. Students who want further information about AMP, or who want to sign up, are encouraged to visit the Career Resource Center. An application form can also be found online on the Westminster website. Students are also encouraged to join Westminsters Linkedln page. The schools group is listed as Westminster College Alumni, Students, and Community. Linkedln allows users to search for other members of the group who share similar interests and career paths. By logging on and joining Westminster, you already have a thousand connections, said Barber-Lyhnaki- s. f? tones of War November 1 5 7:30 PM Gore Auditorium j |