ROANOKE COUNTY – Graduating from college and getting your first job can be intimidating, but new workshops at Hollins University are hoping to make it a little easier.
"When I talk to my other friends at bigger schools they don't have the time to sit with somebody else to have these opportunities, telling them what to do and what not to do," said Deja Hadden, a Hollins junior.
Business etiquette, personal development and being flexible are just some of the lessons.
Dr. Karen Cardozo is the Hollins Executive Director of Career Development. She says students graduating today can have 15 job changes in up to five different fields over their lifetime.
"We are really treating the question of how the world of work is changing as a research question," said Cardozo. "The major they choose and the first job that they land out of college isn't going to determine the rest of their future. Think about how much pressure that is. I'm 20 and I need to decide now. The rest of my life is riding on it. That's why we teach the pivot method."
For students like Hadden and Monica Osborne, these conversations are important, especially knowing less than 30-percent of the workforce is working in a job directly tied to their college major.
"I believe as college students as we're focused on our education but as well we are concerned about our job. That's a huge concern for people as we go through the college process," said Osborne.
Cardozo says there are three things every college student needs to know:
1) Your resume is never finished. Keep tweaking it for every job.
2) Know yourself and what you want.
"There's no external party that's going to be able to answer that question for you about what should I do with my life. You're the authority," said Cardozo.
3) Grow your network because that's where a lot of jobs come from. It's who you know much of the time that can get you your next job.