Industry representatives from the Career and Technical Education Career Clusters offered firsthand advice to WEMOCO students on how to be successful in their careers.
The representatives made up a panel and joined students and staff from the Career and Technical Education Center through Zoom in early June.
The lineup of panelists included:
Teddy Kaminski- Salon Owner & WEMOCO Alumni (Salon Soignee)
Scott Lord- Owner (Weslor Enterprises)
Jake Hoffman- Field Service Engineer (Ford Automotive)
Zachary Arnold- Director of Talent Recruit (URMC)
Frank Kittlinger- Executive Vice President (Davis-Fetch Corp)
Shannon Alvarado- Human Resources (Monroe 2 BOCES )
Chris Van Eps- Creative Services Senior Producer (News 10 NBC)
Roanne Kovach- Human Resources Manager (Wegmans)
Kevin Leonard- IT Supervisor (Datto)
Rob Bettin- Maintenance Supervisor (Kodak)
Panelists kicked off the conversation by introducing themselves- sharing where they work, what they do there and how they got to be in that position. Panelists weighed in on what the most important quality for their careers are and why, with many agreeing that motivation, consistency, positive attitudes, and a willingness to learn were among the most important qualities employees can have.
The discussion then moved to their advice for students when it comes to interviews. Panelists advised students to research the company they are interviewing with beforehand and making sure they are honest and professional. One panelist suggested reaching out to the company beforehand, while another stressed the importance of focusing on the current job and not future opportunities or the salary for the position.
Students were able to ask the panel questions at the end of the discussion. Questions ranged from tattoos in the workplace, to room of growth timelines, to customer service skills and accommodating disabilities in the workplace.
The call was organized by the CTE Work Based Learning Coordinators, Brandilyn Gage-Steves and Cindy Christensen. As the meeting drew to a close, students and staff thanked both the panelists and the Work Based Learning Coordinators for providing the opportunity!