Career closet is a good start

The Career Closet provided at Pierce College lays out business attire free for students.

But this accommodating service has the potential to reach more than just the surface.

Students may pick up these items from the Career Closet with the intention to feel more confident in the job interview process, maybe even to meet a work-appropriate dress code at the jobs they already have. But this pop–up service can transform into a presentational event that offers tips on how to

“If there's a limited extent to it, then I thinkit’sperfectlyfine.Ifyouuseitasa tool,notaGetOutofJailFreecard,then there's the difference.” - Kaden Lewis, veterinarysciencemajor excel in a job interview and offer an inside look on how to navigate a professional workplace.

The event could be hosted in the Great Hall by a career counselor, along with a panel of professors providing enlightening career stories, job interview tips with a follow–up Q&A for students to receive more personal insight.

The panel of professors would be favorable because it would create “representatives” for the majors the average student pursues at Pierce. Students that attend the event can directly talk to the professors that have experience reaching similar goals in their career journeys.

Students striving to achieve their goals outside of academics can feel a bit lost, because unlike studying for an exam or working at their part-time job, accomplishing your aspirations doesn’t come with a simple instruction guide. Pierce has already given students the wardrobe, and now they can help set the stage for their career desires by starting with the basics. The presentation itself could contain the Do’s and Don'ts of what to put in your resume and cover letters, how to leave the employer with a good-impression, how to know if a specific position at work is right for you and how to confront workplace tension.

Al these things could potentially be answered by enrolling in a counseling class offered at Pierce, but many students lives’ are already jam packed and on a strict budget. Instead of having to take a whole class for a semester a Career Closet presentational event could be offered twice a semester. Especially with the resurgence of our campus life in recent months, adding this event to Pierce’s calendar can bring students together to bond over their similar aspirations.

The Career Closet should still be in attendance at the presentational event, but this additional support can have Pierce students not only dressing for success, but feel prepared for it.