The Hampton Script

Ivana Spurlock | Contributing Writer

Hampton University students have a guide on campus to assist them in all their professional endeavors—the Career Center.

The facility provides adequate services including teaching professional skills, resume building, practicing mock interviews and more.

“Each year we want [students] to come to the Caree Center to interact with us”, said Bessie Willis, director of the Career Center.

As a Hampton alumna herself, Willis has proudly served her alma mater in the capacity of director since 2010. “I love what I do,” Willis said. “I love seeing students go out and be successful; Hampton students choose to be successful.”

Hampton’s stellar reputation allows the Career Center to stay in contact with major companies that recruit Hampton students.

The staff also researches and contacts other companies that seem fit for the student body. These efforts result in a plethora of events that the Career Center offers, including the Career Fair (Fall and Spring), Graduate and Professional School Fair in November, company information sessions, mock interviews, professional interviews and resume building offered daily.

Under Willis’ leadership the past seven years, the Career Center has increased the number of companies that visit the campus, built a resourceful computer lab where students can come and work on resumes and research companies, provided career assessment tools and increased their research on companies to provide students with ample information.

The Career Center staff members now have more technological advancements when preparing students.        They are currently promoting an “E-Recruitment” process that enables students to submit their resumes online.

Students who register for the system have access more than 3,000 companies they can get in contact with.

Once students take the initiative to sign up, they can access the system at home or even on their cell phones.

E-Recruitment allows students to gain exposure by submitting their resumes and networking with reputable companies.

“Quite a few students that take advantage of the Career Center opportunities walk away with job offers in senior year and sometimes even junior year,” said Willis.