Arkansas Tech Career Center seniors who will soon move forward to employment and post-secondary education opportunities are learning career readiness skills designed to prepare them for success as young adults.
ATCC staff members are offering their senior students a draft day preparation series that is helping them create a professional résumé, dress for success and develop interview skills, all of which could make a significant difference in their employability and income level as they embark upon their careers.
“It’s something that can be overlooked that can literally cost you an opportunity or a job,” said Arron DeGracia, ATCC director, while speaking to the ATCC seniors during a meeting as part of their draft day interview preparations. “It’s like preparing for an athletic event. You’re going to do your best the day of the event, but it’s everything that leads up to that event that makes the difference. Your interview is the same way. You are going to give the best performance you can, but if you are on time, dressed properly, shaking hands…you’re checking all these boxes. You want to check as many boxes as you can going into that interview, and all those things can be prepared for if you put the work, energy and time into learning it and doing it.”
The dress for success portion of the ATCC draft day preparation program features a collaboration with MARVA that is providing ATCC seniors with access to professional dress clothes they can wear when they participate in River Valley East Draft Day March 18-19 at Russellville High School.
“We want to be involved in the community as much as we can,” said Carissa O’Bryant, MARVA executive director. “For us, there’s really no better way than helping the future workforce. It also gets us some exposure as well, so it’s a win-win for everyone involved.”
Visit https://app.glueup.com/event/river-valley-east-draft-day-russellville-march-18-19-124678 to learn more about River Valley East Draft Day 2025.
Visit www.atu.edu/careercenter for more about Arkansas Tech Career Center.
