During their last semester of college, seniors at The Master’s University hardly go a day without being asked the question: What are you doing after graduation?
Nearly all those asking the question are merely curious. Most can’t actually help seniors find a job. But there is at least one staff member at TMU who asks seniors that question and can help them find employment: Nathan Dougherty.
At some point in their final semester at TMU, every senior will speak with the Office of Career Services — many with Dougherty himself, the school’s associate director of corporate sponsorship. His goal in those conversations is to ensure students have every resource they need to find a job that suits their skill set, then go through the hiring process.
“We have a job board in the career services department,” Dougherty said. “Currently, it has over 800 jobs posted on it. Those are businesses that want to hire TMU students. Most likely, they hired a TMU grad in the past and had a good experience, so they are interested in hiring more TMU grads because they recognize they are people of character, hard work, and integrity.”
Dougherty not only points these students to the job board. He also connects them with mentors, men and women who work in whatever field the student is interested in. And he makes sure students are well-prepared for the interview process. In all these ways, Dougherty and the career services department try to bridge the gap for students between life in the classroom and a lifetime in the workforce.
“First and foremost, alumni of TMU are representing Christ when they leave school,” Dougherty said. “Certainly, our institution’s goal is to prepare them to do that well. But they also represent TMU in their career. And if they do that with excellence, it encourages businesses to hire more graduates.”
In recent years, Dougherty and the career services department have seen a steady increase in employers looking to hire TMU students. Some businesses, particularly in Southern California, come every year to the campus to recruit. The eagerness to hire TMU students speaks to the integrity of the student body and to the quality that employers receive when they hire from the ranks of TMU.
“Our office verse is Colossians 3:23, ‘Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord and not for people,’” Dougherty said. “I love that our job is to help believers apply that verse. Work is a platform for believers to be obedient to Christ. It’s not just a means to support ministry. It is ministry. I love helping students see that and helping them understand that their work matters.”
