CareerLink
Interim/Spring 2015
Connecting the Career Development office with faculty, administrators, students and parents
Internships paved the way for history alumna’s career path
Jen Vos, a 2012 history graduate, considers her senior year at
Calvin as crucial to providing experiences that led her to where she
is today. Jen spent the fall semester in Budapest, Hungary, soaking
up the culture and history of Central and Eastern Europe, while
also developing her interest and skills in photography. Upon
returning from Budapest, Jen was a collections intern at the Grand
Rapids Public Museum, conducting research in the archives and
cataloging artifacts into the museum’s database.
These two experiences prepared Jen to secure a spot in the Padnos
Internship Program at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum
upon graduation from Calvin. She was immediately put to work on
a new and ambitious project: to produce professional quality
photographs of the entire collection of 19,000 artifacts. Due to the
scope of the project, Jen was asked to continue her internship into
the fall of 2012.
Career Development
main office:
Hekman Library 372
Resource center:
Hekman Library, 2nd
floor
Walk-in Hours:
Monday-Friday,
3:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m.
(for resume or cover
letter critiques)
While Jen’s supervisor at the Ford Museum worked on a proposal to fund a full-time position
photographing artifacts, Jen continued working on the project during a two-month temp period in
the spring of 2013. She spent the rest of 2013 working at the Grand Rapids Public Museum, first as
the assistant manager of the gift shop at the Titanic exhibit, and then as a front desk customer
service associate.
In December of 2013, Jen learned that the Gerald R. Ford Foundation agreed to fund a full-time
Digital Technician position for 2014. Jen accepted the offer, and in early January, returned to her
post and started her current position as Digital Technician at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential
Museum. Jen enjoys the opportunity to photograph artifacts and edit the photos for promotional
use.
“Without a doubt, my favorite part about my job is being able to handle artifacts. It is quite literally
a hands-on approach to history,” Jen explains. “I can read an online article about the Doolittle raid
on Tokyo in 1942, and then walk into collections storage to see Doolittle’s Medal of Honor, which
is on loan for an upcoming exhibit. Physical artifacts give context and evidence to the past in a very
concrete way. It is an honor and a privilege to help preserve these artifacts for future generations.”
Reflecting on her career path so far, Jen recognizes that her internship at the Grand Rapids Public
Museum helped secure her internship with the Ford Museum, which in turn, helped secure her
current position. As a result of this experience, she recommends that Calvin students pursue an
internship as soon as possible.
“Internships are the best way to gain experience and to test interest and aptitude in a particular
field,” says Jen. “Also, pay attention to the daily routine of your supervisor. Intern tasks can seem
dull at times, but you won’t be an intern forever. If you pursue the field in which you intern, your
daily tasks will more closely resemble that of your supervisor than your internship.”
Inside this issue:
Internships paved
the way for
history alumna’s
career path
1
Internship
photos
2
Fall semester
highlights
3
Upcoming events
3
Faculty and Career 4
Development
partnership
opportunities
Page 2
Fall 2014 interns
Carlie - Skytron
Nick - Cascade Country Club
Evelyn - Kentwood Community Church
Over 275Calvin students
completed a fall
internship, giving them the
opportunity to develop the
professional skills
employers are seeking in
candidates.
Students: report your
internship at
www.calvin.edu/career
for a chance to win $15 to the
Campus Store!
Joe - World Renew
Laurel - HR Collaborative
Additional internship photos
are featured on our Facebook
page.
Nate - Micah Center
David - Monroe Products
Victoria - Catholic Central Schools
Page 3
Fall semester highlights
In addition to providing one-on-one career counseling, delivering presentations to numerous classes
and student groups, and managing the internship program, the Career Development office held a
variety of events during the fall semester:

The annual Business Careers Networking Reception was held in October, and 175 students and
professionals participated in “speed networking” conversations at the event.

The Career Development and Alumni offices partnered together to coordinate the third annual
Calvin in Chicago Career Fair, held on October 28 at the University Club in downtown Chicago.
82 Calvin students made the trip to meet with representatives from 16 employers, including
Goldman Sachs, Federal Reserve Bank, Symmetri Marketing Group, among others.

The Fall Career Fair, hosted by GVSU in collaboration with Calvin and other area colleges,
included 217 employers recruiting for internships and full-time positions in a variety of industries.
109 Calvin students took advantage of this opportunity to connect with prospective employers
(compared to 64 Calvin students who attended last year).

The Career Development office, in partnership with Michigan State University and Dr. Phil
Gardner, Director of the Collegiate Employment Research Institute, hosted the annual
Recruiting Trends Conference at Calvin. Calvin has become a regional site for the national
conference in the future.
Upcoming events
Michigan’s Global Future:
Career Conference for International Students
Fri., Feb. 6
GVSU Downtown Grand Rapids Campus
Calvin College Engineering & Computing Fair
Tues., Feb. 10, 2:00-5:00 p.m.
Prince Conference Center
Job Pursuit
Fri., Feb. 13, 9:00 am-4:00 p.m.
Crowne Plaza Lansing West Hotel—Lansing, MI
Pre-registration required
Winter Career Fair & Health Careers Day
Tues., Feb. 24, 1:00-5:00 p.m.
DeVos Place Convention Center
Out-of-State Teacher Fair
Mon., March 2, 3:30-6:30 p.m.
GVSU Allendale Campus—Kirkhof Center
Follow-up interviews on March 3
Teacher Search
Tues., April 28, 12:00-4:00 p.m.
Prince Conference Center
More details about these events are available at
www.calvin.edu/events-list.html
In partnership
with students,
graduates,
employers, and
faculty, we offer
our hearts and
lives to do God's
work in God's
world.
Career
Development’s
Mission
Statement
Page 4
Faculty and Career Development partnership
opportunities
The Career Development office welcomes opportunities to partner with faculty, in order
to ensure students’ transition-readiness for employment or graduate school upon
graduation. The options listed below are a few possibilities for partnership, but feel free to
contact Career Development if there are other ways we can serve you and your students.
Class presentations
Career counselors are available to visit your class and deliver presentations on careerrelated topics, including interview techniques, resumes and cover letters, job searching
strategies, or another topic of your choice.
CAREER
DEVELOPMENT
Calvin College
1855 Knollcrest Circle
Grand Rapids, MI 49546
Phone: (616) 526-6485
Fax: (616) 526-6502
E-mail: career@calvin.edu
www.calvin.edu/career
“Like” us on Facebook to stay
up-to-date about upcoming job
fairs, events and other helpful
career resources!
www.facebook.com/
calvin.career.development
Career and personality assessments
Career Development offers three assessments: the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI),
Strong Interest Inventory, and StrengthsFinder. Students always have the option to
complete these assessments and meet individually with a career counselor. However, if
you would like to use these assessments in your class, the assessment results must be
interpreted by a trained career counselor, either in one-on-one appointments or in a class
presentation. Please contact Career Development to make appropriate arrangements.
Class assignments or extra credit options
Career Development will work with you to develop assignments or extra credit options
for your students, such as completing a practice interview or meeting with a career
counselor to review a resume. If you choose to assign or offer extra credit for these
activities, please contact the Career Development office first to make sure our counselors
have time available to meet your students’ needs and deadlines.
The Career Development staff looks forward to working with you!
We offer a variety of services
for students and alumni:
Career counseling
Major selection
Career testing
Internships
Job search assistance
Job fairs
Practice interviews
Resume and cover letter
critiques
Web-based job posting
system
Career Development Staff
Glenn Triezenberg,
Director
Bonnie Speyers,
Career Counselor
Meredith Segur,
Career Counselor
Lydia Frens,
Career Counselor
Beth Cok,
Internship Program Manager
Karen Brewer,
Department Assistant
Laurie Lemmen,
Kristy Dykhouse,
Recruitment Coordinator
Internship Program Coordinator
Questions or suggestions? Call or e-mail
Meredith Segur, (616) 526-7675 or msegur@calvin.edu.
Available online at www.calvin.edu/career