Prep for Success, an event hosted by the Career Service Office at UW-La Crosse, aimed to inform and prepare students for career success at 6:30 p.m., Oct. 4.

The first part of the event, What Is Professionalism? consisted of a panel of community employers who discussed professionalism and the role it plays in the work place. The five panelists kicked the session off by introducing themselves and sharing personal and professional experiences.

Following, they opened the floor for a Q & A, allowing the student audience to ask questions about professionalism including topics such as interviewing prep, resumes, career growth, internships, and post-school life.

Here were the top five interviewing tips:

1. Don’t copy and paste your cover letter. This leads to mistakes like including the wrong company name in the address.
2. Do your research on the company. Panelist Anne Hendrickson from Allergychoices stated that by understanding who the company is, you will be able to prepare more effectively for your interview.
3. Create a master resume which lists all your acquired credentials. You can then pick and choose from this list to create a specific resume which includes only relevant experience for the job you’re after.
4. Come prepared with question to ask your interviewer in turn, suggested Becky Kaiser from Heartland Fuels.
5. Be able to hold conversation. Don’t be so professionally stiff that it creates an awkwardly unnatural conversation. Meg Schilling, from Quad/Graphics, emphasized that you should allow yourself and your personality to shine through your conversation; employers aren’t going to hire someone they don’t see themselves being able to talk and work with easily.

The Q & A session ended at 7:20 p.m. for a ten-minute break for a raffle drawing; five brand new official UWL portfolios were awarded! Everyone then transitioned to The Hall of Nations for the Career Fair Prep. This portion of the event was geared towards preparing students for the Fall Career Fair on Wednesday, Oct 5, in Valhalla, Cartwright.

“How you spend your free time is really important,” said junior Kane Schrader, “the time you spend getting a job or being in a club really makes a difference when it comes to what’s on your resume and the experiences you gain, employers know that.” Schrader attended Tuesday’s event.

Students were able to speak and work directly with employers and UWL Career Office employees on resume critiques, additional interviewing tips, as well as having the chance to network with the five employers who were on the panel.

Ashley Johnson, a second year senior who helped host the evening’s events stated, “This is a really great event because it’s not just the university telling students how to prepare for a career, but real employers telling students how to prepare.”

According to Johnson, students have access to career help and resources right on campus. “The staff in Career Services are here to help students every step of the way with anything and everything from searching for a job to landing a job.” You can learn more about the Career Service Office at https://www.uwlax.edu/career-services/ or by stopping by their office in 1140 Centennial Hall.