The career services office is preparing to launch a webinar series featuring Hillsdale graduates’ career paths and their professional development tips starting Sept. 18th. A resource for both current students and alumni, it comes as a part of the continual growth and improvement of the office.
“There is a value in reaching out to alums because they walked the same paths we walk,” said senior Jonathan Moy, the career services intern who spearheaded the project. “They have the experience, they have the network, they are very interested in helping current students.”
Moy said the kickoff webinar will be held Sept. 18 with Hillsdale alumnus Justice David Viviano ‘94. Career fields discussed will vary from dentistry to teaching to government. The professional development tips may include subjects such as networking and personal development.
The series will be live on both YouTube and Facebook, with five to 20 minutes of a former student telling their story, followed by a comment section, according to Moy. He said the link for the webinars is not currently available.
Executive Director of career services Ken Koopmans said the webinars are “a really good way of getting alumni involved.”
Koopman said 12 to 15 percent of last year’s class entered government, the same proportion entered teaching, and 21 percent entered graduate studies.
One of Hillsdale’s alumni who will be presenting a webinar is Jonathan Slonim ’14.
“I think the webinars will be a good and quick way for students to learn more about career options,” Slonim said. “When I was a student these weren’t available and I had to spend a lot more time researching on my own.”
Slonim said career services helps “from the very beginning [of college] to start thinking about strategizing for the type of work you are interested in, even if you don’t know exactly what it is.”
Moy emphasized the applicability of these webinars to all Hillsdale students.
“I strongly believe that these alums who are giving up their time have a lot to share for our students,” Moy said. “So I really believe that this would be a necessary resource for all students.”
