ISSUED: 7 August 2014
MEDIA CONTACT: Valerie Owens
SHEPHERDSTOWN, WV — Radka Ferancova is looking forward to helping students and alumni at Shepherd University in her new role as a career advisor at the Center for Teaching and Learning Advising Assistance Center (AAC), which is located in the Scarborough Library.
Ferancova will be working with first- and second-year students as they decide what to major in and helping them figure out what career path to take. She will also advise juniors and seniors who are getting ready to enter the workforce as they perfect their résumés, write cover letters, and learn how to search for a job.
Ferancova and her colleague Kelly Pannill offer counseling for undergraduate students on career options and resources, workshops on résumé building, interview skills, graduate school applications, and major/minor exploration; facilitate the annual CareerFest; maintain career-related databases; and oversee the administration of CLEP tests for Shepherd students.
Ferancova said it’s important for students to figure out early what course of study they should follow. But for those who haven’t done that, or who find they don’t like the major they chose, the Advising Assistance Center offers a place to get help and sort things out. One tool available is an assessment that helps students determine what their interests, attitudes, and values are so they can figure out what they should major in or what kind of job they should look for.
“A lot of freshmen and sophomores might just panic a little bit, (and say) ‘I always thought I might be in biomedical engineering and now I can’t pass a class that I need to take so what do I do now?’” she said. “Giving those assessments or sometimes just a conversation about their interests and values helps them to find a plan B and start changing their minds and being OK with having different options.”
Farancova said working with the Advisement Assistance Center early helps students realize how quickly four years of college go. She said students should begin planning for their futures in their first year by attending career fairs, speaker events, doing job shadowing, networking, and exploring fields they’re interested in. “These things need time, a couple of years, to build your network of professional references and just explore the fields you’re interested in,” she said.
Juniors, seniors, and alumni can go to the center to use job search engines and learn how to look for work. The center offers experiences like mock interviews and advice on things like building an appropriate wardrobe.
Ferancova comes from Mississippi State University where she received her master of science in counseling and her bachelor of arts in communication. While there, she also served as a graduate assisant in the career center for two years and as a counseling intern for the Department of Counseling and Educational Psychology. Ferancova has extensive experience with international students, students with disabilities, veterans, and intercollegiate athletes.
Ferancova is excited to be at Shepherd.“It’s been really great,” she said. “Everyone is very personable, and very upbeat and in a good mood and just willing to explain things to me and help me out.” Ferancova encourages faculty and staff to refer students to the center. She is also willing to make presentations in the classroom, residence halls, and at events.
The Advising Assistance Center is located in the lower level of the Scarborough Library, offices 104B and 104C. Office hours are Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday from 8 a.m.-6 p.m. and Thursday and Friday from 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Additional hours are available by appointment. Walk-ins and appointments are welcome. For more information, call 304-876-5317, email advising@shepherd.edu, visit Facebook or Twitter at @SUAdvising, or chat on AIM: advising@shepherd.edu.
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