Ouachita Stories

Ouachita Baptist University’s Office of Career Services will host a free Alumni Career Panel for all students Wednesday, April 20, from 12 noon-12:50 p.m. in the Ouachita Commons Alumni Room.

“The Alumni Career Panel would be so beneficial for our students to attend because they are going to receive firsthand information from our alumni who recruit, interview, hire and train new employees,” said Mallory Moddelmog, director of Career Services. “The students will receive advice regarding how to conduct an effective job search, benefits of getting an internship, do’s and don’ts on a resume, interviewing tips, qualities that employers are looking for in new hires and making a good first impression at your new job.”

The panel includes two recent Ouachita graduates who will share with students about their experience transitioning from full-time student to full-time employee as well as tips on the job search and what they wish they had known before they graduated. Stephen Johnson is an accountant with Dillard’s, and Eric Varner is a delivery specialist with Acxiom Corporation; both are 2010 Ouachita graduates.

Four members of the panel, April Hobbs, Carrie Sharp, Mac Stroud and Shari Ulery, have extensive experience with the interviewing and hiring process and will share advice and wisdom regarding what employers are looking for when they recruit and hire new employees.

Hobbs, a 1999 Ouachita graduate, is a Registered Dietitian in the neonatal intensive care unit at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and serves as department team leader, which includes staffing and scheduling responsibilities both for interns and full-time employees. Sharp, a 1985 Ouachita graduate, serves as an instructor of early childhood education at Ouachita as well as reading specialist in OBU’s Michael D. Huckabee School of Education. She has 25 years of teaching experience in public schools. Stroud, a 1973 Ouachita graduate, is senior vice president at Martin-Wilbourn Partners and leads the internal communications and employee relations consulting practice. He previously served 30 years as vice president of human relations for Alltel. Ulery, a 1997 Ouachita graduate, is executive recruiter for Acxiom Corporation and recruits sales and information technology employees for the global marketing organization.

“This panel will give our students a true advantage when they embark on the job search process,” Moddelmog noted. “Students will be able to apply the information they learn when they prepare a resume, interview for a job or internship and ultimately begin their career.”

For more information, contact Mallory Moddelmog at [email protected] or (870) 245-5283.

By Brooke Zimny