Education Works - Spring 2013

SPRING 2013

Education Works A LINK BETWEEN AREA BUSINESSES AND THE UNIVERSITY

Easy as 1, 2, 3 …

From the job announcement to the interview, UAFS Career Services takes the pain out of the hiring process!

If you are looking to fill a part-time, full-time, or internship position, consider participating in the On-Campus Interview Program with the UAFS Career Services’ Office. They have simplified the process of getting organizations connected with educated and qualified students. Tim Hickman, Mechanical Engineering Manager with Baldor Electric Company, reinforced this statement by expressing, “We are pleased to have an institution that we can call on for help. We have had a lot of success with the students we have brought on from UAFS and the Career Services Office makes the hiring process more convenient to get several students interviewed in a single day.”

STEP 1 …

The process begins with an organization submitting their job description and requirements to one of the three professional career services staff members. The Career Services Office will take the job description and send a targeted email to selected students who meet the academic and job requirements specified by the organization, with a specific date to submit their resume. Once all resumes are received by the designated date, the Career Services Office will then bundle those resumes and electronically submit them to the organization for review.

STEP 2 …

Organization representatives review submitted resumes and decide whom they want to interview. Those names, plus the desired date and times of interviews, are then sent to the Career Services Office. The Career Services Office will contact all the students and set up an interview schedule during the designated time frame and interview time limits.

Terry Copeland, Human Resources Manager, and Tim Hickman, Mechanical Engineering Manager of Baldor Electric, interview Bryan Fuentes, UAFS Mechanical Engineering student.

STEP 3 …

The final step for the organization will be to show up on campus on the selected date, interview selected students, and make a decision. UAFS will even take the pain out of finding a parking space by reserving a special spot!

Easy as 1, 2, 3!

Terry Copeland, Human Resources Manager with Baldor Electric Company, recommended the process to other organizations, “Ron [Orick] has done a great job setting this process up. The quick process was impressive and speed means a lot to us.” If you are interested in participating on the on-campus interview program, advertising your vacancies, or learning more about the valuable services they can provide to your organization, contact the Career Services Office at 479-788-7017.

Page 2 UAFS Clothing Closet Needs Your Help Page 3 Mutually Beneficial Partnership Page 4 The Benefits of Internships

uafs.edu/careerservices

UAFS Clothing Closet Needs Your Help The Professional Clothing Closet at UAFS provides a way for students to access FREE professional and business casual attire appropriate for career fairs, interviews, and the workplace. It is important for students to look professional throughout their job search and as they enter the professional world. The Professional Clothing Closet has provided a means for the Career Services Office to promote the appearance and confidence of our students, thus making a lasting impression to regional employers.

Due to the generosity of the community and the UAFS partners, the entire clothing collection has been made available to our students at no charge. Hundreds of UAFS students have taken advantage of the clothing closet and now we are in need of replenishing certain items to meet the demands of our students. If you have the following items available that you would like to donate, please contact the Career Services Office at (479) 788-7017 or careerservices@uafs.edu. Those making donations will receive a receipt of clothing donated that can be used for tax purposes. Due the limited space available, we can only accept the in-demand items list below at this time.

Women’s Needs:

Men’s Needs:

The following in-style (no shoulder pads, tweed or wool) basic women’s interview attire is needed:

• Dress pants: Waist 32–36, any length • Navy sport coats: 36, 38, 40, 42

• Suit sets or blazers: 0, 2, 4, 6, or plus sizes above 12 (black, gray or navy)

• Dress shoes: Sizes 9–14, black or brown

• Pants: 0, 2, 4, or plus sizes above 12 — any length — low rise or regular rise — no elastic waistbands (black, gray, navy or dark brown)

• Dress belts: Sizes 34–38, black or brown

• Dress shirts: Sizes 15–16.5, blue or white

• Blouses: 0, 2, 4, or plus sizes above 12 (white or solid colored button-up) • Shoes: All sizes — closed-toe — small heel or no heel (black or dark brown)

What did you like most about your internship experience?

Brittany Gary English with Teacher Licensure Chaffin Junior High

Steven Barker Graphic Design Rightmind Advertising

Amanda Smith Dental Hygiene UAFS Dental Clinic

Beau Brannon Middle Level Educa Alma Middle Schoo

It would be difficult to only choose one thing that I like the most about internship, but, if I had to, I would say the best part about internship is getting to know the students. The students truly make the difference in teaching. I have found that even on tough days, just getting to interact with the students and learn more about them makes everything worthwhile.

Interning with multiple local businesses has given me the valuable opportunity to observe and participate in the working environments of many different styles of Graphic Design work. This broad experience both helps to expand my abilities as a Graphic Designer and allows me to accurately evaluate which style best fits my particular set of skills and personality traits.

Once I am graduated and seeking full-time employment, I will already have an in-depth knowledge of the various options open to me.

I really enjoy getting to work on patients each week in the clinic.

It is a great hands-on experience that is preparing me for my future as a dental hygienist. I am getting to see real life examples of what I am learning in class each day.

It is helping me become more confident and accomplished in my ability to clean teeth. It is also rewarding to be able to provide services for people in the community who need it.

The thing I have enjo my internship is the f able to develop rap students and watch develop on a daily b that cannot be exp other semester in the program. To see stu their academics ea makes me realize w profession is all abou

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Mutually Beneficial Partnership Headquartered in Fort Smith, AR, Arkansas Best Corporation (ABC) offers a wide variety of logistics services. As the parent company for many subsidiaries such as ABF Freight System, Inc., Data-Tronics, Inc., Freight Value, Inc. and Moving Solutions, Inc., ABC employs almost 11,000 individuals nationwide. To foster and recruit individuals to fill many of these positions, ABC has taken advantage of the developing talent within their backyard by partnering with UAFS and the Career Services team.

The partnership between ABC and UAFS evolved even before UAFS became a four year university, and it has greatly expanded since. Today, ABC has become one of the largest student-employment partners with UAFS, by employing an average of 39 COE’s (student employment positions) per year over the last 10 years. According to Marla Scales, Senior Manager of Human Resources for ABC, “79 COE’s were hired this year and almost 20% of those have been converted to full-time employees.”

In addition to the COE/internship partnership, Carrie Owenby, Manager of Talent Management and Jeremy May, Manager of Corporate Accounts, have assisted with various events, such as mock interviews, career fairs, and the accounting round robin. They have also spoken to classes about professional dress, customer service and business etiquette.

ABC has benefited from the partnership with UAFS in a lot of ways, according to Wade Coggins, Director of Talent Management. “The partnership gives us access to a lot of student workers. Because some parts of our business are seasonal, the part-time assistance is very beneficial. [The part time positions] are also a way to get started at ABC and frequently lead to full-time positions. Jeremy May added to

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joyed most about fact that I am pport with my h them grow and basis, something perienced in any he education udents’ progress in ach and every day what the teaching out.

Ashley D. Hale Paralegal US Attorney’s Office – Western District of Arkansas What I like best about my internship experience is that I am able to take the concepts that I have learned in the classroom and apply them as I assist the attorneys and paralegals on actual cases. I am very glad that I chose to pursue this internship, because the knowledge and handson experience that I have gained here at the U.S. Attorney’s Office is truly invaluable. I highly recommend the internship experience to anyone who is looking to gain more confidence and expertise in their continued field of study.

Daniel Hobbs, Emily Robinson, Trent Powell – ABC COE students the benefits of the partnership by emphasizing, “When you take an individual from COE to long-term position, you save a tremendous amount of time and resources.”

The partnership is not just one-sided, as UAFS is able to expose their students to real-world experience and a great learning opportunity. Daniel Hobbs, a current COE, declared “the experience is great and added that building relationships and getting to know people is invaluable.” “You get a lot of experience you wouldn’t get from any other entry-level position. It definitely teaches you a lot of how businesses work and professional conduct” according to another COE Trent Powell.

If you are interested in learning more about this partnership or developing a relationship with UAFS, please contact Career Services at (479) 788-7017.

Lyndle (Evan) Thacker Mechanical Engineering SLW Automotive

Choua Thao Business McCourt Manufacturing

At SLW I am surrounded by several extremely qualified engineers. What I like most is their ability and willingness to teach me real life applications of engineering principles that I can bring back to my studies and apply to my future career.

The best thing I like about my internship is actually using what I have learned from UAFS and applying it to the real world. The experience is great and all those years of college are finally being put to use. It’s an experience I’ll never forget.

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facebook.com/uafscareerservices • twitter.com/UAFSCareerServ Linkedin.com • University of Arkansas - Fort Smith Alumni

Career Services Staff

The Benefits of Internships

Pat Widders Executive Director

Ron Orick Director

Over 55% of the class of 2012 took part in an internship or co-op at some point during their college career

61% of interns offered full-time employment

87% acceptance rate of offers made to interns

62% retention rate of new hires with intern experience after 5 years versus 48% retention with no internship experience

Monique Forehand Coordinator

Pam Camp Administrative Specialist

(NACE Intern and Coop Survey, 2012)

Fall Calendar of Events Wednesday, March 6 • 9:15 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.

Criminal Justice Symposium Smith Pendergraft Campus Center – Reynolds Room

Monday, March 11 • 8:45 – 11:00 a.m.

Donuts and Degrees (hosted by Student Advisement) Smith Pendergraft Campus Center – Food Court

Thursday, March 14 • 11:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.

Spring Career Fair Smith Pendergraft Campus Center – Reynolds Room

Thursday, March 7 • 1:00 – 2:30 p.m.

Education Career Fair Smith Pendergraft Campus Center – Reynolds Room

Tuesday, March 12 • Noon – 2:00 p.m.

Spring Health Sciences Job Fair Pendergraft Health Science Center – Weidman Conference Center (HS 133)

Wednesday, April 3 • 9:00 a.m. – Noon Practice Interview Day Latture Conference Center

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Wednesday, March 13 • Noon – 1:00 p.m.

Linked-In Event Smith Pendergraft Campus Center – 129 A & B