Outdoor event on Vance Plaza connects students with recruiters and career advisors
Presbyterian College’s Career and Professional Development Office recently hosted the Career Festival on the Lawn, an outdoor event featuring fashion, food, and résumé reviews.
The Career Festival coincided with both National Career Development Month and National First-Gen Week, making it an event for everyone.
“This event was to prepare students for post-college career success,” said Kim Lane, associate dean for career and professional development. “Students had the opportunity to observe professional attire in the workplace and to have their resume reviewed to be competitive. It also increased the visibility of the office of CPD, while also collaborating with Presby First+ and our employer partners.”
One of the main attractions for students was the opportunity to speak with recruiters and receive immediate, personalized feedback on their résumés to help them stand out when applying to internships, jobs, or graduate school programs.
Present at the festival were recruiters from Waffle House and Herc Rentals, as well as career advisors from the SC Department of Employment and Workforce (DEW), who were able to provide students with additional information about employment opportunities in South Carolina. The SC Works career mobile unit, allowed students to use the numerous computer stations to write or make edits to their résumés and apply to jobs or internships on the spot.
The event drew students in for a variety of reasons, some looking for junior year internship opportunities, and some looking for post-graduation job opportunities.
“I’m a senior, so I’m really just looking for some insight on my resume, and what the next steps are to build up my confidence when applying for whatever’s next,” said Saniyah Myers ‘26.
“As someone who has always been academics and sports-focused, I thought I didn’t have much to put on my résumé,” said Kaitlin Marquis ‘26. “After having help revising my résumé, I realized there are things that stand out that I wouldn’t have thought to highlight.”
“I’m here to look for internships, and I also wanted to come to get feedback on my résumé,” said Omar Diaz Valerdi ‘28.
Another highlight of the event was a fashion show, in which three students modeled professional business attire provided by Tartan Threads, the free career closet open to all students run by the Career and Professional Development Office. Over 500 items are available to undergraduate students to select an outfit for career-related activities.
“For approximately 60 students, this event was an opportunity to discover potential career paths, opportunities, and possibilities that they may not have been aware of before, “ said Lane.
Lucas Mills, the recruiting director at Waffle House, praised the students he worked with at the fair.
“PC students were highly receptive to feedback on their resumes and asked insightful questions,” he said. “The future is bright with this group of students.”