Resource Spotlight - Q&A with Chambers Career Development Center’s Logan Mayhew

Career support is a commonly offered resource across several schools, but online students may wonder if they will have access to the same guidance and connections as students on campus. And if they are already working, changing industries or trying to tell a new story about their experience, what does that support actually look like?

The Chambers Center for Career Development Program Director for Student Success, Logan Mayhew, discusses how that support meets students where they are, from one-on-one coaching and online coursework to networking and virtual employer connections.

What does the Chambers Career Development Center offer students?

The Chambers Career Development Center offers resources that help students become more competitive and more confident when they enter the job market. We do a lot of resume reviews, mock interviews, job and internship searches, salary negotiation, career fair preparation, and networking.

We also do Clifton Strengths coaching and have several certified coaches.

While the Chambers Career Development Center is on campus, how do you connect with online students?

Undergraduate online students in Chambers programs take an introductory business or first-year seminar course that includes a resume review with us. We meet with them and make sure students know the same appointments and resources available to on-campus students are also available remotely.

A lot of those students may already be working full time, so it’s a good opportunity for them to have a conversation with someone dedicated to career development, which they would normally have to pay hundreds of dollars for elsewhere.

We also work with graduate students.

Those conversations may look less like a mock interview and general prep for entering the job market, and more like discussing positioning within your current company. We have wonderful staff members who have backgrounds in workplace development and training, and they’re fantastic at having those conversations.

How is career readiness integrated into coursework?

By being situated within the Chambers College, we’ve developed really deep, strong relationships with our faculty.

For instance, we have a new Management Information Systems faculty member whose class has a group project. We’re working with her to create a question set in Big Interview, which is an AI-powered virtual interview platform.

We’re creating a custom question set for that specific project. Students can answer questions about their project planning skills and technical skills in a project setting, so they can really talk about their experience from both a nontechnical and technical perspective.

We also have opportunities to integrate career development directly into online courses. For example, we have an online hospitality program, and I’m recording a video for one of those courses about personal branding in hospitality.

That’s much more meaningful than saying, “Go to the CCD for a mock interview.” We’re excited to keep developing these ideas and extend them further into online courses.

What is something students often overlook when they’re searching for jobs?

It’s hard to pick one specifically. It’s going to sound cliché to say networking and utilizing relationships, but it’s really true.

Networking isn’t always just attending an event and having a one-off conversation. It’s about starting early and using the network you already have.

Sometimes I’ll sit down with a student and ask, “How did you decide that this is something you wanted to do?” They’ll say someone they know is doing this.

I’ll ask, “Have you talked to them about their company or their business? Have you shadowed them? Have you said, ‘Is there anyone else you think I should connect with?’”

I think students sometimes have a misconception about what networking is and what it looks like. It’s a piece that could be utilized a little bit more by some of our students.

What advice do you have for online students looking to build a remote network?

LinkedIn has a great alumni search tool. If you pull up WVU, or the Chambers College if you’re a Chambers student, you can click on Alumni and see where people are located, what they’re doing, what company they work for and all of that information.

Cold outreach can be a challenge, but that’s an opportunity to connect with alumni. It’s more of a warm outreach because you’re both WVU students, which helps.

I’d say the biggest thing with our remote learners is considering how you can be creative with building your network. Do it in a more organic way and have conversations with people where you may not think you have something professionally in common with them.

You could be out at a restaurant or a park or somewhere else. You just never know where those conversations may lead.

How does the center connect students with employers and alumni?

We offer a range of opportunities for students to connect with employers and alumni, from traditional career fairs and classroom involvement to more individualized experiences.

For students who live farther away or are unable to make it to the in-person events due to work commitments, a lot of our employers do virtual information sessions and offer virtual ways to connect with them through the Handshake platform. I don’t think a lot of students know about or take advantage of that.

What’s a resource the center offers that you think is underrated or underused?

Clifton Strengths coaching, for sure.

There’s a lot that you can learn from it that you could integrate into your elevator pitch, connecting with a company, your interview or anything like that. It can also help build your confidence as you’re going into the workplace.

The other one I would say is mock interviews before you need them. Interviewing requires practice. Some people might be more outgoing and naturally better at it, but regardless, you need to practice.

Practicing four days before you have an interview is not always the best approach. We’re really trying to drive home the idea of coming in and starting a mock interview or practicing for an interview before you have one.

First, we need to take an inventory of all your stories. Then we need to start applying those stories to questions, and then we need to polish them.

It really does take a lot of practice. We want students to come in and start doing that before they’re put on the spot and have to deliver.

Take the Next Step to Get Career Ready

Thank you to Logan for her time and insight!

When you’re ready to take the next step in your career, schedule an appointment with the Chambers Center for Career Development through Handshake or reach out with any questions you may have.

Looking for more information? Check out our resources for online students, including our guide to remote networking or the list of academic support resources.