Media Career Services to hold first annual Media Career Week for students February 24-27

Media Career Services is holding its first annual Media Career Week, featuring workshops, guest speakers, and media professionals offering helpful insights to prepare College of Media students for a campuswide career fair as well as their post-graduation career. 

Media Career Week will kick off Monday, Feb. 24, and run through Thursday, Feb. 27, culminating with the Hire Illini Career and Internship Fair, which typically attracts hundreds of employers recruiting for a wide range of jobs and internships. The event is organized by The Career Center on campus and held at the Illini Union.

Daniel Almanza, assistant director of Media Career Services, said he wanted to try something new this year, taking events that would normally be held throughout the academic semester and planning them during the same week to build momentum leading up to the main career fair held every spring at the University of Illinois. 

“What I had in mind was to offer different workshops, different opportunities for students to be able to prep for the Hire Illini Career and Internship Fair, but also to start thinking about what they want to potentially do as a career,” Almanza said. 

Media Career Services is partnering with other units on campus to put on daily events throughout Media Career Week, including The Career Center, the Media James Scholar Program, the Richard and Leslie Frank Center for Leadership and Innovation in Media, and the Roger Ebert Center for Film Studies. 

Events include resume reviews with local professionals, student internship panel, an alumni career night, and more.  

Students are encouraged to self-select which events they attend, based on their interests and needs, whether it’s talking tips, networking opportunities, or learning more about a specific field in the media industry. 

“It's really about helping students prepare for their future career and attending events they think are going to help them ultimately at the career fair,” he said.

Almanza, who has led Media Career Services for more than three years, recently shared some of his career advice in Getting from College to Career by Lindsey Pollak. 

In the book, Almanza highlights webinar tips, provides interview recommendations, and suggests how to showcase previous experiences and skills.  

Almanza hopes the inaugural Media Career Week will help Media students become fully equipped to succeed at the annual Hire Illini and Internship Fair.

“I’m excited to do this, to see how well it works and really pilot [this program] and see if students enjoy a condensed week of professional development,” he said.

A full schedule of Media Career Week events can be found here.

Pictured at top: Media Career Services hosts a panel with recruiters. 

—Kelly Youngblood