Recently, College Possible Minnesota hosted a new event, Career Kickstar, to further support the students we serve. Throughout the past year, feedback from our corporate partners indicated that they were looking for opportunities to more effectively recruit College Possible students for jobs and internships. Similarly, College Possible students are actively seeking connections to full-time, professional opportunities at companies like our partner organizations.
Career KickStart, a new College Possible Minnesota networking event, provides a space for current college students and recent program graduates to connect with local organizations to learn about available internships and full-time employment opportunities. The impacts of this event were threefold:
- Corporate partners gained the opportunity to meet and hire more students from historically excluded backgrounds.
- Students gained exposure to a wide range of Twin Cities’ top employers and opportunities for employment.
- Students received coaching on resume writing best practices, interview tips and tricks, and a professional headshot from a local photographer.
“This event was very good; I felt confident, and this was my favorite career fair to date,” said one student. Another added, “Interactions with corporations were positive and helpful.” A third student said that interacting with their peers and practicing their introductions was especially helpful because they had never been to a career fair before, and practicing helped alleviate some of their nervousness.
Participating organizations included Alliant Engineering, Allianz, Best Buy, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota, Boston Scientific, The Hanover Insurance Group, International Paper, Piper Sandler, Target, and Xcel Energy.
“Thank you for the opportunity to get involved in such a great event,” said Dave Sawant of Boston Scientific. “We really had an amazing time talking to students from different backgrounds and hearing about their career goals and aspirations.”
The College Possible team is busy planning for the next Career Kickstart event scheduled for fall 2024. If you would like your organization to be involved, please contact Megan Mattson, director of institutional engagement, at MMattson@CollegePossible.org.
