Auburn's second annual Top Young Professionals Event is just one example of how the University pushes its students to strive for success, and it comes ripe with experience, opportunities and rewards for its participants
This event is a contest among students who will be interviewed by a panel of potential employers. These panelists will judge the contestants on their interview skills, professional appearance, resume quality, and closing the interview.
The Top Young Professionals Event is a 2-part series that will include an interview and the "Dress for Success Fashion Show", during which male and female winners will be announced and door prizes will be distributed. The winners will also receive a $500 shopping spree at Dillard's in the Village Mall in Auburn.
"The fashion show is designed to share ideas of what the proper attire for a job interview is," said Melvin Smith, the Top Young Professionals Event supervisor.
The fashion show will also display which outfits are inappropriate for interviews in the "real world."
"We are trying to prepare students for the professional world," said Matthew Anspach, a special events graduate assistant and promoter for the event. "Students will get experience with the career center's Tiger Recruiting Link as they apply for the Top Young Professionals Event the same way they would apply for an actual job."
Actual employers who are in the field of human resources will interview the contestants, according to Anspach.
"Even if they do not win the $500 shopping spree from Dillard's, the realistic interview experience is crucial," Anspach said.
Auburn's reigning male Top Young Professional Schavion Graham, 2011 graduate in business administration, said he believes the experience will be invaluable for the students.
"This event was more than just a $500 shopping spree at Dillard's. It was a personal journey," Graham said. "As I submitted my resume, sat in the interview room and attended the actual event, I realized that I had won the competition within myself. I had proved to myself that I was a professional and that I could confidently and successfully complete a job search."
The $500 shopping spree is a perk for contestants, but it is not the main focus of the event. According to Smith, this event is designed to give contestants a glimpse into the business world.
"This will allow [the contestants] to work on their job search skills and present their work before judges (employers that normally recruit at Auburn)," Smith said. "It will help them in their search for suitable career opportunities. This is just a creative way of preparing them for what is ahead."
Judging for the Top Young Professionals Event will take place in the Auburn University Career Center the week of Aug. 20. The fashion show and announcement of winners will be held at The Hotel at Auburn University and Dixon Conference Center on Sept. 6. The registration deadline is June 27, and all students are encouraged to enter.
More on this event and its registration process can be found on the Auburn Career Center's website at www.auburn.edu/career/type/.
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