The Hegi Career Development Center hosted its biannual all-majors career fairs Sept. 14 and Sept. 21, bringing together 188 students and 50 companies in-person and facilitating 417 unique student and employer connections virtually. Notable employers present included AstraZeneca, FC Dallas Soccer, GameStop, Vizio, and Sendero.
The center empowers students to cultivate meaningful lives by providing them with personal and professional development resources such as Handshake, career counseling, employer events, and organizations.
Career development programs include:
- Hegi Career Leaders Program: This advanced professional development program provides selected students with access to specialized career counseling sessions, in which they set and track career goals, and targeted networking events such as Lunch with Leadership with Dr. K.C. Mmeje, Networking Towards the New Year, SMU Connections Externship, Mustang Connections company visits, and Adulting 101 presentations. (Applications for Hegi Career Leaders open each Spring)
- The SMU Board Fellows Program: A unique opportunity that allows selected students to serve as non-voting members on the Board of Directors for a non-profit with the Dallas community. Board Fellows gain valuable insight into how non-profits function and apply skills learned in the classroom to a real-world experience while making a lasting impact on the community. (Applications for SMU Board Fellows open each Fall)
- SMU Career Connections: Facilitates connections between SMU undergraduate students and alumni through one-day externships. These job shadows take place on one day over winter break, increase student exposure to industry opportunities, and have led to internship opportunities and full-time hires. (Applications for SMU Health Connection open in mid-Fall and can be found on Handshake)
- SMU Health Connections: Allows undergraduate students interested in medicine and dentistry to shadow SMU alumni practicing in the DFW metroplex. (Applications for SMU Health Connection open in mid-Fall and can be found on Handshake)
- Mustang Connections: A one-day employer site visit opportunity for SMU students to experience the culture at different companies and organizations in the Dallas/Fort Worth area and beyond. Employer site visits typically consist of a tour, an overview of the company/organization, and an opportunity to network with key employees and decision-makers.
Using Handshake, a job-search platform for college students, the Hegi center allows students to browse jobs and upcoming career events at any time. Students can also access a plethora of resources like resume/cover letter templates, salary negotiation advice, and interview preparation tips on the Hegi Family Career Development Center Resources Box. Some additional virtual resources are also listed in the image below:
