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WARRENSBURG, MO 鈥� Using a medium they believe will resonate with students, the University of Central Missouri鈥檚 Career Services Center has developed a new career-focused podcast. Titled 鈥溾�� the weekly student-led podcast was launched this fall as part of the mission and vision of the Career Services Center to educate students on career development and provide opportunities towards meaningful careers.

 

The podcast is hosted by speech-language pathology senior Carson Hertzler and cybersecurity junior Austin McClary. Listeners can expect to learn about certain career-related topics such as networking and resume-building through 鈥淢ules with a Mission,鈥� which is thoughtfully curated for students seeking career advice.

 

鈥淲e are trying to reach out to as many people as we can while giving as many resources and information as possible to our students. I think a lot of people are nervous to come into our office or maybe don鈥檛 feel the need to,鈥� Hertzler said, 鈥淲e are just trying to create a fun and unique way to reach out to those students and give them that information if they don鈥檛 feel the need to come into their office.鈥�

 

The podcast serves as a supplement to other resources provided by the Career Services Center. According to Jessica Johnson, assistant director of Career Readiness and Employability, the podcast is a great tool for busy students.

 

鈥淲e try to stay up with the trends and kind of what is going on with how we can deliver Career Services information. I think it鈥檚 crucial to give our students a way to access Career Services information in a quick fashion,鈥� Johnson said.

 

The podcast is recorded at the Center for Teaching and Learning with equipment assistance provided by Carol Knight, instructional design specialist. Additionally, Knight edits the podcast alongside McClary. From there, McClary handles many behind-the-scenes tasks such as uploading the podcast to various streaming platforms.

 

At a university level, the podcast is the only student-led Career Services podcast in the state of Missouri. The podcast is very unique 鈥渂ecause it is led by their (students鈥�) peers.鈥� Johnson said. 鈥淭hey can see this is a junior and a senior who are currently on campus, who are getting access to all these people and teaching us some valuable information about career-related topics.鈥�

 

According to Hertzler, the podcast being student-led is its greatest strength and contributes to its value as a resource for university students. Hertzler strongly believes that the ability to receive advice curated from other students at a similar grade level will resonate with listeners. Also, because the podcast is by students, listeners can expect discussions to focus on the university experience.

 

鈥淚f you are just looking for a way to gain that knowledge in a quick and easy fashion, you can just walk around campus listening to it, car rides if you commute. It鈥檚 the perfect time to get that information. I think it鈥檚 a lot more accessible for our students and I think the accessibility helps out with them gaining that information,鈥� Hertzler said.

 

The Career Services Center hopes 鈥淢ules with a Mission鈥� will be a solution for the modern student seeking advice. According to Johnson, the Career Services Center is continually seeking new ways to grow appeal and connect with the student body.

 

Johnson said 鈥淢ules with a Mission鈥� hopes to capitalize on the rise of streaming 鈥渁s podcasts are the 鈥榠t鈥� thing right now.鈥� She added that students really enjoy them, they are easily accessible, and another innovative way for the Career Services Center to reach students.

 

The 鈥淢ules with a Mission鈥� podcast is available to students round the clock in an easy, digestible format tailored to students. While the Career Services Center provides valuable services to students to help them on their career path, those looking for general information, resources or advice can turn to the podcast at a convenient time for them, rather than scheduling an in-person appointment. The Career Services Center encourages students, regardless of academic situation, to take advantage of the podcast as a way to build connections with the center.

 

New 鈥淢ules with a Mission鈥� episodes are available every Monday on popular streaming services such as Apple Podcasts and Spotify. The podcast can also be heard on . To contact the Career Services Center for podcast inquiries, email Jessica Johnson at jessjohnson@ucmo.edu.