WS Chronicle

By Tevin Stinson

The Chronicle

The days of waiting until graduation to look for that dream job is a thing of the past, says Lamonica Sloan, director of Career Development Services at Winston-Salem State University (WSSU). To be competitive in the workforce, students must start early.

To give students a head start on their futures, WSSU held a career, graduate school and internship expo.

The event was designed to allow students of all classifications and majors time to have face-to-face dialogue with employers, college recruiters and even federal government and Army and Marine recruiters.

“Regardless of where you might be in your academic career, the earlier you get started the more successful you are going to be,” Sloan said. “If you are unsure about what you want to do after graduation, it’s important to get out and talk to recruiters.”

A survey completed by CareerBuilder shows 51 percent of employed 2014 college graduates have jobs that don’t require a college degree.

Sloan is a firm believer that employers are looking to hire people who have a set of skills that allow them to be successful no matter what the industry or job.

For example, the recruiter at the Sam’s Club table was looking for managers who are leaders, she said, adding that she has an engineering degree. She said the kind of degree students have is not as important as the leadership skills they have.

“Now more than ever, employers are looking for that set of core skills that sets you apart,” she continued. “Events like this helps our students understand, the sooner you get started, the sooner you build your network and get to know people and build relationships.

“When those relationships are established, you can always follow up down the road.”

Combined, more than 60 businesses and colleges participated in the event on Oct. 22. A number of students mentioned they believed the expo was a great event to allow students to see what opportunities they have.

Some recruiters were seeking interns, who would work while in school.

“I came here just to get an open review about what’s out there,” said Trequan Holman, a sophomore Mass Communications major from Durham. He stopped by The Chronicle’s booth.

Other students were looking for opportunities after they leave WSSU.

“It’s very important to check out your options after graduation,” a student said. “You don’t want to wait until the last minute. You want to get your feet wet and see what’s out there.”

Chronicle staff contributed to this report.