Winter 2019 Edition
Alumni & Friends Magazine
Practiced Persistence
Feeling lost about securing his first internship, geography sophomore Zach Hadley turned to OHIO's Career and Leadership Development Center (CLDC) for guidance, resulting in more than 200 applications and his current position in the City of Athens Mayor鈥檚 Office, showcasing the transformative impact of CLDC's coaching and support.
Peter Shooner | March 8, 2019
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Two years ago, Zach Hadley was lost. The bright geography sophomore, making the grade with a high GPA, didn鈥檛 know where to start to land his first internship.
鈥淚 had zero direction. Do I just mail resumes to people? Do I email CEOs? I had no clue how to do this,鈥 Hadley says. 鈥淚 was super embarrassed 鈥 because that鈥檚 such an important thing to know. I know how to graph a parabola, but I don鈥檛 know how to find a job.鈥
Not finding answers in the classroom, Hadley visited OHIO鈥檚 Career and Leadership Development Center (CLDC), where Assistant Director Kacey Schaum reviewed his resume and assessed his communication skills through a mock interview.
Her conclusion? Hadley鈥檚 engaging personality made him a great interviewee, but he needed to learn how to build a resume, cover letter, and strategy to find the right internship. With no prior work experience to list, Hadley and Schaum knew the task ahead would be difficult.
Zach Hadley, BS 鈥19, practices what he鈥檒l do with his future degree in urban planning and sustainability. Here, Zach hosts a meeting at the Athens City Pool on behalf of his internship host, the City of Athens Mayor鈥檚 Office. Photo by Ellee Achten, BSJ 鈥14, MA 鈥17
Hadley went to CLDC workshops, spoke with professors, and kept meeting with Schaum, who encouraged his progress. But putting these new skills into practice was still up to him.
鈥淲e鈥檙e [about] more than just looking at resumes or cover letters or doing a practice interview,鈥 Schaum explains. 鈥淲e鈥檙e encouraging students to engage fully in [the internship search] process, set action steps, and really take their future into their own hands.鈥
Hadley applied to more than 200 internships over that winter break. He heard back from just one employer who interviewed him and then later offered him the job. Hadley admits the process was defeating at first but recognizes how his hard work paid off.
Today, he鈥檚 working in the City of Athens Mayor鈥檚 Office, his third internship in two years鈥攁 feat he credits to those first steps into the CLDC.
鈥淚t鈥檚 all a process. Now that I have those connections and some networking, some experience and deliverables, I鈥檓 much more adept at finding internships,鈥 he says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 kind of like pushing a boulder. You just need to get it started.鈥
Launched in 2012, the impact of OHIO鈥檚 CLDC is broad. It won the 2018 National Excellence Award for Career Services Excellence from the National Association of Colleges and Employers. Last year it logged more than 20,000 touchpoints with students, 7,000 of whom received the kind of coaching that let Hadley create the map to navigate his own career success.
