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TCU 360

TCU 360

All TCU. All the time.

TCU 360

Students discuss religious topics in a small group. (Photo courtesy of tcuwesley.org)
Wednesday nights at TCU’s Methodist campus ministry provide religious exploration and fellowship
By Boots Giblin, Staff Writer
Published Mar 27, 2024
Students at the Wesley said they found community on Wednesday nights.

Seniors attend Senior Career Conference to prepare for graduation

For senior finance and economics double major Leonardo van Beek, graduating in May will be a terrifying free fall into today’s challenging job market.

“It’s definitely a weird feeling,” van Beek said. “I think of it this way: I have been comfortably walking through a diving board throughout my college career and suddenly I am approaching the end and I have to dive…into the real world.”

Attending career fairs and conferences organized by TCU Career Services is one way graduating seniors can prepare for the plummet, van Beek said.

“All of this advice is a one shot that they gave us,” he said. “Although there are many events during the calendar year, each one is targeted for specific sectors, and this advice for us as we are about to dive into the world is great.”

Seniors were taught tips to gain a competitive edge over other applicants when applying for jobs during this year’s Senior Career Conference held Saturday, Jan. 28,  Susan Nethery, director of Student Affairs Marketing and organizer of the conference, said.

Interviewing techniques, resume and cover letter writing, salary negotiations and tips on networking were some topics covered during the all-day event.

Four national speakers came to speak at the conference this year, Nethery said. This was the first time in its 17-year history that national speakers were brought in for the Senior Career Conference.

Jenny Foss, resume writer and founder of blog JobJenny.com said job hunting today has become increasingly reliant on using networking techniques through social media.

Since the use of social media in a job search is a new concept for students, Foss said her main tip to students would be to have courage.

“Realize that the people on the receiving end of your request or your attempts to build rapport, they are all just people too,” she said. “We tend to get fearful when it comes to approaching and interacting with strangers and that is what keeps a lot of people in front of their computers using safe methods. Unfortunately, a lot of those safe methods that don’t involve the one-on-one interaction don’t really work anymore.”

The conference also included a TCU alumni panel moderated by Jason Jacobus, a 2007 TCU alumnus and sales representative for Buckley Oil.

Jacobus said every student who attended the conference would benefit, even if they left with only one new piece of information.

“We’ve got 500 to 400 people who showed up to this event and they will now have an advantage over everyone else who stayed in bed this morning,” Jacobus said. “In time, every little bit of information helps.”

And despite the current economic situation, which can make graduating seniors apprehensive, having a TCU diploma holds value in the job market, Jacobus said.

“There is reason to be a little nervous, but it’s nothing the quality of students [at TCU] can’t overcome in the job market,” he said.

While students such as van Beek nervously approach graduation, some students excitedly await the opportunity to put their degree to work.

Senior accounting and finance double major Thao Le said she was happy knowing she will soon be able to apply the skills learned at TCU to her first job.

The event was held at the Brown-Lupton University Union Auditorium and was the collaborative effort of TCU Career Services and TCU Student Affairs.

The next TCU Career Services event, Career Fair Preparation, is scheduled to be held on Wednesday, Feb. 8.

For more information, visit careers.tcu.edu

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