Post college plans? That may seem like a century away, but it will be here sooner than you think. Luckily, Grove City College prepares its students through excellent academics and an outstanding Career Services Office that gets you in contact with potential employers. Do not let the thought of a post college career plan stress you out. Caleb Pierson, a senior pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Accounting and Finance at Grove City College, explains how he was able to use the CSO and its annual Career Fair to land an awesome summer internship, full of great experiences!
Caleb interned at an accounting firm in Pittsburgh, PA called Grossman Yanak and Ford. He was able to put to use the information he learned in the classroom, demonstrate proper workplace behavior, and gain useful insight on how to interact with clients and coworkers. Caleb would absolutely recommend participating in a summer internship program to his peers and incoming students because of the experience he gained, and the potential job offer that could follow upon completion of the internship.
Coming to college as a freshman, most would never think of getting a job while being a full-time student. I realized, however, that it is indeed possible to be a full-time student as well as a part-time employee to make extra money as well as gain experience.
I interned with a company called FCB Health, NY this last summer as the editorial intern. After a summer working remotely for the healthcare network, I accepted a freelance editor position with FCB beginning September 1st, 2020. While school is super important, it is also important to be proactive about finding a job for post-graduation. I kept in contact with my supervisor from the network and landed a job for the next year prior to graduation. The primary point is, even if you are a freshman, it could be beneficial to get a part-time job during the semester career related or not. It could be beneficial for a couple of different reasons. One, you will make some money to help with the cost of books or whatever else you would like. Two, you can learn the value of hard work before starting your career.
The most valuable thing I learned from working part-time while being a full-time student is first, the importance of prioritizing finding a career while at Grove City. Your academics are equally as important during your four years at the College, but that does not mean you should not also focus on getting a jump start on finding an internship or part-time job. It does not matter if you’re a freshman or a senior, it is never to early to make connections and gain experience while also being a student. Secondly, I learned that everything would work out how it is supposed to. If you get a job during school, you will be okay and able to make it work. But if you don’t, you will also be okay. All in all, during your time at the Grove, if you can start building connections with people in the work industry, do it. It will only be beneficial to you in the long run and there is time. Do not let anyone tell you that you are only a freshman, and this does not apply to you. It is never too early to start networking and getting yourself out there.
Student employment is easily one of the best opportunities that students have on campus. Supervisors are friendly and flexible – they know that you are a full-time student with many responsibilities. There are many fun positions on campus that will allow you to gain work experience as well as amazing life lessons.
Here are some of the many campus employment opportunities for students:
Teaching Assistant: Professors will often offer this to students they know well and who have proven their responsibility. This involves activities such as grading papers and assessments, but can also include taking attendance and proofreading works as well.
Dining Hall Staff: The three main dining halls on campus are called Hicks, MAP (Mary Anderson Pew) Cafe, and the GeDunk. Responsibilities include cleaning, dish washing, and taking care of equipment. Customer service experience is very important to post-collegiate employers.
Lobby Attendants: This entails monitoring a single selected lobby on campus. Buildings where this is often required are Memorial, Ketler, Harker, MAP, MEP (Mary Ethel Pew) and Colonial dormitories. These attendants monitor those entering and exiting the building.
Admissions Secretary: This involves responding to questions on the Grove City website while simultaneously scheduling student interviews and even tours as well. This is a good way to gain some mild administrative experience.
Admissions Tour Guide: Visitors often come to campus to see what Grove City is really like. This involves giving tours to prospective students while teaching the history and purpose of the College. You get to meet many nice people through this opportunity while being the face of the College for hundreds of families.
Alumni Staff: Working for the Carnegie Alumni Center can take many forms. This can involve preparing for big events, and it can also involve preparing small gifts and favors for visitors. Another opportunity within this category is being a Crimson Caller – these are individuals who call alumni requesting support for their alma mater.
Bookstore Cashier: This involves working at the college bookstore and serving customers that come to shop for clothing, books, and supplies. The bookstore is an exciting place to work and there are many enjoyable tasks to perform here.
Career Services Assistant: The Career Services Office takes their mission seriously. They have a reputation for being one of the best in college services for placement. This opportunity allows you to help schedule appointments, assist with resume workshops, and help in advertising big events throughout the year. This is a great job for meeting many business professionals, you will inevitably gain some networking in the process.
Chapel Staff: As a Christian campus, Grove City College prioritizes the chapel program. You can play an important role in this by scanning students’ IDs, leading in prayer, and making announcements at the beginning of chapel. I know many students who do not regret taking this amazing opportunity.
Library Assistant: This involves maintaining organization of the campus library. Assistants help students with questions and offer guidance as to where they can find good resources for their coursework.
Mail Room Assistant: With this opportunity you can help organize the campus mail that arrives for students. Grove City’s mail room is a bustling place and there is always something interesting to do. Much responsibility comes with operating the mail that comes for students.
Sport Event Security: Many students enjoy attending sporting events. Did you know there is a way for you to get paid for watching other students play? This position involves monitoring the crowds and ensuring that everyone is safe and that there are no threats to athletes and spectators.
Lifeguard: As a lifeguard you watch over the pool during its open hours of access. You are responsible for the safety of those who come to enjoy this fun facility.
Tutoring: This is a great opportunity to share your knowledge with students who are struggling in a particular subject area. If you pass a class with a grade which meets certain standards of subject-matter expertise, then you are an ideal tutor. Helping others is a great way to expand your own knowledge. I have found that you truly master a subject when you teach it to others.
The people that I have had the pleasure of serving with at the Student Union GeDunk have been a tremendous blessing to me. They are more than coworkers, they are true friends to me. I have so much respect for these incredible people. I would encourage all students to take a look at open opportunities and fulfill a need on campus.
Grove City College’s Career Fair is the best recruiting event of the year on campus. Not only is it a great recruiting event, but an amazing networking opportunity. The Career Fair is not only an event to find a job, but a way to obtain internships or a spot in graduate school. With over 160 graduate schools and employers attending the event, there are many options available for each student and their needs. One specific question that may be asked prior to this event is, “When is the best time to start attending?”
Although this event is especially directed toward juniors and seniors, this is a valid question, as a freshman is not yet looking for a career and possibly not an internship either. Although this event may not seem applicable in a freshman’s college career, there are many benefits to attending at this point. Getting familiar with the layout of the Career Fair will help someone become more comfortable for future years and talking with different employers is great experience.
Networking is one of the best aspects of this event as well. Talking to multiple employers can not only help improve your social skills for future interviews, but it also helps an employer get familiar with an individual, which could possibly lead to a future internship and/or job if they are impressed. As a freshman specifically, talking to these employers can even help give guidance as to a career path one may want to go down with a specific degree if a job sounds intriguing. Also, if a freshman comes in as an undeclared major, going to this event could help give a better idea of what does and does not appeal to them.
Attending the Grove City College Career Fair is a very important event for juniors and seniors to attend if an internship or job is not already in place, but it is also very beneficial for freshman and sophomores to attend to expand their knowledge, options, and social interaction skills.
This year, Grove City College had several students take the CliftonStrengths assessment for free as part of a grant the college was awarded in order to foster a deeper exploration of calling and vocation for the students. The program development grant is from the Council of Independent Colleges, specifically their Network for Vocation in Undergraduate Education. This assessment endeavors to provide students with a common language of talents and strengths and attempts to promote a culture where students thrive both inside the classroom here at Grove City College, and in the outside world. One of those students that took the CliftonStrengths Assessment is senior Garrett O’Toole who is pursuing a Communications Studies major.
I asked Garrett how the CliftonStrengths assessment has shaped his understanding of calling and vocation, and he said, “It has really helped me learn about how I’m wired, and where my natural gifts are found. It’s essentially a more in-depth Myers-Briggs test, which allows participants to understand themselves more, which helps greatly in terms of determining one’s calling and vocation. Its results are a great resource to learn the language behind these strengths and apply them to potential job or internship positions.” I also talked to Garrett about how learning his results has helped him in his academics and he said his results have helped him to more clearly define his study habits, and to put a theory behind why he does things in terms of schoolwork. He said, “I mainly understand why I study the way I do, which is helpful to me because it’s something I can point to while I’m studying and questioning why I am doing it.”
I also asked Garrett how learning his results have helped him in different leadership positions. He said this is one of the areas where knowing his results helped him the most. He said, “From the insights that StrengthsFinder gave me based on my results, I’ve actually applied some of the things the assessment said to my leadership style. It clicked with me that I lead others the way I do based on my strength results and putting some language behind it has slightly changed the way I lead to more effectively accomplish things and to empower others while using their strengths.” I also talked to Garrett about how his results have impacted relationships with others both on and off campus, and he said that one of his strengths is communication, so he can also put theory behind why the way he communicates has helped him to gain a better understanding on how to navigate through certain social situations. He also said, “It has also helped me to communicate in a more uplifting way now that I’m more aware of it, not that I didn’t before, but just being more cognizant of my own habits has been beneficial.”
Garrett works in the Advancement Office on campus, so he said having his strengths results has helped him to focus his work on things that pair well with his results. He said, “As a result, knowing where my skills are, I take on assignments that I know I can do really well, along with producing high-quality work that the office can use for their constituents.” Garrett said this has been a beneficial way he has utilized his results outside of the classroom. I asked Garrett if he has noticed any significant changes in his life since learning his results from the assessment. He said, “In terms of ‘significant changes’, I wouldn’t say so, but I can definitely attest to a significant awareness that was raised based on my results.” Garrett said the best takeaway he gained from this assessment was how the StrengthsFinder uses a theory that focuses more on your strengths, rather thank your weaknesses. He said, “This in turn allows participants to focus on things like vocational calling, which is definitely different when compared to more general tests like an MBTI exam.”
Garrett plans to do anything in terms of business, marketing or higher education when he leaves Grove City College, and here on campus he is involved with the Student Government Association (SGA), a member of the Adelphoi En Christo (AEX) Housing Group, a Residents Assistant (RA), and he is a Center for Vision and Values Student Fellow.
