The Porter Family Professional Development Center, Student Professional Development Center and Office of Parent Engagement came together to build an afternoon of career development and community for students.
Chatter filled the ballroom of The Inn at Elon on Sept. 24 as students in the Love School of Business connected with Elon parents, faculty and career professionals during the Sophomore Success event.
Organized by the Porter Family Professional Development Center, the Student Professional Development Center and the Office of Parent Engagement, the event gave students the opportunity to develop career-readiness skills, receive individualized feedback and begin building professional relationships.
For the first half of the event, students had the opportunity to rotate through five different professional development stations: resume review, LinkedIn audits, professional headshots, elevator pitch practice and internship course information.
At each station, a career advisor and an industry professional from the Elon Parents Council were there to offer students guidance and provide valuable feedback.
The event was held before Family Weekend, which Nathalie Perez, assistant director of career services for the Porter Center, said was an intentional decision.
According to Perez, members of the Elon Parents Council have been looking for opportunities to get more involved with students, and this was the perfect opportunity.
“It was wonderful to see students connect with Elon parents and learn from their experiences.” Perez said. “The strong sense of community at Elon is one of our greatest qualities, and Sophomore Success was a great example of how our community comes together to support students and their career development.”
With a wide range of majors represented from the Love School of Business, students were eager to engage with parents and faculty to improve their skills, and lines of students looking for feedback formed at several of the stations.
Leo Landau is a sophomore majoring in finance and entrepreneurship. He decided to attend the event for the professional networking opportunities it provided.
“It was valuable to talk with professionals in wealth management and real estate sectors to learn how they network at a professional level and gain trust with clients,” Landau said.
The second portion of the event opened to students from all class years for an hour of networking with Elon parents and faculty members.
According to Amanda Traugutt, director of career services for the Porter Center, sophomore year is sometimes overlooked by students, when in reality, it is an important time in their career journey.
For students majoring in finance and accounting, recruiting for internships in the summer after their junior year typically begins in the fall of sophomore year.
“Internships are a critical part of every student’s professional development, and recruiting starts earlier than many students expect,” Traugutt said. “We created Sophomore Success to make sure our students have the resources, support, and connections they need as early as possible. Whether they’re already in the recruiting process or just getting started, the network they build now will support them for years to come.”
The event also featured a mock Superday track for finance and accounting majors.
A Superday usually occurs in the final stages of the hiring process and consists of multiple interviews with employees in various positions across a company. The process can be taxing, so this track was aimed at helping students in finance and accounting practice and prepare for the experience.
The event helped students of all years and majors plan for their future career journeys, and fostered connections between students, staff, faculty and parents at Elon.