Winston-Salem State University Offers Program to Help Students Find Jobs
Time Warner Cable News By Elyse Mickalonis
WINSTON SALEM – It's something students say needs to be taught.
"I've always sat through workshops on resumes and how to interview, but I was never taught what to do once I accept the job," said Gerrell Wheeler, WSSU Junior.
This week, Winston-Salem State University held a career prep program called GoHire. While it focuses on teaching students soft skills like workplace behavior, as well as how to leave a job and navigate counter proposals, it also has a higher goal -- to eliminate a big diversity gap in corporate America.
"I thought to create a platform in which underrepresented populations, meaning women and minority students, could get a fair shake at competing for opportunities and presenting themselves in the best possible light,' said Tasha Burks, GoHire Recruiting Program Founder.
That work is needed. According to Fortune Magazine, as of this month, there will only be 21 female CEOs running Fortune 500 companies and back in February of 2014, just over four percent of Fortune 500 CEOs at that time were minorities.
Students say they've gotten a lot out of the program, including how to be accepting of others.
"There's going to be a lot of different races and sexual orientations," said Gerrell Wheeler, a WSSU junior. "I have to still be professional and be open to those things. I don't want to make anyone feel uncomfortable."
Last year, Burks says 86 percent of GoHire's students ended up with full time jobs before they graduated or within a week after graduating, whereas the national average was about 17 percent.