MC Career Center cultivates student-employer connections
As spring blooms across the Maryville College campus, the class of 2026 is looking forward to walking across the stage at graduation. However, along with the anticipation steadily growing on campus, students are faced with the hard decision about what to do after graduation.
While every graduating senior will embark on a unique path, MC boasts a repertoire of partnerships with various organizations that have a track record of employing recent MC graduates. Some of these organizations include 21st Mortgage, Clayton Homes, Blackberry Farm, DENSO International America Inc., Knoxville Utilities Board (KUB) and Blount Partnership.
The big factor that separates these partnership organizations from other potential employers for graduating seniors is regionality. According to Dr. Niklas Trzaskowski, director of the Career Center, “The College is determined to be of and for the region, [so] it is important that we collaborate with area [industries] to help them address their need for outstanding employees. Regional economic developments shape how we conduct outreach and influence the industry partners that we believe offer our students outstanding opportunities.”
Organizations have pre-established relationships with Maryville College through consistent communication with Trzaskowski and his team at the Career Center. While students are encouraged throughout their time at MC to network and become comfortable initiating conversations with professionals, Trzaskowski and his associates set the example and precedent through strategic communication efforts with external organizations.
“Hardly a week goes by when I am not talking with an employer, either someone established or someone who has not recruited here before, about Maryville College, either via email or in person,” Trzaskowski said.
In addition to outward-facing communication, the Career Center conducts considerable behind-the-scenes research to gain insights into which partnerships will be most beneficial for MC students. This research includes tracking employer engagement data and conducting feedback surveys for graduate school input.
“We also keep a close eye on economic developments and labor market trends in our region, where our students end up after graduation and where they are completing internships while they are here,” Trzaskowski said.
This communication and research allow the Career Center to form and sustain relationships with employers that offer meaningful opportunities, creating a space that students want to work in. However, the benefits available to students through the Career Center’s established partnerships are not exclusive to graduating seniors. Any student at Maryville College may make a meaningful connection with a future employer, whether for part-time employment, internships or full-time employment opportunities.
How do students, from first-years to seniors, foster these meaningful connections? Alongside the Career Center, students must conduct some research. They may consider what strengths, talents, skills and interests they possess, both inside and outside the classroom.
In addition to mastering subject knowledge taught by faculty, students may gain insight into their talents, skillsets and passions from external experiential learning opportunities, including involvement in campus organizations, sports, creative expression, community service, travel and even personal hobbies. Next, as students research their own individual skillsets and strengths, they may also practice open and effective communication to foster meaningful connections with potential employers.
“We need students to support [our] efforts by engaging with employers when they come to campus and by demonstrating a willingness to be open to a variety of opportunities,” Trzaskowski said.
Through openness and engagement, students may discern how their personal skillsets and talents may align with a particular employer, allowing them to find the right fit through trial-and-error. Even if a student has a conversation with an employer and decides that it is not right for them, they could be opening a door for another student through their communication.
“Even if you are not directly interested in [an opportunity] presented, you can still play an important role,” Trzaskowski said. “For example, when you pass an employer partner or graduate school representative on your way to lunch, do not ignore them. Instead, serve as an ambassador for the College by offering a wave. You may not be searching for an opportunity right now, but your classmates may be.”
Engaging with employers helps students find jobs and provides comfort and familiarity in initiating conversations with employers – skills students will need in their search for future employment.
“When students participate, that could help [the employer] to better understand the value that Maryville College students could bring to their organizations, [since] employers pay close attention to how their visits and interactions on campus are received by students,” Trzaskowski said.
As spring flourishes and recruitment season reaches its peak, students may take time to reflect on the individual values they want to bring with them into the next stages of their lives. Whether students are speaking with an employer who has an established partnership with Maryville College, or cold-calling an organization they are individually interested in, the Career Center is available to help students effectively express the value they will bring to an organization.
Students are encouraged to engage wherever possible with potential employers – an excellent opportunity to practice this is the 2026 Opportunities Fair, which will be held on Wednesday, March 25, from 11:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. in the Clayton Center. Students planning to attend this event should register on Handshake, where they may view a list of employers who will be present in advance.
Students are encouraged to prepare by reviewing professional dress guidelines, bringing printed copies of their updated resumes, and doing research ahead of time.