Colin Kohrs / Winonan

Networking is a necessity for college students when it comes to hunting for a job, and the Winona State University Career Services at the Warrior Success Center aims to help students with that process.

According to Associate Director for Career Services DeAnna Goddard networking is a way students can highlight their personality and communication skills in a way that a resume or online application cannot achieve.

“There is a big question mark about (communication skills) right now for the millennial generation,” Goddard said. “Can they effectively communicate with their colleagues and their future customers or clients?”

A new program offered by Career Services, Brazen, aims to help students with networking, job hunting and more.

Career Services has launched two new programs utilizing Brazen called Careers@ and CareersIN with the primary goal of connecting students with Winona State alumni all around the world.

Careers@ connects students with alumni at a specific company, and CareersIN focuses on an industry.

The program functions similar to online chat programs like Google Hangouts and even Omegle. Students create an account and can chat with alumni during these events, with the added benefit of uploading digital documents and connecting other profiles such as LinkedIn.

“The goal of the chats is to really be a first point of contact for students to find individuals who are alumni out in particular places so that as they become professionals they start to build a professional network,” Goddard said.

Building a network is not only important to showcase one’s talents, but also to open the door to the full-time job market. According to Goddard, only 30 percent of jobs are listed on the internet.

“So if (students) are not networking, and they’re not introducing themselves to individuals and sharing the skill sets they have, they’re going to miss out on the other 70 percent” Goddard said.

These events are a great opportunity to expand current student’s job prospects, as well as tightening the Warrior community, Goddard added.

“You get to see all these other warriors out there and see what they’re doing,” Goddard said. “How did their careers evolve over time, and what should you be thinking about as you go out as a professional?”

Career Services just finished their first event with the program, Careers@ Target, and more events are currently in the works.

Goddard encourages students with questions about the new programs or Brazen to contact or come into the Warrior Success Center.

“Career services is here to help (students) through all their career development,” Goddard said. “If they need support they should certainly come in and work with us. We are more than willing to work with them.”

-By Colin Kohrs