Junior year was a stressful time for Kent State University student Megan Wandel, because after changing her major twice, she was still unhappy about her career path.
Ms. Wandel began her journey at Kent State as a pre-fashion major, but after a year and a half, she realized that it was not right for her. Then she decided to change her major to business management, but the major just was not specific enough.
With the help of Natalie Harrington in Kent State's Career Services Office in the College of Business Administration, Ms. Wandel was able to find the perfect career that aligned with her personality traits.
“For starters, Natalie Harrington helped me figure out what I wanted to do with the rest of my life,” Ms. Wandel recalled. “I wasn’t happy with my major and she helped me explore options and find the best fit for me.”
Ms. Wandel said Ms. Harrington asked her had she considered human resources and advised her to set up a job shadow. And now the senior is happily on the road to a May graduation with new found confidence and conviction.
Last May, Ms. Wandel did an internship at Fastenal’s distribution center in Akron. She had the opportunity to look at several aspects of human resources – recruiting, onboarding, training and employee management.
“Once I figured it out, she (Natalie) was with me every step of the way to help me find my internship,” Ms. Wandel said. “Natalie still checks up on me. I know she’ll be a great help when I’m trying to find a fulltime opportunity.”
Kent State's College of Business Administration is the only college within the university that has its own career center, and the staff solely serves College of Business Administration majors/minors and alumni.
Students go there to work on their resumes and interviewing skills and to find internships and other employment opportunities. Talented Kent State students and alumni also connect with employers at the Fall and Spring Internship, Co-Op and Career Fairs that are sponsored on campus by Career Exploration and Development in Kent State's University College.
A campus career fair is where Kent State senior Carlee Biscan got an offer for a 14-week internship at Key Bank. That internship has led to fulltime employment at Key that begins after Ms. Biscan’s May graduation.
“I will be rotating through the branches,” said Ms. Biscan, who will be a management associate at Key. “I’ll be getting exposed to different markets in the Cleveland area.”
Ms. Wandel connected with Fastenal at a Kent State Career Fair as well. The company asked her to stay on in a part-time capacity after the internship, while continuing to take her classes at Kent State, according to Molly Phelps, a Fastenal recruiter, who manages Ms. Wandel.
“Megan is able to bring what she is learning in the classroom to Fastenal,” Ms. Phelps said. “She has also shared with me that she was able to talk about her experience in her classes and give some real world insight. Megan was able to jump right in as a part of the team bringing new creative ideas to make positive changes.”