On January 27th, my spring Professional Development Anthropology class visited the ECU’s Career Center. Although this course is designed to get students to recognize what type of practical skills they have acquired through their coursework, I am actually giving students an opportunity to prepare for the job market before they graduate from ECU. Thus, I have our class venture outside of our classroom and visit a number of available resources and expetise on the ECU campus. That’s one of the reasons why I scheduled a meeting with ECU’s Career Center.
At ECU’s Career Center, Associate Director Larry Donley, invited us to the Center and gave us a thorough overview of the Center’s activities along with a brief tour. The program and services offered through the Career Center include: 1. Job Listings and Recruiting Programs, 2. Student Employment, 3. Resumes and Cover Letter Critiques, 4. Career Fairs, 5. Mock Interviews, 6. Advanced Technology and Virtual Career Services, Employer Information Sessions/On Campus Recruiting, 7. Alumni Networks, and 8. Cooperative Education and Internship Program.
Associate Director Larry Donley answered all the questions from the students, provided specific information on how students can be better prepared for their job interviews and most importantly helped to reduce some of the anxiety students may have had when preparing for the job market. At the end of his presentation, Mr. Donley gave the class one final handout. This handout related directly to our course. It was entitled, “Top Ten Skills Sought By Employers.”
According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), the top ten skills sought by employers are: 1. Verbal & Written Communication Skills, 2. Honesty & Integrity, 3. Interpersonal Skills, 4. Strong Work Ethic, 5. Teamwork Skills, 6. Analytical Skills, 7. Motivation & Initiative 8. Flexibility & Adaptability, 9. Computer Skills, and 10. Attention to Detail. This is exactly the type of information that I wanted my students in Anthropology to know before they graduated because it really comes down to some of these basic skills as to whether they will be employed in an anththropologically-related job or not.
Check out the Photos!
It was a very productive and enlighting visit for all!