This week, the Career Crossings Office (CCO) hosted a Senior Start-Up event in Spes Unica to help the class of 2011 get their school year started in the right direction.

The hour-long session consisted of a brief presentation by Stacie Jeffirs, Director of the CCO, as well as an open question and answer session between Jeffirs and any interested seniors. It was an opportunity for students to begin the process of looking forward toward their post-graduation plans and what they need to accomplish to get to that path.

Several resources were available to participating seniors, including a list of the participating organizations and companies that will be at the University of Notre Dame’s career expo later this month; flyers about making the most of senior year and how to make the job search process successful; and copies of the magazine Job Choices 2011.

“Navigating the senior year can be very overwhelming,” commented Jeffirs. “With Senior Start-up, we are helping students to think about and begin planning for the next steps. Setting small goals for yourself, accomplishing them, and continuing to set more small goals for yourself –  it all adds up to being successful in your job search, getting ready for graduate school, pursuing post-grad service, or wherever you want to make a difference in the world. Our office can assist students with setting the small goals and providing resources to help them be successful in accomplishing them.”

A new event sponsored by the CCO this year will be a monthly meeting of a peer group of seniors who are interested in discussing various topics from their career paths to resumes. The peer group is open to anyone in the senior class and meeting times can be found at the CCO in Spes Unica.