A Career in Careers

by Lauren Fish, CAPS Event Liaison

My freshman year, I had no idea what CAPS was, or what the letters in the name even stood for. Now, entering the second quarter of my third year, CAPS has become a bigger part of my life than I ever would have expected. For me, CAPS is much more than just a place to work: it is an invaluable resource, one that has already given me a good deal of opportunities and insider information.

I snagged my job as an Event Liaison through networking: a friend on the rowing team who worked here last year e-mailed the team listhost to see if anyone would be interested in applying for a job that had just opened up at CAPS. I replied immediately, and after sending in my resume and cover letter, I landed an interview with the office. When I came in for my interview, I knew right away that I wanted to work here: the woman who interviewed me, my potential boss, was incredibly friendly and welcoming, the other student workers seemed cool and interesting, and the job sounded stimulating and fun. I was thrilled when I found out I had gotten the job.

Working as an Event Liaison is as challenging and interesting as I had hoped it would be. My responsibilities range from setting up the sign-in computers (we call them kiosks) that you type your ID number into when you come to an event to meeting with employers from companies all over the world to help make sure their presentations run smoothly. I’ve collaborated with recruiters from Teach for America, The Boston Consulting Group, Citi Bank Asia, and the Peace Corps, to name just a few. I’ve also gotten to know the other members of the CAPS staff, from the practice interviewers in the 3^rd Floor Resource Center to the AV/Tech guys in their basement offices. I’ve gotten some really awesome career advice from the people I work with, who know about all kinds of internship and job opportunities. I’ve gotten to sit in on presentations from a wide variety of employers, broadening my knowledge of the kinds of careers available to students like me after graduation.

My job has allowed me to see, and participate in, all the things that CAPS does to benefit us, the students at this university. There are so many great things going on here at Ida Noyes and all over campus; CAPS really does everything it can to give us students every opportunity to excel during and after our time here. Honestly, it’s too bad it took me almost two years to realize this—but now that I know what CAPS has to offer me, I’m doing all I can to take advantage of this great resource while I can!