Center for Career and Talent Development

As the job market continues to diversify and employee recruitment becomes more competitive, Radford University’s Center for Career and Talent Development staff remains dedicated to equipping students with the skills and experiences they need to stand out.

Under the leadership of Executive Director Angela Joyner, the center is focused on engaging students early about their career paths, offering them more opportunities to grow their skills, leveraging alumni and identifying industry experts who will provide a strong network of support.

At Highlander Days and Quest, staffers are on hand to guide prospective and new students toward career services resources. Joyner said the staff has revamped the career development plan to incorporate six signature workshops throughout the academic year that focus on the specific skills and knowledge that employers are looking for in job candidates. What students learn in these workshops is supplemented by classroom presentations as well as group and one-on-one coaching.

“We are very intentional about reiterating the importance of internships, providing career development guides and helping students customize their career development plans,” Joyner said.

Joyner used the fall 2017 JumpStart Conference as an example of students networking with alumni and community partners, who are valuable resources to students as they begin building their resumes and applying for internships.

The center’s largest goal, Joyner said, is for 75 percent of Radford University’s student body to obtain at least one internship by 2023.

This type of experiential learning is critically important because many companies are targeting interns to eventually become full-time employees, Joyner explained.