Hollins University students will have the opportunity to interact with more than 25 area businesses and organizations during the first-ever HireHollins: Employer – Talent Showcase, which will be held Tuesday, March 5, from noon – 4:30 p.m. in Moody Student Center.
“Today’s Generation Z is drawn to relevant, hands-on, interactive learning,” says Karen Cardozo, Hollins’ executive director of career development. “Thus, this is not a traditional ‘job fair’ but an experiential interface with a dynamic mix of networking, mentoring, and recruiting.”
Cardozo notes that this event “gives priority to regional partners offering year-round internship opportunities or organizations with summer pipelines to postgraduate hiring,” and that the experience will be equally as beneficial to the participating companies.
“Hollins is a diverse talent pipeline, with the overall undergraduate population closing in on 30% women of color from around the world. Second, we offer an exemplary liberal arts education in which our students study issues from a variety of disciplines and methods. And third, Hollins boasts a culture of creativity: While our most popular majors are business, biology, psychology, and English/creative writing, students of all majors often engage in the arts.”
Employers that have recently sponsored internships for Hollins students, Cardozo adds, have given those students exceptional reviews. “Supervisors told us: ‘Hollins students show a great balance of writing, communication, and organizational skills.’ ‘They execute large tasks with little supervision and are well-prepared for the professional world.’ ‘They are open to new ideas and willing to participate in diverse activities.’ And, ‘They were self-motivated and looked for ways to learn outside the assigned projects.’”
During the showcase’s first hour, students can visit information tables to meet organization representatives. An hour of one-on-one networking will follow. The final two hours will be devoted to sessions focusing on a wide range of career fields and topics. These sessions include:
- Roanoke Regional Opportunities: Your Star Can Rise in Roanoke!
- Working for Nonprofits: Supporting Our Communities
- Arts/Arts Management: Encouraging Creativity
- Exploring Different Business Models in Established and New Industries
- Government/Public Sector: Leading and Serving
- Mental Health Professions: Caring and Healing
Organizations taking part in the HireHollins: Employer – Talent Showcase reflect the breadth and scope of the business, nonprofit, government, healthcare, and arts sectors in the region:
- Allied Universal Security
- Allstate
- Blue Ridge YMCA
- Botetourt YMCA
- City of Roanoke
- Roanoke City Council
- Cortex Leadership Consulting
- Council of Community Services
- Family Service of the Roanoke Valley
- Farmers Insurance and Financial Solutions
- FAVE Solutions
- Goodwill Industries of the Valleys
- Hotel Roanoke and Conference Center
- Intercept Youth Services
- Mainstream Mental Health Services
- Office of U.S. Senator Tim Kaine
- Rappahannock Electric Cooperative
- Roanoke-Blacksburg Technology Council
- Roanoke County Economic Development
- Roanoke Regional Partnership
- Roanoke Valley – Alleghany Regional Commission
- Taubman Museum of Art
- Treehouse Collaborative
- United Way of Roanoke Valley
- Virginia Society of CPAs
- Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine
“The Hollins curriculum emphasizes communication, critical thinking, leadership, and cross-cultural and information literacies,” Cardozo says. “At the same time, our Career Center is preparing students for a world of disruptive change in which employees and their organizations must be flexible and responsive in order to not only survive, but thrive. The companies participating in this showcase are all well-positioned to advise our students on how to succeed in their respective industries, and we welcome their expertise.”
