Story by Brianna Willis, Staff writer

If students are looking to upgrade their professional presence online, then they can look no further than Career Services and their new Job Search Series and Free Headshot Fridays.

What began during the fall semester of 2013 as a five session series held in a single week, the Job Search Series has now turned into seven sessions every Friday.

Katie Mantooth, internship coordinator, founded the series.

Mantooth said they were nervous about moving to Friday afternoons, but the sessions they held last semester on Fridays were well-attended.

“We used to have the sessions every day for a week,” she said. “We realized that model was not helpful when students have classes at various times.”

Mantooth said that students could expect to learn a lot from the workshops. She said students would buy into technologies such as LinkedIn, a professional networking site, but were not utilizing it effectively. This was one of the inspirations for Free Headshot Fridays.

“We were finding that students would buy into LinkedIn but were not using professional photos to market themselves effectively,” she said.

The goal is to allow students to receive free headshots with a background of their choosing. By allowing students to get a headshot in their professional attire, it allows them to put themselves into the job marketplace with a professional look that is attractive to employers, Mantooth said.

Because of weather conditions, the first Headshot Friday had to be canceled, but they will be hosting them this Friday. This Friday is also the first workshop in the Job Search Series.

The Resumé Writing workshop and the Free Headshot Fridays start at 1 p.m. in Oakley Applied Science Building. Students should come dressed in business professional attire Mantooth said. Seats are limited to 20 and are on a first come first serve basis, so students are encouraged to get there early.

If students want more information or want to come into Career Services, Mantooth said they are more than willing to help.

She said they can hand out hot chocolate and fliers all day, but if they can get a student into the office to sit down and show them resumé tips, they are more likely to buy in.

She said that her hope is that students walk away from these workshops feeling equipped to get the job they want.

“Utilize us,” she said. “From us, they are going to get current and up to date research on what employers want, and what they are looking from Murray State students.”