Departmental Spotlight: Office of Career Planning

When prospective students are conducting their college search, learning about the career preparation resources available is important. At Meredith, the Office of Career Planning (OCP) supports students and alumnae. To learn more, we asked Director of Career Planning Dana Sumner to share some highlights from 2024 and to look ahead to what is planned for 2025.

How do you describe your department or program to students?
“The Office of Career Planning supports the career planning and goal-setting process alongside Meredith students. We can serve as a sounding board, giving students a chance to talk through their career hopes and ideas. OCP can weigh in with advice, support, resources, and connections to help students achieve their goals.

OCP is the place students come to explore careers they can consider with their Meredith major.  Students might meet individually with a career counselor and talk about their interests, skills, values, and strengths and how those align with careers in the workplace. Students may also participate in events like career panels or professional development events – like career fairs, information sessions, or career treks – to hear directly from professionals about the academic backgrounds and the career readiness skills they look for in their workplaces.” 

What are some ways that OCP supports students?
“Career Planning guides students in creating professional documents like resumes, letters, and other correspondence needed to apply for internships and full-time jobs. Students can also receive advice on developing a professional brand that can be viewed by anyone, including prospective employers and professionals in the workplace. Each semester, OCP hosts employers who provide feedback to improve students’ professional documents. 

Career Planning offers internship and job search strategies for students as well as interview coaching and support. More formal practice interviews with professionals are offered each semester to allow students to practice responses to a variety of interview questions. The OCP team is always available to provide mock interviews for students. Job offer negotiation strategies are covered in OCP, too.  Students thinking about or interested in graduate school can use Career Planning to talk through the application process and key considerations.  

Career Planning is a place where students can create a networking strategy that works for them and that they can continue to adapt throughout their careers. During these conversations, OCP covers general and specific ways students can build their network in their field of interest.”

What are some highlights of the past year that you are proud of?
“I’m really proud of Career Planning’s intentional programming focused on students’ career and professional development. This past year students had options to engage with OCP in individually hosted workshops, presentations, panels, online modules and career planning resources, and events. They could also participate in the Angels Suited for Success Professional Development Certificate program where they chose two or more career-focused sessions designed for career exploration, skill awareness and building, and career competitiveness. This academic year, OCP is focusing on building Career-Ready Communication skills. Presentations, one-on-one conversations, and panels with professionals have been geared toward this theme and have elevated the need for students to demonstrate appropriate communication skills in and out of the classroom and on the job. Students have been asked to share examples and behaviors of what appropriate career-ready communication looks like. OCP developed this list of behaviors as a starting point to deliver A+ Communication and we have been able to talk about it widely with students. 

I’m proud that OCP has prioritized Career Treks in our program offerings. These visits to local organizations or companies each semester have given students the chance to ‘see’ how their career paths connect to jobs. Each visit includes communication and networking opportunities with professionals onsite. Many students gain a deeper understanding of the workplace environment and build valuable professional connections.

Another point of pride is OCP’s Signature Events this year: Student Organization Spotlight & Networking Night, Career Fest, Career Ready Communication workshop, and the panel – From Campus to Career: Communicate with Confidence.”  

Can you share more about those Signature Events?
“This year, for the first time, OCP and Meredith’s student organizations (SGA) collaborated to offer students the opportunity to practice speaking with professionals about career goals, strengths, and experiences during the Student Organization Spotlight & Networking Night. Think of a reverse career fair… student organizations were behind the table and employer representatives approached them! This event, right before the career fair, gave students a chance to work out their nerves, build confidence, and talk with professionals about their student organization – and a bit about themselves, too!

Before hosting our own career fairs on Meredith’s campus, OCP participated in consortium career fair events with local colleges in the Triangle. Within the last 5 years, OCP made the decision to host employers on campus, meeting with Meredith students to talk about their organizations, internships, and jobs. Best decision! Attendance has maxed out each year – and employers continue coming back to recruit talented Meredith students. This year specifically, OCP partnered with the School of Business and offered “Meet the Firms,” a career fair especially for students interested in careers in accounting firms. It was a win all the way around!

Career Ready Communication workshop was an active opportunity for students to bring awareness to the communication skills needed in the classroom and beyond. Students started by learning what communication, teamwork, and critical thinking really mean when it comes to their future careers. They put their communication, teamwork, and critical thinking skills to the test through hands-on activities. And, they left feeling more confident about how to use these skills in professional settings.

During the faculty and employer panel, Communicate with Confidence, no question was off limits for the panel of experts. This rich conversation was genuine and straightforward.  Panelists were thoughtful with their responses to questions like: 

• What does strong communication look like? 
• What are some best practices for giving and receiving feedback, especially when it may be negative? 
• How do you discern how to communicate with different audiences? 
• A lot of us experience anxiety when communicating more difficult things – having to cancel a meeting, share our opinions, etc. What strategies can you suggest to ease this anxiety?

Specific examples were shared, which provided student participants with a better understanding of the value of strong communication skills. Many students connected with the panelists afterward, adding a connection to their network.”

What are some things that you are excited about for 2025?
“I am very excited for OCP to offer intentional programming again through the Angels Suited for Success Professional Development Certificate program. While taking steps to meet their personal career goals, students earn a certificate in the process!” 

Anything else you’d like to share?
“I am so proud of all the people who make OCP work! We don’t do it alone – our student assistants, the OCP student marketing team, graduate student career counselors, campus partners, and employer partners help us deliver critical career information and experiences to Meredith students! 

I’m really proud of OCP’s collaborations with Meredith faculty and staff who had their students participate in Angels Suited for Success, invited OCP into their classrooms for individualized presentations, partnered with OCP to host Signature Events, or served as Career Champions. I’m also really proud of the opportunities by faculty to spread career readiness curriculum in the classroom, giving students awareness of the skills that employers require of graduates who consider themselves career-ready. These conversations have provided students with the ability to understand the types of behaviors associated with the skills employers seek. Students have a better understanding of what it looks like to be career-ready.”

Learn more about the Office of Career Planning