By Wallace Savoy ‘24, MBA ‘25
October is a significant month here at Thomas College when preparing students for their careers is of high importance. Recently, Thomas’s Professional and Career Development Team joined together with other faculty at the College to set up career activities throughout the month of October, including Career Readiness Week and the Career Fair. These workshops were available to students to get first-hand experience communicating with employers and professionals, understanding the networking process, managing a profile on LinkedIn, and further learning how to build careers. The workshops were a great resource for the students at Thomas College to feel more confident and ready for their careers.
The Professional & Career Development staff at Thomas seemed to be very pleased with the outcomes of these events. Kiara Goggin, Associate Director of Professional and Career Development, expressed that there was a lot of growth with activities such as the Career Fair, which had 35 employers and 80 students attending the event.
“These events also can get students internships which are important,” Goggin said. “This can help students get hands-on-experience before they graduate, but also help them figure out what are interested in.” She also added the possibility of more employers and students participating in the Career Fair and Career Readiness Week in the following academic years to come.
Suheir Alaskari, the new Professional and Career Development Director at Thomas, also shared her thoughts on how PCD and the Career Fair help students to get ready for their career. PCD’s goal is to prepare students for the next step in their lives, which is career readiness after college. “We coach and train them on how to land their best opportunity after graduation,” she said. “Starting early is really important learning networking skills, building resumes, LinkedIn accounts, cover letters and knowing more about their field.” She also expressed how the PCD team can help students get connected with local employers and businesses to get students prepared for their careers.
“Thomas students are really special,” Alaskari stated. “They are willing to be hard workers and our faculty and staff standing shoulder-by-shoulder to prepare our students for the after-graduation life.” Suheir also expressed lots of encouragement about the Career fair as well. The students showed exceptional readiness to talk to the employers and build strong networking skills and information about the jobs in Kennebec County. However, also being ready for more achievements from future Career Fairs at Thomas are in the works.
With the Career Fair and our dedicated students, Professional and Career Development is looking forward to working with students to build resumes, portfolios, cover letters, practice interviews and more. Professional and Career Development staff are excited to work with students at Thomas to better them for successful careers.