The University of Memphis Career Counseling office is offering a new service to students of all classifications questioning their future career choices.
Career Encounters, a program similar to job shadowing, allows students to contact businesses in the field of their current or potential major. Students will have a chance to visit and talk with employers on site to evaluate the day-to-day activities in that field.
"Our purpose is to provide a chance for students to explore career opportunities," said Will Adams, Career Encounters project coordinator. "Students really get a chance to get their foot in the door."
Students simply need to contact Adams via e-mail or visit the Career Counseling office to get involved. From there, the student will send an e-mail to the potential sponsor company, and the encounter will be set up from there. No students are excluded from participating, and graduate level students, as well as alumni, are also able to participate.
The only criteria necessary are a high level of motivation and professionalism, according to Adams.
"We want to emphasize the professional aspect of this. This experience could lead to internships, future interviews and employment," he said.
Currently, the CC office has about 60 sponsors in a variety of fields. The Commercial Appeal, St. Jude Hospital, ABC 24 WPYT Memphis, University of Tennessee Allied Health, FedEx, St. Agnes Academy and First Tennessee Bank are just a few of the organizations involved.
The office is also working on securing companies at the national level. For example, Boeing, a company that manufactures satellites and aircraft worldwide, will host interested students via telephone.
All employers said students will be interacting with workers at middle to executive level positions and most encounters last from two hours to half a day.
"I'm a psychology major," said senior Vanessa Verner. "If I had this opportunity when I was younger, I may not have continued on with this major."
Students can have multiple "encounters," but are restricted to one visit per organization.
"This program is great for freshmen who aren't sure what they want to do yet, as well as senior level students who are unsure of their decisions," Adams said.
The office also provides students with prep information, providing a sample request e-mail as well as a list of questions students can ask of the employers. The CC office will also try to contact businesses involved with a particular field that are not currently sponsoring students.
"I like the idea of (encounters)," said April Beavers, a junior pre-pharmacy major. "It's definitely sounds like a good way to gain some contacts in the field."
The CC office is located in room 206 of Wilder Tower, and students can contact Adams at rwadams@ memphis.edu.
