Last Friday at the Reser Stadium Suites, about 60 first and second year business students attended the Career Success Center’s first annual ‘Career Boot Camp’ workshop.
The one day intensive program kicked off with a “speed dating” session between undergraduate business students and professionals representing all of the College of Business’ undergraduate majors at Oregon State, followed by an educational business etiquette lunch.
The afternoon kicked off with a keynote address by Dr. Will Keim that addressed the keys to success in college and life. The session concluded with breakout sessions on personal branding resume writing and social media in the job search.
Those who attended said it was a rewarding and informative experience. For first year business student Anna Kameshima, one of the most valuable takeaways was the chance to speak with alumni and professionals representing so many different aspects of the business world.
“It was very interesting hearing from so many professionals with different experiences and backgrounds,” said Kameshima. “Choosing a major can be a very difficult decision, but hearing from actual business professionals is very helpful.”
First year student Logan Charboneau said the biggest thing he learned at the event was the importance of social media.
“We’ve all heard the ways that social media can hurt you when looking for a job, but I didn’t realize how much social media sites like LinkedIn can actually help you get a job,” said Charboneau.
Brandi Fuhrman, the assistant director of the College of Business’ Career Success Center, said she received overwhelmingly positive feedback from students and volunteers.
“We heard from students that they got more out of the event than they expected, which was exactly what we wanted to hear” Fuhrman said after the event. “As well as this first event went, we’re looking forward to building on its success to make future Career Boot Camps even better.”
The Career Success Center is located at 209 Bexell Hall, and helps connect College of Business students with the resources needed to obtain internships, interviews and jobs.
