Alumni Prep CBU Students For Life After Graduation

Riverside, Calif. (Nov. 6, 2015) – California Baptist University students received advice from alumni about the workforce and how to land their first job after college at the Career Center's "Footstep to Follow" event, on Nov 5.

The event consisted of a panel of seven alumni who represented a diverse workforce. The panelists were engineer Michael Sampson ('11), teacher Jackie Gray ('08), pastor Daniel Bishop ('06), nurse Whitney Jarboe ('14), developer Mike Turrell ('13), non-profit director Jennifer O'Farrell ('00), and police officer Nick Cantino ('11). The panel was moderated by Makenna Lammons, president of the Associated Students of CBU.

In discussing what students can do to prepare for the workforce, O'Farrell encouraged students to graduate with a diverse skillset.

"Because most of the individuals I'm hiring are coming right out of college, I'm looking for someone well-rounded," said O'Farrell, executive director of Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Inland Empire. "What I'm looking for is problem-solving and critical thinking, and internships are our way of assessing [potential candidates]." 

Other panelists also described what they look for in a recent graduate.

"I want to see how you interact with people," said Bishop, lead pastor at The Grove Community Church. "If you can't have a conversation with me and engage me, then I'm not going to be interested in you working with other people or people at our church."

Freshman Stephanie Gonzales attended the event to learn about landing a job after graduation.  

"I found this event really beneficial because it helped me realize the real world out there," she said. "In college you're learning about how to prepare yourself for that job, but it's great to hear from people who are actually in it."