by Elise Goitia '18

Knox College students received an inside look at networking for future careers as they attended the mock interviews and networking event organized by the Knox Alumni Council and the Bastian Family Career Center. Students said the October 15 event was a learning experience that offered many opportunities.

"I really wanted to get some practice in developing these interview skills, because it's never too early to start working on your career," said Esai Ponce '17, who is majoring in environmental studies and minoring in biology.

He added that networking is one of the best things a student can do.

"The man I interviewed with, John Heyer (a 1968 Knox alumnus and president of Kettle Moraine Coatings), gave me his business card and a potential opportunity to follow up with him because he knows people in the field that I want to be in," he said. "I think networking is extremely important and everyone should try to do it as much as possible."

Alumni offered crucial advice for interviewing with an employer, such as the importance of explaining  how your experiences would be relevant to a career with that employer. Afterward, students and alumni mingled at the networking reception.

"I'm really passionate about the students getting the right experience and being well-prepared going into the workforce," said Juliana Tioanda '95, director of business and strategy at Microsoft and one of the alumni conducting the interviews. "Like I told one of the students, I wish I'd known some of these things when I was in their shoes because that would have saved me a ton of aggravation."

For example, she said, students and recent graduates shouldn't simply tell an employer what classes they've taken. They need to explain what they learned and why that's relevant to the job.

Ned Babbott '16 says being prepared is the most important thing he took away from the experience.

"Bring a copy of your resume," he said. "Literally 30 seconds before the interview, I got a copy from Terrie Saline (of the Career Center), who printed it off for me. I sat down and my interviewer said, 'Did you bring an extra copy of your resume?' And I said, 'Yes, I did, sir. Yes, I did.'"

Another student, Zoe Luo '18, is considering a career in law in China, and she interviewed with Valerie Blevins '86, an attorney at Shook, Hardy & Bacon L.L.P.

"She gave me a lot of confidence," Luo said. "I was not super confident, because I thought I may want to go to law school in the States because I can finish my undergraduate here. I didn't know I wanted to be a lawyer before. She basically told me there are a lot more opportunities than I thought there would be."