STUDENTS
Guiding Students to Their Future
“Employers who hire Westmont students always want more of them,” says Lori Ann Banez, director of Career Resource Center (CRC). “We prepare them well for their careers and offer resources to employers seeking thoughtful, responsible, highly engaged employees.”
“According to our research, students who meet with us feel better prepared for their first role after graduating. They also tend to achieve better outcomes and salary levels.”
CRC has streamlined its process to root career readiness in the academic program and developed a timeline for students to follow.
“We changed our name, revamped the website and simplified messages and materials,” Lori Ann says. “According to our research, students who meet with us feel better prepared for their first role after graduating. They also tend to achieve better outcomes and salary levels.”
CRC works closely with professors to emphasize the importance of students connecting with their office. Lori Ann and her team speak in a variety of classes to discuss career preparation. She reaches out to professors, staff members and parents to enlist their help in encouraging students to participate in the center’s programs.
Open to all students, events such as Career Café and Industry Insights expose them to various roles and professional environments, engage them in conversations about potential careers and help them gain experience talking with employers.
Their first year, students can settle in, discover all the career resources available and consider studying abroad to gain cross-cultural insights. Using Handshake, Westmont’s career platform, they can find a job on campus.
Second-year students will learn more about their interests and abilities by taking values, skills, personality and interest assessments to discover what’s important to them and will help them flourish. Through networking and other CRC events, students learn about majors, careers and graduate school. Developing a resume, cover letter and LinkedIn profile gives them a head start.
Unlimited access to AI tools that optimize resumes and LinkedIn profiles helps increase students’ chances of obtaining interviews and internships to gain valuable experiences. CRC wants students to conduct informational interviews as sophomores and juniors and internships as juniors and seniors.
In their third year, students continue refining their resumes and profiles and directly engage employers at CRC events. Through O*Net, a Department of Labor database, and LinkedIn they may explore possible careers and start networking.
CRC strongly encourages seniors to serve in internships or research positions that expand their resumes and prepare them professionally. They can develop a strategy for finding their first job and continue exploring possible careers. Going deeper with LinkedIn and the Westmont alumni network, they can connect with people doing jobs that interest them.
Lori Ann has directed CRC since September 2023. She joined the career office in 2011, working in student employment and employer relations. “I have a history in staffing, and I love connecting students and employers,” she says. Impressed with technology, she introduced a job platform to help students find internships and jobs. Westmont uses Handshake, a sophisticated program serving higher education. In 2019, Lori Ann became director of donor relations, later adding duties of the director of foundations before returning to the career office. Her husband, Joel, serves as director of college software, and all three of their sons, Noah ’18, Corban ’21 and Ethan ’23, graduated from Westmont.
“I love this work,” Lori Ann says. “Preparing students for their next steps is the hardest, best work I’ve ever done. They can be so focused on their wonderful Westmont experience that they put off thinking about the future. We draw them in through assessments and events, and they get excited about taking the next steps in developing their professional journey. We have services and resources for it all it!”
Are you a hiring manager or employer? If so, Lori Ann would love to speak with you. Contact her through recruit@westmont.edu.
This is a story from the Spring 2025 Westmont Magazine