UCC hosts Mocktail Party for education, employer feedback | News

A group of 57 Texas Tech students attended the University Career Center Mocktail Party event Tuesday night at the McKenzie-Merket Alumni Center.

Students gathered at the center for the opportunity to gain insights into a typical professional networking reception, attended by employers from all over Texas and Lubbock.

“This event is to get students more connected with employers and give them more of a job opportunity right out of college,” said Ryleigh Martinez, UCC marketing manager. “We encourage students to take advantage of these opportunities as well.”

The event started in a lecture room as Brenda Becknell, the etiquette instructor from Robert Spence Modeling Agency, and Allison McCain, Career Development Specialist, went over how things were going to take place during the evening and a few etiquette tips, and then were offered some hors d’oeuvres before venturing over to the employers.

“I love being able to see students become more confident in their social skills when face to face with a professional,” Becknell said. “I think it’s so important for them to learn to talk to people and project their personality and I like to see that come to life.”

Around 21 employers attended the event, both to find prospective students to hire and to teach them, said Joleen Hueftle, ​​Vitera talent resource manager. Hueftle said this event was meant for industry professionals like himself to be able to receive more insights and tips, even if students don’t end up working for Vitera itself.

“This event has prepared us very well, we had a 30-minute pep talk and instructions, and we learned things we didn’t entirely know beforehand,” said Theodora Thomaidou, a graduate student and teaching assistant at Tech’s College of Media & Communication from Athens, Greece.

Lacy Elliott, StarCare Specialty Health System talent acquisition specialist and recruiter, and Eddie Leos, StarCare HR generalist, said the company tends to be specifically interested in Tech students because a lot of their positions require a four-year degree. Their goal through attending is to generate many students’ interests in StarCare and seek young, qualified candidates to apply for their positions.

The UCC event coordinators reached out to many different companies that aligned with the education provided at Tech for this event, and they tried to bring in as many students as possible to have maximum opportunities.

“The university reached out to our HR department to help us recruit students, and we are huge within our community at the UMC,” said Veronica Knott, a senior benefits specialist for the University Medical Center. “If I can help one person decide their career path for the rest of their life then I will have accomplished what I wanted to when I got here.”

Taylor Garrison, an oil and gas professional with Optimal Land Services in Midland, said Tech students are some of the best options for their internship programs and their job force.

Gabreela Hamilton, a physics graduate student from Brazil, said the event helped her feel more comfortable in professional social settings.

“I felt a little better prepared after tonight because I already knew a little of the information, but I learned new tricks and it made me feel more comfortable,” Hamilton said. “My biggest takeaway was everything we learned about food etiquette, because before I wouldn’t eat and because I wasn’t aware of what to do and didn’t want to be rude.”

The UCC often hosts these bigger events, at least four to five times each semester and 20 to 25 smaller events as well. The UCC also provides students with tips on how to create a good networking profile, etiquette and how to properly write resumes, Martinez said.

The UCC will host a career fair from noon to 4 pm Wednesday in the Student Union Building.