Career Connections
Hanover College's Career Connections Program's flexible, individually-specialized efforts allow you to establish marketable career credentials while gaining the benefits of a liberal arts education.
Geared for first and second-year students, the Career Connections Program provides access to guidance in career exploration, academics, co-curricular activities and hands-on work experience. The program enables you to explore potential career paths, gain insight into a vocational identity, integrate academic and co-curricular interests into your field of study, develop work-related skills, establish networking ties and build a strong resume.
Introduction 
Career Connections encourages you to prepare for your career during your time at Hanover College. Through active participation, you will establish marketable credentials while earning your degree.
"I kept the spirit of Career Connections alive this summer, working with some young children on a carefarm in the Netherlands, which was intensely rewarding. I put together a sort of promotional photo project for the carefarm that was a real treat to work through."
-David Phelps
"[Job Shadowing at] the newspaper reaffirmed what I already knew... It also made me realize I really need to get myself organized as far as this summer's internship goes. The publishing firm was good... but not for me."
-Katie Tammen | History Major '07
What is Career Connections?
Career Connections are meant to encourage you to prepare for your career within the context of a liberal arts education. While there are general recommendations for all students participating in each program, there is ample flexibility to build a specialized program that meets your individual needs and aspirations.
Benefits
Students who complete a Career Connections program will have a great jumpstart in employment. Through participation, you will:
• Build a strong résumé for the field;
• Prepare for the job market and/or graduate study;
• Gain insight into the specific field and learn if it's right for you;
• Develop related skills and begin to network in the career area; and
• Discover a growing sense of connection between classes, co-curricular activities, and work.
Who participates in Career Connections?
All students are encouraged to participate in the Career Connections. You may begin as early as winter term freshman year, or as late as fall term junior year depending on the career field and your prior background.
Who advises Career Connections participants?
Faculty and staff members with specific experience in the field and interest in mentoring students serve as advisors for each of the programs.
"My internship has provided me with practical skills... knowledge, experience in research and a close relationship with my advising professor."
-Greg Dowling | Biology Major '08
Career Connections Components
There are four key components to each program explained below:
- Exploring the career path
- Taking course work related to the field
- Participating in specific co-curricular activities
- Gaining related work experience and internships
1. Exploration
Through Career Connections, you have the opportunity to speak with a Career Connections advisor to begin exploring your possible career options. Career Connection advisors are available to offer real world advice and to answer questions about the career. You can also take advantage of the resources in the Career Center to start exploring your interests, strengths and possibilities. Assessment instruments such as SIGI PLUS, Myers Briggs Type Indicator, and the Campbell's Interest Skill Survey are available to help you narrow your focus to find what you are most interested in doing.
2. Academics
A broad-based education allows you to use specific course work to begin developing an intellectual basis for the field. A liberal arts education, regardless of major, will be helpful in preparing you for the career of your choice. You should work with your Career Connections advisor, as well as your academic advisor, to arrange a schedule which optimizes your opportunities to build your education and to establish a strong foundation for the field you would like to enter.
3. Co-curricular Activities
There are numerous clubs, organizations and activities that already exist at Hanover that can be useful in building your experience base. There are also countless off-campus activities to help prepare you and to broaden your experiences. Participation in these can give you insight onto your own career interests and can enable you to develop related skills for employment.
4. Internships and Summer Jobs
Would you like to see what the job is really like? Internships give you a chance to explore specific career fields, to gain marketable skills in your career field and to apply the knowledge received in class to actual work situations.
Internships for Credit: Hanover offers the option to earn credit for internship experience. Requirements include a minimum of 160 hours on-site, development of a substantial reading list, and an analytical essay and presentation at the completion of the internship.
"It surprised me how much the theories of Communication could be applied to any profession... I can take interpersonal and organizational theories and apply them to a hospital atmosphere... the stuff I learned is actually useful."
-Amanda Harsin | Psychology Major '06
Current Career Connections
The following Career Connections are currently available to Hanover students.
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Actuarial Science (Advisor: Carl Jagels)
College Teaching (Advisor: Barbara Garvey)
Community Organizing and Advocacy (Advisor: Keith Roberts)
Computer Programming (Advisor: Computer Science Faculty)
Counseling (Advisor: Skip Dine-Young)
Design Your Own (Advisor: Career Center Staff)
Early Childhood Development (Advisor: Judy Roberts, Ellen Altermatt)
Environmental Science (Advisor: Ken Bevis, Daryl Karns, Darrin Rubino, Pete Worcester)
Event Management (Advisor: Katy Lowe-Schneider)
Foreign Service (Advisor: Mi Yung Yoon)
Information Technology (Advisor: John Collins)
Journalism - Print & Broadcast (Advisor: Kay Stokes, Elizabeth Winters)
Law (Advisor: Matt Vosmeier, Dominique Battles, William Kubik, Margaret Krantz, Jared Bates)
Librarianship (Advisor: Doug Denne)
Marketing (Advisor:Chris Gage)
Medicine (Advisor: Margaret Krantz, Walter Bruyninckx, Mike Worell)
Ministry (Advisor: Chris Roseland)
Museum Studies (Advisor: Sarah McNair Vosmeier)
Public Relations (Advisor: Rhonda Burch)
Theater & Film (Advisor: Jim Stark)
