By: Chloe Gamber, Head Academic Writer
Hopefully most, if not all, students who are reading this have visited Career Services. If you have not, you need to do so as soon as possible! Both Director of Career Services Jennifer Pickerll and Assistant Director of Career Services Katie Schuetz are very passionate about helping every student. They both recommend that students not wait until junior year to get involved in career services for many reasons. First of all, around 80% of students change their major at least once. This occurrence is not necessarily bad if these students end up having a career they enjoy. But, getting guidance from Career Services about your interests and needs for your future career can help make this process easier. Katie explained how planning takes multiple steps and that looking for opportunities early is just the start. Jennifer can emphasize how many employers are looking for interns as soon as October to fill summer term positions.
Other steps are continuous throughout your career. Katie explained, “Managing your career is something you have to maintain.” This means that after applying yourself to your career, you must continue to take steps to grow through your career and identify how to be involved.
Thankfully, students have time to prepare for this management process. A major way to help prepare involves networking. Another statistic Jennifer shared with me was that around 70% of job opportunities are through networking and are not posted online. Learning how to network can be rough, but Career Services is here to help. They plan to host a Career Conference in March which is a new event for most students, although it had occurred prior to Covid-19. I asked how the Conference differs from the Career Fair, and it is worth going to both events to reap different benefits. The Career Conference involves mock interview practice, guest speakers and overall advice about different career paths. This differs from a career fair because students are directly speaking with employers and alumni who are there to give guidance rather than showcase a company or organization. This is also a great start to networking by communicating with those who are giving advice.
Another well-known way to network is through business social media platforms. A popular one is LinkedIn, both Jennifer and Katie help students reach out to alumni via LinkedIn frequently.
Something that may come as a surprise for many is that Career Services is here for you for life! Jennifer and Katie will always be great sources after graduation, and they have growing alumni come back each year. They offer some more surprising services such as Bogey’s Career Closet. In fact, Katie is very skilled with sewing and could be considered a great tailor. Katie shared with me that she even made a wedding dress! So, if you are unsure of your size or where to start with your professional fashion choice, Katie is here to guide you!
Katie was once asked what her hopes and dreams are by a student because they thought she was a new student moving on campus. Her response was that she is fulfilled by her four children, husband and Australian Shepherd named Elroy. Katie enjoys time with her family, and she would not have met her husband if they were not in the same UNI class at McKendree! Katie went on to work for seven years in corporate benefits and talent acquisition. She later decided to look for other options, and she met Jennifer and found out they had a mutual friend who told Jennifer about Katie’s talent for the position. Katie has now been with McKendree for four years.
McKendree has a very unique atmosphere where many can meet lifelong relationships. This is a part of why Jennifer decided to join McKendree twenty-three years ago. She has seen many changes throughout the years at McKendree, but one thing that has stayed the same is that Career Services remained in Clark! Jennifer was one of the lucky students who knew her passion and hopped right into her career at McKendree as soon as she graduated. She enjoyed a blend of organization and business communications that her degree involved. Jennifer has two kids, and both her and her husband coach their soccer team. Jennifer also loves hiking and has great recommendations for Mexican restaurants. Jennifer truly enjoys the communication with students and hopes everyone will stop by more often!
They also have two student workers: Karlie Vogt and Marisa Ortega.
Karlie has been a student worker for Career Services for three semesters now. When asked what Karlie enjoys the most about working for Career Services, she said she enjoys graduate surveys along with seeing where students go after they graduate. Karlie also likes helping with Bogey’s Career Closet.
This is Marisa’s first semester working for Career Services and she enjoys her time in the office. When asked what Marisa enjoy most about working for Career Services, she said that she enjoys making the Gotta Go Gazette cause it allows her to put her creativity skills to the test along with helping students be in the know of upcoming events that can help them in their future. Marisa also likes helping with Bogey’s Career Closet and making sure students find the right outfit they need for the event or interview they are attending.
