During her presentation, Foster estimated that she’s probably had about 50 college interns since founding KKPR 14 years ago, among them current campus English major Juliet Falcone.
Foster genuinely loves the opportunity to serve as a mentor and provide students with access to the skills they’ll need to succeed in the workplace.
“I have a soft spot for young people who want to make a difference,” said Foster, who has gone on to start three other businesses since founding KKPR.
Foster said all interns should strive to bring a solid foundation of “hard” and “soft” skills to the workplace.
Hard skills -- i.e. the specific technical abilities needed to perform in a given profession — are obviously hugely consequential to someone’s employability. However, she said, job candidates also need to possess the soft skills that all employers value, among them leadership, time management and communication skills.
Of course, Foster added, the process of landing an internship is a skill of its own. A good, well-written cover letter allows one to stand out from the other candidates, she said. And, before going into an interview, candidates should take the time to research the company in order to ask knowledgeable questions.
“You can never be too prepared for an internship interview,” Foster said.
The event’s panel discussion featured a range of perspectives from its diverse group of participants: students Luci Polanco and Matthew Palmer; recent graduate Shanie Mohamed; campus program coordinators James Wilkerson (business; project and supply chain management) Kimberly Flanders (corporate communication); and Paul Perrone (English; letters, arts and sciences); and local professionals Sarah Gerrity, human resources manager at Gertrude Hawk Chocolates, and Maureen Snell, senior financial officer at Commonwealth Health System.
Mohamed, who graduated in December with a business degree, recently landed a job as an economic development specialist at the Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Commerce. She’s convinced that her two internships — one at the campus’ LaunchBox business pre-incubator in South Scranton, the other at Coal Creative — played a huge role in her getting the job offer.
During the latter internship, she worked on projects with the chamber that proved effective from a networking standpoint.
“It was the first job interview I had post-college,” Mohamed said. “I learned so much during my internship, and I’ll only continue to learn.”
Palmer, an alternate energy/power generation engineering major, is doing a four-year internship at Tobyhanna Army Depot. The experience has allowed him to both develop tangible skills in his field and serve his country in a civilian capacity.