REL Grad Hosts Career Workshop

Last week, Khara Cole, who graduated from UA with a degree in Public Relations and Religious Studies in 2013, lead current students in a career workshop. The casual meeting launched last year as an RSSA initiative and continued this year (organized by Prof. Vaia Touna). The presentation covered everything from resume structure to LinkedIn formatting, and even nonverbal communication during interviews.

As a current Alumni Liaison Committee member, Khara volunteered to give the presentation to a small group of both undergraduate and graduate students. The workshop was designed to show students the behind-the-scenes logistics of hiring and the most effective ways to highlight the unique skills they developed as humanities majors.

After graduating from UA, Khara worked and volunteered in communication-based jobs before settling in as a Product Specialist at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama. During the workshop she gave insight on the common do’s and don’ts of an interview process, relying on her own experience as an interviewer in the last several years to give students helpful advice.

Khara distinguished the qualities that make an applicant stand out beyond involvement and experience, including small gestures like coming to the interview prepared with a pen and paper or following up with relevant information or questions. Her varied work experience in the last five years provided her with valuable insight to pass on to the newest generation of Religious Studies students preparing to join the workforce.

The Department looks forward to continuing the career workshop next year.

Check out tips from last years workshop.