A message from Hank Malin P'15, Executive Director, Knowlton Center for Career Exploration
I hope your student had a good fall semester at Denison and trust that you have enjoyed spending some time together over the past few weeks. We look forward to welcoming students back on campus after four weeks without them. And before you (and they) know it, the spring semester will fly by, and your student will (hopefully!) be doing something productive for the summer. Some students may have a plan for the summer, but the reality is that most students are still “in process” and many are just starting to think about a plan. Fear not! The Knowlton Center is here to help your student, regardless of where they are in that process.
For sophomores and juniors, we hope that the summer ahead will help them narrow down their potential field(s) of career choice post-Denison. There are many ways to do so, including working at a job or an internship, conducting summer research, participating in a summer study-abroad program, or taking additional classes to build skills in important areas.
For those who are interested in securing a job or internship, the Knowlton Center has many resources to help, including:
- VMock - This amazing tool utilizes artificial intelligence and machine learning to review and score résumés. The platform also allows students to share their résumé with their friends, family, and our career coaches via email, who can then provide feedback directly in the platform. Importantly, it’s available day or night so “night owls” can work on their résumé at midnight if they so choose (not that students here ever stay up that late of course!)
- Handshake - Ask your student if they’ve looked at Handshake for potential job and internship opportunities for this summer. We encourage students to start their search process there and check back multiple times throughout the spring semester. There are plenty of other websites, but Handshake also allows students to identify hiring organizations at which there are Denison graduates or parents.
- Wisr — Wisr allows students to identify and connect with more than 1000 Denison alumni who have expressed a willingness to network with students. If your student hasn’t joined Wisr, please encourage them to do so. This is a great opportunity to learn more about a field or industry and also ask for advice on how to succeed in an interview.
- Mock Interviews - Speaking of interviews, if your student is selected to participate in a formal interview (whether via phone, video, or in-person), I hope you will encourage them to schedule a mock interview with a career coach. Many students find this to be one of the most important (and useful) things they do at the Knowlton Center. As you know, the act of actually having to practice one’s answers to basic interview questions like “tell me about yourself” and “why should we hire you” is incredibly important.
- OnBoard - Once a student secures a summer opportunity, they can increase their likelihood of succeeding in that experience by completing OnBoard units ranging from Excel and reading Financial Statements to Personal Branding and Ethics.
Regardless of your student’s plans, however, we hope you’ll encourage them to make a coaching appointment soon to discuss summer plans. We also hope you’ll encourage them to
register to attend the Starting Your Internship Search workshop which will be held on January 24 and January 29 as well as information sessions about the Denison Internship Program that will be held throughout Spring Semester.
Two additional items:
We are always happy to have more summer internship opportunities to offer our students. If you or your employer are in a position to offer one, please contact either David Snider, Assistant Director of Employer Relations at
sniderd@denison.edu or Judy (Gardner) White ‘86, Director of Career Preparation & Employer Relations at
whitej@denison.edu.
Finally, we’d appreciate it if you would remind your student to read the Knowlton Note (published every Monday.) Your student receives it automatically, but if you’d like to be “in the know” about all things related to the Knowlton Center, just email Alex Davidson at
davidsona@denison.edu to be added to the list.
Here’s to a great second semester for both you and your student!