Stephen Trinkwald

Equinox Staff

With graduation quickly approaching, seniors looking to enter the professional world are putting themselves in the best position they can to immerse themselves in their future careers.

When it comes to getting a leg up on the competition, Keene State College Director of Continuing Education Robert Baker said the first step is to focus in the classroom.

“If students focus on academics to achieve the best grade point average that they can, that is certainly a highlight for a resume,” Baker said.

Kelly Graham, KSC’s associate director of Academic and Career Advising, said that in today’s competitive job market, employers are looking for more than just academic excellence.

“The truth is employers not only want to see your education and the experiences that you’ve had academically, they’re also very interested in what you’ve done,” Graham said.

Graham added students can gain these experiences in a variety of ways, whether it is through an internship, taking hands-on classes, participating in extracurricular activities or volunteering at an organization to help build the skills potential employers are looking for.

Baker said internships not only provide experience, but can also help students determine their path while they still have options.

“I think sometimes there’s as much a value in figuring out what we don’t want to do after college as much as finding out what we do want to do. I think that’s one of the advantages of taking on an internship, is that you can try different kinds of positions,” Baker said.

An internship can also help bolster a resume, something KSC senior Alex Chrusciel knows firsthand.

He said he advises younger students to start working early in their college careers.

“Put yourself out there, take the initiative to get your resume done early, start talking to people, figuring out where you want to go with it, and be prepared,” Chrusciel said. Baker said an impressive resume doesn’t just tell potential employers about an applicant’s accomplishments, but also how they relate to each other in the applicant’s growth as an individual.

“Thinking about how we synthesize that work at the highest level…Thinking about what we do so that we do it well and we can also present ourselves as well as possible. That is key,” Baker said. Graham said it is common for applicants to not put the pieces together and tell the story about what they’ve done.

“The biggest mistake is not thinking about all the experience one has had and how skills have been built that employers really want to see in a recent graduate,” Graham said

KSC held a job fair in the Mabel Brown Room on Thursday, March 28, with a variety of different companies looking to fill both internships and jobs. Companies represented at the job fair ranged from ESPN to a locally owned farm.

KSC senior Alyssa Pierce attended the job fair and said getting real-world work experience makes all the difference when it comes to being prepared for the job.

“It’s unreal. You think that you know what it’s like to be in the job field but you don’t until you’re actually there. I think being where you want to be for a job, hands-on, is very beneficial,” Pierce said.

Beyond developing the skills, networking can also play a large role in graduates finding their way into their career.

Graham said that statistics suggest 80 percent of jobs are acquired through the people we know.

Networking can be done through face-to-face interactions, or through social media. Graham said using social media professionally starts with creating a LinkedIn.

“Creating a LinkedIn page and connecting with everybody that you know, that allows you to start seeing who’s working where and who might be helpful in your job search or in your internship search,” Graham said.

Graham said using social media sites like Twitter to display your intellect can be beneficial.

“You can use Twitter to start showing that you have knowledge of an area that you want employers to follow. Any time that you’re putting out that you have knowledge of an area, you’re an expert of an area, there’s a good chance that an employer or somebody’s going to notice that. If they notice that and they know who you are, you’re more likely to be considered for a job,” Graham said.

Baker said he offers students a more cautious approach when it comes to social media.

“I would suggest that students be careful with how they use social media, be sure that it is kept at a professional level. These days there are employers that will ask to see your Facebook site,” he continued, “I always caution my students as you’re getting ready to graduate, make sure you clean up those personal social network sites and start thinking about how you’re presenting yourself to an external public,” Baker said.

James Walker is the senior human resources manager for the Len-Tex corporation, and attended KSC’s job fair to offer students a variety of different internships.

Walker said he uses social media regularly when deciding on employees.  “If a person is very serious about their career, social media needs to be an integral strategy of the job hunting campaign,” Walker said.

The other half of the battle of finding a job, Baker said, is getting an interview. After the interview is landed, preparation and presentation are key, Baker said.

“Presentation is everything. We only have that short time to make a first impression,” Baker said.

Baker said he advises students to understand the mission statement of the company they are applying to. He said it’s important to know the goals of the company as well as the applicant’s personal goals.

Graham said presenting yourself in an impressive way goes beyond being well-dressed and well-groomed. Graham said it depends on how they present themselves verbally, as well as having good posture. Graham also said preparation is invaluable.

“It’s going into an interview having done research, having really understood the type of questions that would be asked and how they’re going to answer them. Many times we think we can’t practice or plan for an interview, but we can,” Graham said.

Practicing for interviews can be done with friends and family, and taking interviews is a form of networking and getting your name known, even if somebody else gets the job.

Stephen Trinkwald can be contacted at

strinkwald@keene.edu