Bethany Apt was going to be an HR Generalist. She was certain of it. There was no doubt. Then she got a job doing it.
"I found it, really mundane," she says. "Based on what my passion is--I love working with people, and this job was a lot of paperwork-- I found it kind of tedious. It just wasn't for me."
Historically this sort of realization would come at the start, or even worse, well into a new career and could mean having to start all over from square one. Or worse, staying stuck in a job that's a chore to go to every day.
However, for Apt, since she made this discovery during her senior year internship at UNH Manchester, she was able to test those waters, decide that career wasn't for her and get the help she needed to easily switch course.
"A few of my professors spent a lot of time talking with me. They knew I was struggling with the internship and that it didn't really align with what I wanted to do," Apt says. "Just having them talk to me, and being able to approach them for guidance, support and advice, that was huge."
She said with their help and conversation, she was able to decide what she really wanted to do, which it turns out is recruiting.
Apt, a 2013 graduate of UNH Manchester's business program, currently works as a recruiter for The Alexander Technology Group in Bedford, NH. Her previous job was as a Technical Recruiter specializing in IT and engineering staffing with Black Diamond Networks in Andover, MA.
She says that in addition to the invaluable real world experience and insight of the internships she was able to get through UNH Manchester, the classes she took and professors helped her get post collegiate work.
Through Senior Seminar, which everyone is required to take, she was able to perfect her resume through rigorous review, practice interviewing and getting tips on how to dress and be professional in an interview. They even encouraged her to attend a job fair at UNH Durham.
"If I hadn't been encouraged to go, I never would have stepped into recruiting," she says. "And it's my passion now."
As a result, Apt had multiple job offers in the weeks before graduation, when her professors once again were there to help narrow the choices with her.
"Really, the entire four years was just a great experience. The professors were just great," she says. "I loved the one-on-one contact I was able to have with them. Whenever I was struggling with schoolwork, career or life choices, they were always there to help me figure it out, to assist me in any way possible. They really became my confidants."
