Center for Career Development to host open house for students Jan. 26

Rice students unsure of how to write a resume, craft a cover letter or pitch themselves to an employer are invited to learn those skills and more Jan. 26 at the Center for Career Development’s (CCD) open house and “Resumayhem.” In addition to a full complement of career counseling services, the CCD will be offering students an afternoon of free food, fun and lawn games.

Lawn games and free food truck fare will be on offer along with resume and career advice this Friday, Jan. 26 at the Center for Career Development.

“Students will be able to stop by Huff House between noon and 4 p.m. and sign up for a resume review or practice their pitch before the Career and Internship Expo Feb. 2,” said Katelyn Holm, marketing and events specialist for the CCD, who’s particularly excited about a new texting alert system this year. “After signing up for a resume review, students will receive a text when a career counselor is available so that they can enjoy the party outside while waiting for their appointment,” she said.

Outside, the party will include those aforementioned lawn games, music from DJ Friendzone and complimentary cuisine from a variety of food trucks, including ice cream cookie sandwiches, Thai-Mexican quesadillas, chicken sandwiches and hot and cold caffeinated drinks. In addition to a T-shirt giveaway, the CCD is also raffling off three pairs of Bluetooth wireless speakers. Students can enter the raffle by having their resume reviewed, practicing their pitch with a counselor or visiting the table of the event’s sponsor, JP Morgan Chase & Co.

With more and more students attending the annual Career and Internship Expo, the CCD is aiming to make resume reviews easy and accessible for students of all years and majors in advance of the popular event. Students interested in a resume review should bring a printed copy of their resume on Friday.

“We decided to combine two of our favorite events into one great afternoon in order to reach as many people as possible and make what could seem like a stressful ‘to-do list item’ for students a lot more fun,” Holm said. “Students can expect to have a ton of fun and leave feeling prepared for Expo.”

Can’t attend this open house but still want to brush up on your career-seeking skills? An upcoming Expo Refresher workshop Jan. 30 at Huff House will provide pizza and advice to those who’ve been through the Expo before — though without the one-on-one attention from alumni, recruiters and CCD professionals at the open house and Resumayhem.

“This event is a great way to kick off the semester,” Holm said. “Career prep can sometimes be overwhelming, but we really want to inject excitement and fun into the process — it doesn’t have to be scary. Our career counselors are available year-round, and the CCD has so many great services to help students of every major — who know what they want to do or don’t know — find and make their place in the world, both inside and outside the hedges.”