Resources for Career Decision-Making at Meredith

The Office of Career Planning (OCP) is a resource for Meredith students and alumni available to them starting their freshman year. According to the OCP’s website, students can receive help in “selecting a major, assessing skills and talents, securing internships and participating in mock interviews.”

Students can visit the OCP on the second floor of the Cate Center during business hours to speak with the front desk team or can schedule an appointment through their Handshake account.

According to Dana Sumner, Director of the OCP, students can participate in “personalized career counseling appointments on a variety of topics including job and internship search, interview prep, salary negotiation, resume and cover letter reviews, LinkedIn reviews and more.” Sumner said students also attend employer events like the Career Fair, Mock Interview Week, Employer Resume Blitz, Industry Employer Panels, employer meet-and-greets and information sessions. Students can register for these events through Handshake.

Sumner explained that Handshake “provides students the ability to curate a personalized job and internship search.” She said, “Students have the ability to customize their preferences and career interests on their Handshake profile, meaning the content they see when they log into Handshake is selected just for them.” Sumner recommends using Handshake alongside LinkedIn when job searching and making career related decisions.

The OCP’s MyMeredith page also has a variety of virtual resources for students such as “interactive, self-paced learning modules” and an online copy of the Career Planning Workbook.

Meredith Mentors is another program available to students. This program “serves as a professional networking platform specifically for the Meredith community,” according to Sumner. This resource is available to current students, alumni, faculty and staff who would like to “connect with one another for information-sharing, mentoring and asking career-related questions.”

These resources are available to Meredith students while in school and post-graduation. To contact the OCP, call 919-760-8341 or email career@meredith.edu.

By Maggie Barnhill, Staff Writer