On Saturday, August 27, Capital One hosted a hands-on speed networking event for students at Morehouse College, Spelman College, and Clark Atlanta University in partnership with Braven and the AUCC.
Several students came out to Walter E. Massey Leadership Center at Morehouse College to spend their weekend building their networking and professionalism skills. The event offered one-on-one resume reviews with a Capital One team member, a LinkedIn profile review, and free professional headshots.
The first hour was from 4 pm – 5 pm and was reserved for Spelman students only. From 5 pm – 7 pm, it was open to all students of the AUCC. Prior to the event, the Capital One team conducted a panel discussion giving advice to first-year students about the importance of networking, finding a mentor, and practicing time management.
Event organizer and HBCU/HSI Partnerships, Events, & Invest Schools Lead at Capital One, Olutoyin Asubiojo said that the goal was to get the students prepared for their future. “With the students just coming back on campus what we really wanted them to get is just all the fundamentals they need to get themselves ready for all the things that will be happening when it comes to internships, full-time opportunities, we really want them to feel prepared. Whether or not they come work at Capital One, we’re just excited to be a part of their journey”
The event saw a great turnout as students poured in wearing their business professional, ready to learn what Capital One had to offer.
In addition to the headshots, resume, and LinkedIn review, they provided free food, a 360 booth, and a guest DJ, Rayymon Beatz to keep the energy high. They also held a raffle every hour for students who completed each station, with prizes ranging from a $50 Visa gift card to a brand-new iPad.
Arrie Dwittin, a sophomore health science major at Spelman College said she came to the event to expand her networking skills. “I think anyone and everyone can build up the skills of networking because after college you’re in the real world and they don’t teach us this is high school, so any chance I can get to learn these are adult skills is very vital.”
Kyra Floyd, a sophomore political science major at Spelman College said she found the event to be particularly helpful for black students when asked why is it important for college campuses to hold these types of events. “I think it’s especially important for black students to understand the professionalism and what big companies are really looking for… I think it’s the opportunity that a lot of kids especially black kids don’t have.”
Carlos Overton, a freshman mass media arts student at Clark Atlanta said the event helped him prepare for his professional career. “They don’t teach us this in high school, but here they’re giving us the format for everything we need to be successful in life.”
Capital One had a table set up where students could scan QR codes for information about internships and full-time positions in the areas of Commerical Banking, Finance, Cyber Security, Design Development, and more. The students were also given the opportunity to speak with Capital One team members about their career aspirations and leave their information with them so Capital One can keep up with students and update them on possible job opportunities.
Capital One will be returning to the AUCC soon for an upcoming career fair and will “definitely” be doing this event again according to Asubiojo. “This is our first time doing this speed networking event and we’re so glad to be able to test it out at the AUCC. We learned a lot and so we’ll definitely try to do this with some of our other partners that we have upcoming and continue to do this event.”
