“What is your greatest fear?” Bryan Rose ‘11, assistant director of university career services, asks every student who walks into his office. “I tell them, ‘Don’t think about spiders, snakes, or small spaces. Think generally, what is your greatest fear?’ and usually, people’s biggest fear is the fear of the unknown. I think that’s what holds them back. They’re scared of speaking something into existence that they don’t actually want to do in 40 years, or they’re scared of what it takes to make it happen, so they don’t take that first step.”
According to Paige Rollins ‘15, assistant director of live digital events in the Office of Alumni and Career Services, starting a LinkedIn profile is the very first step to finding a job after college. “Begin making this right away, your freshman year.”
Ryan Catherwood, assistant vice president of alumni and career services, confirmed Rollins’ advice, “Beginning your LinkedIn profile is most definitely the first step.” Catherwood said, “It is the primary method where people will find you and do research on you. It’s also how you connect with people.”
“People want to help other people,” Catherwood said. “(When you have a LinkedIn,) you can connect with Longwood alumni who are in the field you want to be in and create relationships with them.”
When a student is trying to find an internship or job, Rose helps them search the internet and trying to find Longwood alumni in their field. “Find alumni and try to reach out to that person over LinkedIn to create that relationship. Sometimes, even Longwood alum will reach out (to the student) and say, ‘hey, send me your resume so I can forward it to my company.’ Usually the Longwood alums will help students get a leg-up,” Rose said.
“You don’t get the job by just applying for it. Basically, you get lucky if that is the case.” Catherwood said. In his experience when hiring people, he asks for referrals from trusted sources.
Rose said, “70 percent of people who are getting jobs and internships these days are getting them through referrals.”
“In my college life, I wish I would have known that alumni want to help you. A common misconception is that you’re doing it on your own and everything is out to get you. You don’t have to be in a fraternity or sorority or certain club to have this alumni network, just being a student at Longwood will suffice,” Rollins said. “The alums are your friends, they did the same thing as you, they walked across campus, they graduated, they went to Buffalo (Street). They’re real people and they’re not scary.”
The Career Center helps prepare students for graduation and teaches students how to get hired. They’ll do anything like helping with resumes, mock interviews, to LinkedIn profile reviews.
“We do anything and everything grad school and job wise,” Rose said.
The best way to meet with the Career Center is to call their main line, (434) 395-2063, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Rollins said, “Our true passion is to help students.”
