Yesterday afternoon, nearly 100 students attended the Criminology & Criminal Justice Career Panel Discussion. Dr. Patricia Warren facilitated a discussion between students and Melinda Miguel, Chief Inspector General at the Executive Office of the Governor; Eric Daniel, Special Agent Supervisor for the FDLE; David Perry, Chief of Police at FSU Police; and Jennifer Kajzer, Territory Vice President of Loss Prevention for Kohl’s Department Stores. The panelists offered great career advice to students seeking a more practical application to a career in Criminal Justice, covering topics such as how to dress, what kind of skills are required from the next generation of job-seekers, how to handle social media and what to expect from your first job.

In case you missed the panel, here are a few take-aways you can use:

• Remember to arrive on time for an interview. Your timeliness proves you respect the interviewers and the importance of the organization.
• Spell check your interview materials for grammatical or spelling errors.
• Act professionally and demonstrate good interpersonal skills. It’s very important to potential employers that you can work with their employees.
• Have a good attitude and show your employer that you want to be there. You can prove this by networking with others in the office, assuming responsibility for a project that no one else will take, or being willing to work a little bit longer than usual to finish something important.
• Demonstrate good writing and communication skills.
• Be mindful of your social network presence! It is unattractive to future employers to find snapshots of job candidates in compromising situations.
• Get involved in activities around campus or in the community.
• Treat every day like an interview. Remember that your professors and advisors are great resources to tap into. If they don’t see you taking your education seriously, they may not take you seriously.