Working wonders with expanded career services at Chapman University

First came the mock job interviews with volunteers from the Chapman University Alumni Association and local employers scrutinizing students’ eye contact, body posture and composure. Then there were the field trips to places like Taco Bell’s corporate headquarters – see, Mom and Dad, there is a future in fast food!

Students waiting in line — Regular job fairs where students meet prospective employers are just one of the many events sponsored by the Career Development Center.

Meanwhile, young alumni attended informal networking roundtables with hiring specialists on the hunt for new talent.

And before long there will be more such career activities for all Panthers, including online events to connect alumni across the United States and beyond. It’s all part of Chapman’s expanding career services programs.

“Think Chapman First” is the guiding philosophy behind the new and growing programs, designed to serve Panthers at every stage of their working lives, from internship to mid-career shift, says Jo Etta Bandy, director of career and industry in University Advancement.

Six tips for job hunters

With Labor Day soon upon us, our thoughts turn to the work of finding work. So we asked several alumni, from the newly-hired to those who do a good amount of hiring themselves, to share their favorite career launching tips.

Toss the generic cover letter

“Take the time to personalize your cover letter and resume. Every job application requires tweaks to your resume, but a cover letter must be unique and drafted with the job in mind.”

Katie Vlietstra Wonnenberg ’03, vice president for government relations and public affairs with the National Association for the Self-Employed in Washington, D.C.

Be ready … for anything

“Don’t freak out when you get a weird question thrown at you. I had some pretty bizarre questions thrown at me that I was not prepared for. My current boss loves asking out-of-the-ordinary questions during an interview to get a good feel for the candidate’s personality. She asked me during my interview, ‘What would your ex-boyfriend say about you?’ The key is to pause to collect your thoughts and be yourself. Sometimes those weird questions give you the opportunity to let your personality shine through.”

Kirby Franzese ’14, social media manager for Teak Media + Communication in Boston

Go public

“I’m a huge advocate for public speaking. It’s a timeless art. It’s so much fun. I started a Toastmaster’s club at Chapman this past spring. If people are looking to help jump-start their career, that’s one of the biggest platforms I could advocate. It helps you think on your feet. That’s one of the biggest things — being able to think off the cuff.”

Matthew Martinez ’15, a retail sales representative with Abbott Laboratories in Seattle

Look for connections

“The world runs on connections. I got my first full-time job through the Job Placement Office at Chapman. They knew a Chapman graduate who was also an ex-member of the Chapman track team. I was on the Chapman track team at the time. This gentleman was the hiring person at a major corporation for their office in Santa Ana. The connection got me in the door, and then it was up to me to win the job. And I won that job by telling him the story of how I set goals, put in the effort to reach those goals and did so while supporting the joint efforts of a team.”

Don Hurzeler ’70, retired CEO of Zurich Middle Markets Insurance Company and author of The Way Up: How To Keep Your Career Moving in the Right Direction. Hurzeler now has a second career as a fine-art photographer based in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii.

Tell your story

“I want to know what candidates did at their previous jobs that was above and beyond the call of their duty and was for the good of the organization. How did they help make their previous organization better? If they are just graduating, I want to know what they did at their internships to help the organization.”

Rich Coury ’94 (MPT ’96), co-founder of Coury & Buehler Physical Therapy clinics

Cast a broad net

“We all have a handful of dream companies, but unfortunately we have to apply to more than just five positions. At the end of the day, getting a great job or internship is about putting in the legwork and continuously applying for positions. Don’t give up because you got rejected from somewhere. The odds are in your favor if you expand your net.”

Daniel John Brennan ’14, brand coordinator at CDM Group, New York.

“We’re not treating ‘Think Chapman First’ as a program but as a mindset, from parents to alumni,” Bandy says.

What does that philosophy look like in practice? One example is the new system of alumni industry connections linked to each school and college. These well-connected industry folks will be the go-to contacts for the unique needs of students and alumni in fields related those disciplines.

Tom Tyner ’84, vice president at Spectrum Chemical Manufacturing Corp., serves that function for Schmid College of Science and Technology. It’s a relationship that’s worked well for him, as well as the several Chapman students who’ve landed internships and jobs at Spectrum.

“It’s mutually beneficial for Chapman and the companies working with them,” Tyner says.

Such relationships will also benefit those alumni a few years out from graduation and looking for guidance when they shift careers, says Dona Constantine ’84, chair of Chapman’s Career Committee.

“In this day and age you might want to switch careers, so you’d like to have mentors to hold your hand a little bit. We want to be able to assist our alumni like the colleges are assisting our students,” Constantine says.

Students will also see expanded career services programming this semester. Last year the Summit Program, a free course that immersed students in everything from networking to business dining skills, was so well received that it will be offered twice this school year at the Career Development Center.

In addition, two new programs will be piloted this semester, including one focused on student athletes. Another will use video chatting to connect students with companies throughout the world offering internships and jobs. Along with the regular job fairs and portfolio shows for students in the arts, undergraduates can also look forward to a November job fair with CleanTechOC, an umbrella organization for cutting-edge science and technology employers.

Such specialized events open doors to making fruitful connections, one of the keys to launching careers, says Sally Jafari, assistant director of career services at the Career Development Center.

“We’re not a traditional career center with just job listings,” Jafari says. “When you look at our events and our programs, whether it’s technology-based or social-media-based, we’re really moving in the direction of where employers are going.”

And those mock interviews?

They’ll be back, of course. And with alumni lending a hand, helping to make “Think Chapman First” a reality.