Two years after earning a Bachelor’s degree in sociology from SMU, Simeon Knight ’92 returned to campus to visit the career center. He underwent two rounds of mock interviews and critiques by counselors to prepare for an all-day job interview.
“I remember thinking, ‘If only I had done this earlier!’” says Knight, who aced the actual interview and landed a position in banking management.
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Top companies recruit new employees at Hegi Career Center career fairs, which are open to students and alumni.
Fifteen years later, with his bank division scheduled to close, Knight is revisiting SMU’s Hegi Family Career Development Center to seek a new direction. He updated his résumé and took assessments of his interests and personality traits.
“I haven’t needed to think about a résumé for 15 years, so this process has been extremely helpful,” he says.
In today’s uncertain economic climate, more alumni and students are turning to SMU’s career counselors for guidance, says Troy Behrens, career center executive director. “The center connects alumni and students with employers, even in a tough market,” he says.
Since August 2007, alumni who attended job fairs at SMU increased from 1 percent to nearly 6 percent. From August to December 2007, the Hegi Center had
only three alumni career counseling appointments; during the same time in 2008, it had 29.
In addition, the center offers job and internship search strategies, company and graduate school research, mock interviews, workshops on networking and working abroad, and career fairs that attract from 75 to 95 employers.
The center’s online MustangTrak features hundreds of jobs and internships, 75 percent of which are open to all majors.
“Whether you’re 18 or 78, the center offers significant resources for career transitions and growth,” says Fred Hegi ’66, who serves on the SMU Board of Trustees. In 2001, Hegi and his wife, Jan ’66, along with their family, provided the lead gift for a $3 million endowment and expansion of SMU’s career center at Hughes-Trigg Student Center.
As part of The Second Century Campaign, the University is seeking additional donor support for the center’s endowment and programs, including enhanced four-year planning for students and an expanded alumni network.
“The career development process should start with freshman orientation and continue throughout the alumni’s lifetime as we repot ourselves during our careers,” Hegi says.
With students, the career center emphasizes the importance of balancing academic achievement, leadership activities and internships.
Sophomore Andrew Hendrix, a triple major in political science, public policy and economics with financial applications, already has participated in several career workshops and met with counselors to sharpen his résumé.
“The counselors tie what you’re doing now with what you hope to be doing in the future,” says Hendrix, who is considering a law or Master’s degree in international economics after he graduates. “They know how to market you.”
– Sarah Hanan