Workforce-Ready: Lander Students Network Their Way to Careers

When Lander University officials say graduates are “workforce-ready,” they mean it.

Students at Lander dressed for success and came with resumes in hand during three specialized career fairs where 140 recruiters representing school districts, law enforcement, state agencies, health care institutions, businesses and industries searched for new talent.

Among them was Messiah Carter, of Greenwood, who talked with recruiters from the Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services. The event he attended was an opportunity “to know the possible careers available for my major,” Carter said.

A senior political science major, Carter said the department has a focus on rehabilitation for those who have been imprisoned. “This is an interesting side of law enforcement,” he said. “We hear many stories about how difficult it is for people to succeed after being released from prison. Having opportunities to help people get back on their feet and become productive members of society is important. I appreciate that.”

Casey Cline, director of Lander’s Officer of Workforce and Career Development, said Lander took a different approach in scheduling the career fair events. “In the fall, colleges often host a general career fair followed by a graduate school fair, or they organize fairs by industry. We created a single, comprehensive two-day event highlighting specific career paths rather than industries, and we included graduate schools associated with those career paths,” she said, noting the career fairs drew the largest number of employers and students to date at Lander.

“Fairs organized solely by industry can unintentionally narrow students’ perspectives and limit their understanding of the variety of career opportunities available. By emphasizing career paths, students have the flexibility to attend one fair or all three,” Cline said.

Opportunities Abound for Education Majors

School districts throughout South Carolina and North Carolina sent recruiters to Lander to seek future educators for their schools.

William Houston, head of talent acquisition for Union County, N.C., schools, said careers in education are highly competitive, and salaries are increasing in school districts across the nation to meet the demands. “There has been a decline nationally in the number of people wanting to teach,” he said. “States are increasing pay, and many districts are adding additional supplements and incentives to attract students,”

Dr. Stephen Bismark, dean of Lander’s College of Education, said the Education Career Fair enabled students to meet individually with school districts to learn about the employment needs of the districts and the salaries they can earn. “This is an opportunity to dispel any myths about teaching, including pay,” he said, noting that the minimum salary for a starting teacher in South Carolina is $42,500. “State incentives are pushing salaries up.”

Cooper Strange, a physical education major from Greenville, said the fair gave him the “opportunity to make connections and find out what jobs are available … I also had the chance to learn how the school districts differ.”

Jobs of the Future

Recruiters from business and industry, as well as health care facilities, also met with students during Lander’s events.

Cindy Kinney, Self Regional Healthcare vice president and chief nursing officer, said the hospital is eager to recruit Lander nursing majors. “We love our Lander graduates. We seek to recruit from the best, and Lander has top students. They are well-prepared, and they have experience doing clinical care in our hospital.”

Trinity Thomas, of Summerville, who will graduate from Lander’s nursing program in December, said she is looking at jobs as a labor and delivery nurse or in the emergency room. “I’ve done clinical training at Self, and this is a great experience. I’m here to find out what opportunities Self has for me now that I’m graduating.”

Cheryl Morton, a recruiter from Lonza, in Greenwood, a world leader in supplying the hard capsules used for medications, said the company has a variety of job openings available for new graduates, including those in engineering, data entry, human resources, manufacturing and technology.

“We are always looking to hire new talent, and college graduates have the opportunity to become part of our great company and develop professionally,” she said.

First Steps to Professional Careers

Before the career fairs began, Lander’s Office of Career and Workforce Development opened its doors to its Professional Clothing Closet so that students could select gently used or new items to help them prepare for meeting recruiters and having on-site interviews. The office served 130 students and provided more than 200 items, including clothing, accessories, such as shoes and ties, and even scrubs for nursing students.

More than 215 students also took advantage of free professional headshots taken at the PopCam photo booth. “By providing these services, we were able to help students build confidence and present themselves professionally as they engaged with potential employers and had headshots taken,” Cline said.

“We had many employers comment on how well dressed and prepared students were with resumes and professional attire,” she said. “We were impressed by the level of engagement from both students and recruiters, as well as the variety of career paths represented.”