Category: Students

100+ Conversations – “Not as intimidating as I thought”

Posted on by Rachel Wood

During KConnect Week, more than 100 career conversations unfolded between Kalamazoo College students and alumni. In all, 106 meetings connected 59 students with 38 alumni across the country. For many students, these short, 20 minute Hornet Huddles offered something essential in the career development process: direct, candid access to someone who once sat exactly where they are now. Students described the experience as energizing and humanizing, noting that the conversations felt more like genuine mentorship than formal interviews. What surprised them most was how approachable the alumni were. One student summed it up simply: “Made me realize alumni are not that intimidating to talk to.”

For alumni, the impact went both ways. Many enjoyed hearing what current students are curious about, what challenges they are thinking through, and how their own career paths with all their pivots and surprises could offer reassurance. Several mentioned that the small group format allowed space for real conversation, even within a single 20 minute session. The topics covered a wide landscape: scientific research, law, public policy, marketing, finance, technology, education, communications, nonprofit leadership, and more. Alumni shared insights from government agencies, startup environments, hospitals, laboratories, courtrooms, schools, and global companies. Students used the time to explore majors, test assumptions, and ask practical questions about internships, first roles, identity in the workplace, and how to get started.

Many conversations also sparked a next step, whether that was an invitation to connect again on LinkedIn, an offer to review a resume, or a suggestion to reach out to someone else in the alum’s network. The ripple effects of a single meeting will continue long after KConnect Week. Hornet Huddles continue to show the strength of a career community built on real people and real conversations. Students benefit from seeing firsthand how K alumni build lives and careers after graduation. Alumni benefit from reconnecting with the campus community and supporting emerging professionals in fields they care deeply about.

As KConnect grows, so will the opportunities to make these conversations easy and accessible. The goal remains the same: to help students try things and talk to people, and to ensure that every Hornet has access to the guidance, perspective, and encouragement that comes from another Hornet saying, “I have been there. Let’s talk.”

For students and alumni alike, joining KConnect is an easy way to stay connected to this community year-round. You don’t need to participate in Hornet Huddles to take part. Students can explore alumni profiles and reach out for advice whenever they’re ready, and alumni can make themselves available for future conversations in whatever way fits their schedules. Anyone can get started at kzoo.alumnifire.com.

A modern solution to a legacy challenge – Career Connection Toolkit

Posted on by Rachel Wood

During summer 2025, the CCPD kicked off a new project we’re genuinely excited about: the Career Connection Toolkit. It grew out of two big questions we’ve been wrestling with for a long time.

First: How do we help students keep building career development skills when none of our services are required? We know these skills matter, a lot, for launching confidently into life after K, but it’s easy for students to miss them simply because they never cross paths with us.

Second: How do we teach these skills when every student starts from a different place? Some arrive having never created a resume, while others grew up around professionals who had them networking in high school. Most sit somewhere in between.

The Career Connection Toolkit is our response to both challenges. It’s flexible, it’s accessible, and it moves us closer to our long-term goal of embedding career everywhere.

Built for real student lives

The Career Connection Toolkit is a collection of self-paced, asynchronous modules that teach core career skills. Everything is on Moodle and is available 24/7. No appointments, no waitlists, and no hoping a CCPD workshop happens to be offered in the right class at the right time.

You can jump into the Toolkit directly through the CCPD website, and it will keep growing over time. Each module focuses on one key skill and is broken into short, digestible lessons. A typical lesson includes:

  • a short written overview to explain the concept
  • an interactive activity to apply the skill in real time
  • a reflection checklist to help you lock in what you learned

Most lessons take about 7–12 minutes, and a full module can be completed in under an hour.

This structure helps in a lot of ways:

  • It’s flexible. Students can spend 10 minutes learning something useful and come back later without losing momentum.
  • It works in classrooms. Faculty can pair a full module with a single class session without reworking an entire syllabus.
  • It supports different learning styles. Written content, examples, and hands-on activities give students multiple ways to engage.

Right now, the Toolkit includes three modules; a basic resume module, an advanced resume module, and a Career Conversations (informational interviews) module. They’re live for students now, and we’re actively collecting feedback as we continue improving and planning the next round of modules.

If you’d like to explore, assign, or share your thoughts on the Toolkit, you can find everything at career.kzoo.edu/cctoolkit.

Moving forward

The Toolkit is one more way we’re working to make career learning a shared responsibility across campus. We’re grateful for partners like Athletics who have jumped in early, and we’re eager to collaborate with anyone who sees value in helping students connect their experiences to their futures. If you’d like to explore the modules or offer input as we develop new ones, we’d love to hear from you.

Finding My Path Through Creativity: My Summer at Bay View Music Festival 

Posted on by Rachel Wood

The CCPD Summer Internship Stipend helps make hands-on, career-shaping experiences like this possible. In this post, a student reflects on capturing and producing content that connected audiences to live performances. The experience strengthened the students’ creative and professional skills while offering important clarity about the kind of work environment they hope to pursue after college.

“This summer, I had the opportunity to work as a Social Media Ambassador for the Bay View Music Festival in northern Michigan, a unique performing arts community that combines high-level music performance with a tight-knit, supportive culture. 

Internship photo - Anastasia Okromchedlishvili

In this role, I was responsible for capturing photo and video content at concerts, masterclasses, and events, then editing and publishing them to our social media platforms. I also created promotional content, developed ideas for TikToks and Instagram Reels, and wrote captions tailored to our audience. Every day brought a new performance, a new challenge, and a chance to grow creatively. 

One of the most exciting parts was seeing the impact of my work in real time, watching our engagement grow and knowing that my content helped connect audiences to the festival’s mission. I also learned the less glamorous side of social media work: digging through hours of footage to find the perfect clip, managing time under pressure, and working without a rigid schedule. These experiences helped me realize that while I love creative work, I thrive best with more structure and flexibility, ideally in an office setting. 

This internship confirmed my passion for media and content creation and gave me valuable insights into what I want (and need) in a future workplace: a collaborative environment, space for creativity, and clear communication. 

I’m grateful to Bay View and Kalamazoo College’s CCPD for making this experience possible, it helped grow my creativity, professionalism and me as a person.” – Anastasia Okromchedlishvili ’28

Building First-Year Confidence: Career Advisors Visit 15 Seminars This Fall

Posted on by Rachel Wood

This fall, our Career Advisors brought resume fundamentals directly into the classroom, visiting fifteen First-Year Seminars to deliver a short, practical presentation called “Building Your First College Resume: The Basics Every College Student Needs to Know.”

The advisors walked students through why resumes matter early, what counts as experience (far more than most first-years expect), and where to find step-by-step guidance in our Career Connection Toolkit. The toolkit’s Basic Resume module (complete in under an hour) helps students build a polished college-level resume from scratch, with templates and practice activities built in.

Career Advisor Eric shared that the visits made an impact:
“It was a super engaging way for first years to become familiar with the CCPD! I wish that I had been introduced to the CCPD my freshman year. My presentations were a great way to spark awareness for how a resume can be built using CCPD resources.”

We’re grateful to our Career Advisors for helping new students take their first steps toward exploring opportunities at K. And, we’re grateful to our First Year Seminar Instructors for welcoming our staff in! Students can find the resume module and more at career.kzoo.edu/CCToolkit.

Learning Global Health Firsthand: A Summer with the Institute for Family Health

Posted on by Rachel Wood
Madeline Hanulcik and her coworder Rania

Supported by the CCPD Summer Internship Stipend, this student spent the summer in Amman, Jordan, working with the Institute for Family Health to strengthen healthcare access for vulnerable communities. From identifying service gaps to supporting inclusive education initiatives, their work offered a powerful glimpse into the impact of global public health collaboration.

“This summer, I had the incredible opportunity to intern at the Institute for Family Health (IFH) in Amman, Jordan. IFH is a regional model for comprehensive, accessible, and integrated healthcare and social services. Established in 1986, IFH provides high-quality primary health care, mental health and psychosocial support, rehabilitation, and protection services to vulnerable populations, including refugees, women, children, and persons with disabilities. With a network of clinics across Jordan, IFH combines direct service delivery with training, research, and advocacy to strengthen health systems and promote the well-being and dignity of individuals and communities.

Throughout the summer at IFH, I supported efforts to strengthen healthcare access in Jordan by identifying service gaps in Amman and other vulnerable cities. I collaborated with key partners, including the Ministry of Health and other local organizations, to align responses with national priorities. Additionally, I contributed to grant applications focused on expanding inclusive education and support for students with disabilities across Jordan.

From this opportunity, I gained practical skills in cross-sector collaboration by working closely with government and organizational partners. I developed the ability to identify and analyze service gaps in the health sector, particularly in vulnerable communities. I also strengthened my adaptability and communication skills by navigating a professional workplace in my second language.

I feel so thankful to the CCPD for providing me with the Summer Internship Stipend because without it, it would have been impossible for me to travel back to Jordan and study public health in the country I have so much love for. In addition to working with my incredible coworkers and learning how to work in the public health sector, I had the unique opportunity to practice my Arabic, travel, and make new friends from Jordan. The Summer Internship Stipend is truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and I encourage all K students who are interested to apply!” – Madeline Hanulcik ’26

Students Lead Civic Government Panel on Careers in Public Service

Posted on by Valerie Miller
Moderator, other panelists, and student attendees listening to panelist, Christina Anderson '98.

Political Science DSA Hollis Masterson ’26 and student leader Libby McFarlen ’26 partnered with Dr. Justin Berry, the Center for Civic Engagement, KVotes and the CCPD to host a dynamic conversation on civic careers last Tuesday with three Kalamazoo city leaders who also have strong ties to the K community.

The panel featured Vice Mayor Jeanne Hess, Chief Operating Officer Laura Lam ’99, and City Planner and Deputy Director of Community Planning and Economic Development Christina Anderson ’98. Each shared personal stories and insights about discovering purpose through public service.

Masterson, who moderated the discussion, asked how each panelist found their way into city government. Anderson described starting as a volunteer on the zoning board before joining the City of Kalamazoo staff. Lam applied for a role with the City, hoping to return to her hometown and contribute to its growth. Hess spoke about her deep ties to Kalamazoo and how the former mayor encouraged her to run for City Commission after retiring from teaching and coaching at K.

As the discussion shifted to building skills and managing challenging work environments, the panelists offered advice rooted in lived experience. “Even a bad internship or job gets you closer to what you want,” Anderson told students. She went on to add that “any job has a learning curve… you need to be in it long enough to see if it’s going to work for you.” Hess added, “I always said as a coach, ‘you either win or you learn.’”

When asked what cities look for in candidates, the panelists emphasized the mindsets and habits that define effective public service. They spoke about listening carefully, asking thoughtful questions, and engaging with community members in ways that build trust. Strong civic leaders, they noted, show up, collaborate well, follow through, and stay grounded in purpose. As Lam put it, “If you go into government, you need to be crystal clear about your ‘why.’”

The event captured the best of K’s collaborative spirit. Students, alumni, faculty, and community partners came together to explore how liberal arts learning can lead to real-world impact. By organizing and leading the panel, Masterson and McFarlen created space for real conversation and connection, encouraging students to imagine careers in public service, or, if not, how to stay involved through continued civic engagement. As Anderson noted, “Wherever you go, you are a member of that community. And it is your duty to be an active member of your community…to bring your light to that space.”

KConnect Week to Celebrate Connections with Hornet Huddles

Posted on by Rachel Wood

This December, the Kalamazoo College community will come together for KConnect Week, a celebration of meaningful connections between students and alumni.

One of the simplest ways to get involved is by hosting a Hornet Huddle. What is that? A short, one-on-one or small-group conversation with students who want to learn from your experience. No prep is required. Just share your story, answer questions, and help students explore what’s possible after K.

Hornet Huddles are 20-minute virtual career conversations that give students the chance to practice reaching out, asking questions, and learning directly from alumni. All Huddles will take place via Zoom on three afternoons during KConnect Week. Please select the times, listed in Eastern Standard Time, when you would be available to meet with a K student.

Alumni from every field are encouraged to participate. Whether you are five years out or fifty, your insight can make a real difference for a student figuring out next steps.

KConnect Week: December 2–6, 2025
Sign up to host a Hornet Huddle:: Alumni sign up here

Advancing Career Readiness Through the Liberal Arts: Building a Career Ecosystem

Posted on by Rachel Wood

Kalamazoo College doesn’t just prepare students for the job market: we prepare them for a world in motion. In an era of rapid change and rising skepticism about higher education, students and families want more than promises. They want to see how a liberal arts education leads to real opportunity, meaningful work, and lifelong adaptability. They expect colleges to connect learning with life after graduation.

This plan is how we do that. Learn more at CCPD Strategic Plan 2025-2028.

Bad Ideas First: What Thomas Bentley ’25 Learned by Starting Before He Was Ready

Posted on by Rachel Wood

“The value in these original iterations was not in making something good… but rather in that I took a step away from doing nothing and a step towards doing something.” — Thomas Bentley ’25

Thomas Bentley ’25 did not get his position with the Minnesota Twins by getting it right the first time. Actually, he discusses how a number of his initial baseball analytics projects were cumbersome, inefficient, and downright bad. But they were the building blocks.

In his blog post, The First Step and 3 Bad Ideas, Thomas reflects on the power of acting before you’re ready. If it was a messy spreadsheet, a failed Twitter thread, or a poorly wighted model for pitching, every failure served to instruct him… and move forward.

If you’ve ever delayed starting something because you weren’t “good enough yet,” this is your reminder to try anyway.

Read the full post here.

When the Job Isn’t Real: How to Spot (and avoid) “Ghost” Jobs

Posted on by Rachel Wood

If you’ve submitted for a job, waited a few weeks and not heard anything, or even gotten through a round or two of interviews and then simply never heard back again, you’re not on your own. And, you might have been a victim of a ghost job.
A ghost job is a job posting that’s advertised with no plan to hire. According to a survey from ResumeBuilder, as many as 40% of businesses admit to posting fake listings in the past year, and nearly 30% have one or more active ghost jobs. And the reasons why? Anything from trying to appear as if they’re growing, to gathering salary data, to meeting internal compliance requirements.

Why Ghost Jobs Exist
• Illusion of Growth: Companies must seem like they’re expanding to attract investors or appease clients.
• Compliance Checkbox: Some jobs are already internally filled, but rules require that they be posted anyway.
• Market Research: Sometimes companies use postings to gauge salary demands or candidate quality.
• Staying Visible: Posting often can enhance a company’s ranking on job boards.

Red Flags to Watch Out For
• It’s Been Posted Forever: If the job has been up for months with no changes or reposts without changes, be wary.
• It’s Vague: Boilerplate text, no discernible responsibilities, and recycled buzzwords can be an indication it’s not a real listing.
• It’s Everywhere… Except the Company’s Website: Actual jobs are usually posted on the company’s own careers page. If it’s only on job boards, it might be a ghost.

What You Can Do
• Take a Quick Deep Dive: Check Glassdoor, LinkedIn, or forums for hiring trends and employee reviews.
• Reach Out: Use your network or LinkedIn to contact people in the company. Ask if the job is actually open.
• Target Active Recruiters: Look for those active and responsive—ghost jobs are typically followed by ghost recruiters.

You’re Not Alone in the Fight

Our partner Handshake is actively working to combat ghost jobs and improve the overall job search experience for students. They’re addressing the issue by gathering data on the number of postings vs number of hires per company, requiring companies to disclose how soon they are looking to fill a position, and by closing job postings that have been open for extended periods and show no sign of being filled. While it isn’t a perfect system, they are highly aware of the problem and are taking strong actions to combat it!

Final Thought
Job searching is hard enough without chasing after listings that were never valid to begin with. Taking a little time to research ahead of time can save both time and energy—and enable you to focus on opportunities that are actually within reach.

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