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For more information contact mark.a.kinders@uwrf.edu or brenda.k.bredahl@uwrf.edu.

Spring Graduates Get Ready to Transition from College to Careers

By Jenna Campbell
UW-RF University Communications

MARCH 24, 2006-- For seniors nearing graduation, the thought of the real world can be overwhelming, and some seniors might not feel yet prepared to leave their home for the past few years.

To overcome that trepidation, the University of Wisconsin-River Falls Career Services is sponsoring a one-day event, "Road Trip to Reality: Surviving the Transition from College to Career" to soften the transition for graduating seniors. The event is March 29 from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Students will meet with representatives from area employers. There will be panel discussions and presentations to help students learn tips on how to market themselves effectively to future employers. Prior to the event, students can receive help with résumés, cover letters and portfolios in the Hagestad Student Center from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. March 27-28.

On the day of the event mock interviews with real employers will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Managers from local businesses have volunteered their time to offer students feedback on their interviewing performance. A few of the local companies that will be participating in the mock interviews are Agriliance, AppleOne, State Farm, Bremer Bank, QMR Plastics, the Red Wing Republican Eagle, Hennepin County, Rauenhorst Recruiting Company, AFLAC and Paychex. The mock interviews are by appointment only, 715-425-3572.

Presentations will also be made throughout the day. Amy Sebelko, who is a senior health and welfare specialist from AgriBank, Farm Credit Bureau, will be conducting a presentation on understanding employment benefits from 10:10-11 a.m. Sebelko has been with FCB for 25 years and has earned the Professional in Human Resource and Certified Benefits Professional accreditations. Currently, Sebelko is working on her Certified Employee Benefit Specialists accreditation.

The human resource panels include four individuals with a range of experiences. Jeanine Rickson, a managing partner and recruiter for Genesis 10, will be presenting on the HR panel. Rickson is a founding partner of the Minnesota office of Genesis 10. She is a graduate of UW-RF, a member of Project Management Institute and active volunteer in community theater.

Trygve Olson an account executive at AppleOne will also be sitting in on the panel. Olson’s duties at AppleOne are diverse: salesperson, recruiter, HR professional and an account manager. Olson is also a staff writer with the Minnesota Timberwolves and the director of business development for Olsen & Son marketing communications.

Phil Baumgarn will also be participating on the panel of human resource experts. Baumgarn is the recruitment director for ACR homes, which manages has group homes and counselors who live or work in the home and provide assistance for its residents.

Stephanie Grogg, a senior recruiter with Padilla Speer Beardsley, will also join the panel. Grogg joined the PBS team in 1992 as an office assistant and has been involved in the human resource department at PSB.

Sally Field will present on “How to Succeed at Your First Job” from 2:30-3:25 p.m. Field is a former HR director for Erickson's Diversified and HomeStyles Publishing and Marketing as well as a public information officer and division manager for the state of Illinois and litigation paralegal at a Chicago law firm. Fields is also the president of Sky’s the Limit Coaching and Consulting, where she has developed training seminars, workshops and individual coaching sessions. Fields is a board member of the St. Croix Valley Employers' Association.

To find a complete listing of events visit the career center website at www.uwrf.edu/ccs/events/roadtrip/welcome.htm or call Career Services at 715-425-3572.

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