By Kristine Milbrandt
The first in a series of workshops to assist Wartburg College student-athletes with their careers is set for Monday, Nov. 5.
Student-Athlete Career Planning — sponsored by the Wartburg athletic department and Pathways’ career services — focuses on skills developed not only in the classroom, but in the field or on the court.
“The unique thing about this series is that it will target different areas that are all important in your career search, no matter what stage you’re at,” said Paige Klostermann ’12, assistant women’s golf coach.
Klostermann, who will assist Derek Solheim, associate director of Pathways’ career services in teaching the series, participated in a similar workshop when it got its start in 2011.
“We received a NCAA Student Affairs grant that focused on career development,” said Monica Severson, associate director of athletics. “We partnered with career services to have a seminar on campus for our student-athletes. We also sponsored a Young Professionals Dinner for student-athletes, which provided them the opportunity to network with alumni student-athletes from a variety of professions.
Programming on sports psychology, nutrition, alcohol and drug education, academic and support services previously has been offered for student-athletes in an effort to enhance their overall experience, Severson said. However, this is the first workshop series format for career planning.
“The athletic department at Wartburg always is looking for ways to help advance its student-athletes and help prepare them for life after college,” Severson said.
A resume-writing workshop starts the series Monday, Nov. 5, 7-8 p.m., in classroom 2240 in The W.
“It is important for students to realize that a resume is what gets you the interview,” Klostermann said. “Who you are and how you can relate to an employer is what will get you a job.”
Klostermann also said that this particular workshop demonstrates how students can incorporate skills taken away from their athletics into a resume.
“Sometimes it’s easy just to say I played college athletics for four years,” Klostermann said. “However, we will show them different ways to show those skills they used in college athletics on their resumes, such as time management, being a leader, team player.”
Student-Athlete Alumni Networking, the second workshop, is Monday, Jan. 28.
Students will get the chance to talk with former Wartburg athletes to learn more about their professions and what led them there.
“This is a great time for students to get business cards, talk about resumes, internships and even possibly talk about setting up a meeting to do mock interviews or tour a company,” Klostermann said.
Student-Athlete Career Search, the final installment in the series Tuesday, March 19, focuses on job interviews and seeking a future employer.
“All student-athletes can benefit from this series because of the information that is being shared,” Klostermann said. “Most of the information talked about at the series is information that any student can get from career services. However, this is a time that they can ask questions of a career services director and me, a former Wartburg student-athlete who just went through this whole process.”
Klostermann graduated in May and found her job at Wartburg three weeks before graduation. She thinks students will relate well to her since she has just been through the career-planning process.
“Overall, it is a great series that will help all ages prepare for what lies ahead of them,” Klostermann said. “Whether it’s for a part-time job, an internship or a career after college, it’s always important to be prepared and ready for that next step.”