Wednesday, May 25, will be an important day in the history of The School of Business at Portland State University and the lives of its students and alumni. On that day, the school will hold the grand opening of its new Career Center.
For years PSU has had a University Career Center that serves all students. The new School of Business Career Center will provide virtual and in-person services catered specifically to PSU’s business students of all levels.
The center in suite 410 inside the Karl Miller Center, 615 S.W. Harrison, will be open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. The staff will be available via Zoom other hours by appointment.
The grand opening celebration May 25 will be 4-6 p.m. Dean Cliff Allen will speak about the services the center will provide. Staff members will hand out information sheets for students, alumni and business owners on how they can utilize the center’s services.
Becky Sanchez, Executive Director of Career & Academic Services“It will be a networking event where people can mingle, have hors d’oeuvres and get to meet our new staff members,” said Dr. Becky Sanchez, Executive Director of Career & Academic Services at The School of Business.
The morning of May 25, the center will bring in a photographer to shoot free professional portraits that students can use for their LinkedIn profiles.
“That will be a facet of the career center on a regular basis,” said Sanchez.
The school maintains a collection of professional clothing that students can take for free. During the weeks before and after the grand opening, the clothes will be moved to a pop-up space on the first floor of the building atrium.
Four years in the making
“My former colleague, Rachel Foxhoven, and I developed a plan for a career center about four years ago,” said Sanchez. “We developed a proposal based on what we thought would best serve our students. Business students expect career services.”
Funding for the new center consisted of a $1 million donation in 2021 from Columbia Sportswear CEO Tim Boyle and Mary Boyle, as well as a total of $200,000 in gifts from several other donors, said Sanchez, who earned her bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degrees at PSU.
With the funds in hand, Sanchez met with faculty directors, other staff members, students, the Graduate Business Alumni Council and local employers. She asked them what services the center should include and the best ways for students to access them.
“A lot of the feedback was focused on helping our students get polished,” said Sanchez. “PSU students have a strong work ethic. They are tenacious and get things done. But employers told us they lack confidence and the ability to ‘play the game’ to get a job.”
A multitude of services
Sanchez has spent the last year creating those services, determining metrics and is in the process of hiring professionals to staff the center. Last September she began working in earnest to turn her plans into reality. When the center opens, students will be able to:
- Participate in monthly workshops on topics such as choosing a major or career, internships, interview techniques, resume and cover letter writing, LinkedIn strategies and salary negotiations.
- Sign up for mock interviews
- Learn about effective networking, career visioning and professional development planning.
The center will also organize speaker panels featuring employers; offer online career modules through the university’s learning management system; provide credited career planning classes, internship and practicum courses; distribute a newsletter with key career tips; and schedule one-on-one appointments.
Students will be able to use a new resume building software program that has AI-informed tips for improving a resume.
The center’s purpose will be to help students determine where they want to go in life and identify the skills they still need to develop in order to get there, Sanchez said.
Each of the center’s career coaches will “walk along side” each of the school’s 2,000 senior-year and graduate students. They will reach out to the student, encourage them to start planning for their career launch and job search, help them through that process and track their progress.
The coaches will help students understand effective networking so they can engage with their field before they graduate.
Some students don’t start thinking about their careers until they’re walking across the stage to accept their PSU diploma, said Sanchez.
“That’s too late. They need to start earlier,” she said.
The staff will encourage faculty to incorporate career-related topics into their courses, such as the importance of career planning, creating a resume, engaging with employers and building a network. This will help bring these topics into the students’ sphere of awareness at an earlier stage, Sanchez said.
The center staff expects that all 3,500 business students will hopefully engage with elements of its services at least one to six times a year.
Connecting with everyone
The center will also provide information to local employers on topics that include:
- The importance of inclusive hiring,
- Creating a work environment that respects and appreciates employees of color,
- Employee retention strategies,
- The many other ways they can connect with PSU.
The center staff will also connect students with employers to create job shadows and mentorships.
“I want alumni to know this will be a place they can go to connect with current students. I want students to know we are a resource for them. I want other faculty and staff to know that some of the activities we are doing are things that they could offer to their students,” said Sanchez. “Career is an area that a lot of the business community and alumni can get behind.”
Supporting BIPOC students
Diversity and equity will be built into some of the center’s offerings to ensure BIPOC students receive the support they require to overcome the barriers they face in the workplace
“We will offer differentiated, culturally relevant services for students of color, first-generation students and students from low socio-economic backgrounds,” said Sanchez.
These services will include specialized workshops, additional coaching and more case management for students from traditionally under-represented populations.
“There are more resources that students from traditionally under-represented backgrounds may need because they may not have people in their homes who can advise them how to get their first professional job,” Sanchez explained.
For instance, one workshop will be offered that includes salary negotiations for women of color.
“We will train them so they know how to ask for the salary they deserve or for raises with confidence,” said Sanchez.
More information
Anyone seeking more information about the center before it opens can send an email to Sanchez at: sbcareercenter@pdx.edu.