Tuesday, May 5, 2020
Category: News
Last year, 100 percent of the Messiah College Class of 2018 survey respondents were employed or in graduate school within 6-9 months of graduation. At Messiah, our students are well-prepared for the workplace through internships, service-learning opportunities, leadership programs and more. But don’t take it from us! Why else are employers eager to hire Messiah graduates?
1. Messiah graduates possess high levels of professionalism and career readiness.
According to Patty Price, talent acquisition and culture coordinator at WebFX, “Something that we really notice is the level of professionalism and career readiness that the Messiah students have, and it’s something that really stands out.” During their time as a student, Messiah graduates gain valuable experiences through internships, practicums and various learning opportunities that effectively equip them for a career in their field of study. Messiah’s Career and Professional Development Center provides students with one-on-one career coaching, resume assessment and many other services that prepare them to enter the workforce.
“It’s very competitive to hire Messiah students. As an employee, if you’ve waited until they’re seniors, you’ve probably waited too long.” Scott Heintzelman, Martin’s Famous Pastry Shoppe
2. Messiah graduates gained experiences during college that provided them with real-world expertise.
Our 70+ clubs and organizations help students apply their passions to projects that provide them with real-world experience which translates into life post-graduation. These student groups play a crucial role in students’ co-curricular education, offering them a place to serve, grow and have fun outside of the classroom. Organizations like The Collaboratory enable participants to apply academic knowledge and live out their Christian faith through imaginative, hands-on problem solving with non-profit organizations, governments and business partners both locally and around the world.
“They’re doing projects that are directly relevant, sometimes even for local and community businesses, that I think is something special and really unique, and allows for students to actually take the hard skills that they’re learning and be able to apply that.” Patty Price, WebFX.
3. Messiah students are prepared to articulate their competencies, interests and strengths.
“Messiah students are very, very prepared when they’re coming out of Messiah in terms of knowing what they’re passionate about,” said Andrew Samuel, CEO of LINKBANK. At Messiah, we see ourselves as partners in your career pursuit and are committed to helping you prepare for whatever vocation or service God has called you to. Through offering students bachelor's degrees in 80+ majors, students will discover passions they can directly integrate into their career.
4. Messiah graduates display distinct core values.
“I love the fact that we know exactly what we’re getting values-wise. Honesty, integrity, doing the right thing. A lot of those values are embedded in them at the college because of the environment and the effort the professors take in just pouring into students.” Andrew Samuel, LINKBANK
“Right off the bat there is an implicit understood value system. We know that there’s certain core tenants of beliefs that we share with folks coming from Messiah, and because those beliefs are there, we know that there’s a founding values system that undergirds them.” Josh Benton, andculture
It is our desire that all Messiah graduates leave with a strengthened heart for service, a commitment to common good, a faithful intelligence, and a passion for community and justice. These are qualities employers consistently notice and appreciate in Messiah graduates as employers search for individuals to add to their teams.
5. Messiah graduates understand their work in the context of a greater framework of Christian vocation and calling.
Our alumni consistently tell us that their experience at Messiah was transformative, and that it helped them see themselves, their faith, their career and the world in exciting new ways. It is our goal to help our students understand the combinations of faith and intellect, discipline and imagination, harmony and difference, wisdom and expertise, worship and service, and humility and aspiration in order for them to see their career anew.
“They just have a seemingly different perspective on the world that makes them really cool to work with.” Josh Benton, andculture
Hear more from these employers over on our YouTube channel!