Submitted by Dr. Jerri Arnold-Cook, Director Career Development Center
Blum Union 210, careercenter@missouriwestern.edu, (816)271-4292
You don’t often hear about occupational wellness. When you read or hear about wellness, traditionally the first thing many people think of is their physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, or financial well-being. I always find that interesting because occupational wellness focuses on a person’s ability to balance their work and leisure time in a way that positively impacts all the aspects of wellness previously mentioned.
Occupational wellness is not “one size fits all”. What inspires, challenges, and makes one person feel appreciated and a sense of accomplishment can be different than someone else. Some people enjoy and are energized if they can travel as part of their jobs. Other individuals’ happiness may be dependent upon them being able to go home each day. Some individuals thrive off of being around serving and working alongside a wide variety of people, others may thrive and be happier if they primarily work alone. Since different students have different needs and goals the Career Development Center provides Griffons with personalized services.
Traditionally, students are only aware of the careers of people around them and careers they see portrayed online, on television, or in movies. If none of those sound appealing, they may struggle to choose a major or a career. Other students may want to confirm that the major or career they are pursuing is a good match for them. The CDC helps these students by providing free career coaching and free assessments. Through active listening, staff learns more about each student, careers, and majors that sound exciting to them, which do not, and why. We administer the Strong Interest Inventory or Clifton Strengths Finder free of charge. The Strong Interest Survey lists occupations and jobs that align with students’ interests and work-related values. The Clifton StrengthsFinder helps us understand a student’s natural talents and abilities so they can keep that in mind as they explore career options.
Once students have identified a limited number of careers to explore or if a student wants to confirm interest in a job or career, we provide detailed information, the names of relevant professional societies, and resources to learn more. Often, we can connect students to a professional they can talk to or shadow so they have an accurate understanding of not just what someone does in a job, but what types of education and experiences a Griffon should consider so they are a competitive candidate when they graduate.
Once a Griffon has identified an occupation that will support their wellness, we can help them design a job or internship search. We review, print, and help students create career-related documents such as resumes, cover letters, and personal statements for graduate school applications. We host career fairs, mock interviews, and create opportunities other opportunities for our students to engage with professionals. In an effort to help our students make a fantastic first impression we have a Career Closet where students are provided with Free professional attire.
In the CDC, we also support Griffons’ occupational wellness while they are in college by helping them find part-time jobs, internships, and summer jobs across the United States and abroad. Handshake, our career platform, allows students to search for jobs, find out about events, and upload documents to be reviewed. Our office is located in Blum Union 210 and we can be contacted at careercenter@missouriwestern.edu or by calling (816)271-4292. If your student wants to learn more about our services I hope you will encourage them to drop by or make an appointment.
