Landmark College’s Office of Career Connections devised the Employment Readiness Experience (ERE) with the “new to the workforce” student in mind, providing building blocks that get students one step closer to landing an internship or job after graduation.
During January term and Summer sessions, ERE students are assigned to work in an on-campus department, where they apply lessons learned in the classroom focused on communication, professional skills and career exploration.
Summer 2020 was a smaller than usual group due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the five students all said during their final presentations that they acquired valuable experience and confidence from their participation.
For Martha Meigs, the job in the campus bookstore enabled her to see what it was like to multi-task in a customer service environment where interruptions are frequent. Her duties included creating marketing displays, which appealed to her creative side.
Meanwhile, Katherine Hoder found value in the application process, including making a resume and cover letter. She also got a taste of the remote work life, as space constraints within the Office of Institutional Advancement prevented her from being able to physically work in the department to which she was assigned.
Chloe Rogers’ assignment in Career Connections familiarized her with a variety of computer applications, including working with Excel spreadsheets, but her main takeaway was about what it took to get ahead in that type of work environment.
“When you’re in an office your supervisor isn’t always going to be there to give you work. So you have to take initiative and think about other things that you’re working on,” said Chloe. “You might be able to start brainstorming other things you need to do, or improve on things you’ve already done without any prompting.”
Maddie Tice admitted that the idea of going to work in an office was something that made her nervous. Her time in the Health Services department helped her feel less overwhelmed, she said.
Sophia Spraggins was given wide latitude by Student Affairs to pursue tasks that suited her interests. She made the most of that opportunity by combining lessons she learned in a global literacy class with her passion for WLMC – Landmark College Radio, and created a series of Public Service Announcements dedicated to digital privacy and protection.
“This helped me be prepared to be the best dedicated person that I can be for future employment and that it takes work to this successful,” Sophia said about her ERE takeaways.
To learn more about the ERE, make an appointment with the Career Connections Office.