In today’s competitively driven market, junior and senior students are finding it harder than ever to find jobs once they graduate from college. However students who are interested in networking themselves are invited to take part in UTM’s first annual Career Services road trip during Spring Break.
The road trip will be held from the March third to the fifth and will involve either or junior and senior students traveling to both Memphis and Nashville and meeting with current UTM Alumni working for major companies in the area.
“The concept is to give them (students) a jump start in introducing them to other Alumni so that when they leave UT Martin they can become more successful in their chosen career path,” said Assistant Director of Alumni Relations and Annual Giving, Andrew Hart, who has served as the assistant director for three years.
Students will leave UTM on Monday morning and will visit employers including FedEx, AutoZone and Ducks Unlimited. After spending the night, students will travel to Nashville and visit Nashville and meet with companies such as Gaylord Entertainment, Sony and Dollar General.
“We are in the process of securing locations now…. We are hoping to set some guest speakers to talk to the students about the do’s and don’ts of interviewing and how to get your name out of there in order for a job interview,” said Hart.
Students that are interested can apply through the Alumni Affairs office by sending in their resume and sending in a 150 word minimum statement of interest on what they think they would like to gain from the experience.
“All majors, all juniors and seniors can apply. We will be selecting 12 to go on the trip, six females and six male. Once they have applied we will contact them for an interview to see that they would be a good fit to go on the trip.” Hart said.
The current deadline to apply for the trip was Nov. 22, however students can apply as late as January if they are still unsure if they can attend or not. Students will also have to pay a $25 refundable deposit to insure their spot however it will be returned on the day of the trip.
“…It’s totally free to the student. We pay for their transportation, hotel room and meals.” Hart said.
While some of the locations that will be visited might be related to one’s major, Hart encourages students to go for the experience and to use the trip as an opportunity to increase their networking skills.
“It all about networking. Even if there is a place that is not of interest to a student it (the trip) really is gearing towards your networking skills and learning how to improve those. It’s all about making the connections.”
Students with further questions are asked to contact Andrew Hart, Assistant Director of Alumni Relations and Annual Giving at ahart2@utm.edu call the Alumni Center at 731-881-3611
