Criteria 2
Success Skills Series
Challenge: While 10 out if 50 Berea College students have had at least one internship during their time in college, only 4 out of every 50 graduate with a full-time offer for employment. This year our SIFE team decided to improve the statistics.
Action: We put together a series of workshops to arm our fellow schoolmates with some of the most important skills needed to compete in the global job market. In partnership with the Economics and Business Department, our SIFE team held a conference led by a representative from the prestigious firm Robert Half Finance &Accounting to discuss success skills including preparing for interviews. For the second year in a row, our SIFE team partnered with the Cornell University Business School to host a weekend of “success skills” that included workshops on résumé-writing techniques (one-on-one review), interviewing (including mock interviews with professionals), and networking. The last project in our success skills campaign brought together human resource professionals, business owners, and business professors to discuss what employers look for in prospective employees.
Result: Of 25 students in attendance, four received job referrals from the Robert Half Finance &Accounting. A total of 75 students attended the Cornell weekend workshop. Twenty-five students attended our last program in the series. The success of the programs was measured using surveys completed by the students, coupled with recurring feedback, and indicated significant personal and professional awareness and growth of participants.