PROFESSIONAL NETWORKING AND MENTORSHIP

Faculty and staff are professional role models whom students see every day. Whether you actively discuss students’ career development with them or they are able to observe you in action, you provide a rich source of understanding about specific occupations as students explore options. We encourage all faculty and staff to engage students around the concept of professional development. One way to do so is by joining PirateConnect, the exclusive virtual community for Pirates across the globe. Join Career Community groups in your industry areas of interest to share news, articles, tips, opportunities, and other resources with students and alumni and expand your mentoring reach beyond the students in your classes and offices.

ACADEMIC ADVISING

As an advisor helping students create and navigate their academic plans, your conversations will likely range to students’ futures beyond Southwestern. We encourage advisors to explore and share resources on this site (see “Current Students” to the left) and refer students to the Center for Career & Professional Development for help:

• Exploring major and career options (including through self-assessment of personality, interests, and values)
• Building valuable experience through internships (including search strategies, employer contacts, reviewing self-marketing materials, etc.)
• Transitioning confidently to next steps after graduation (including extensive pre-law, pre-health, and other graduate study advising in collaboration with other faculty and staff across campus)

COLLABORATIVE PROGRAMMING

The Center for Career & Professional Development is eager to collaborate with interested faculty and staff to bring speakers to campus or take students to off-campus functions that benefit students’ professional development. For example, you may wish your students to hear from a panel of alumni and other professionals working in a specific industry, or host representatives from graduate programs in a particular discipline. You may be interested in helping your students explore their strengths and interests by incorporating a self-assessment activity into your class. You may want your students to practice articulating their SU experience through the development of resumes, personal statements, or other self-marketing materials. The CCPD can help organize, facilitate, or present on any such topics. In addition, if you will not be available to teach a class, consider inviting us to present on a topic of your choice in your absence rather than canceling class.

STUDENT EMPLOYMENT

On-campus employment is often an early way students engage with the world of work. As supervisors of student employees, faculty and staff provide important professional development experiences for students. Through orientation and training, daily interactions, evaluation processes, and intentional, customized professional development planning, supervisors of student staff can contribute richly to a student’s long-term success.

If you need to hire a student for your department, please visit the “Employers” link to the left for resources to do so.