Alumna Helps Students Build Job Search Skills

Lori Pietig, MHA, R.T.(R)(CT) (’04), graduated from Clarkson College with her Associate’s degree in Radiologic Technology and Bachelor’s degree in Medical Imaging. Her first position following graduation was as an x-ray technologist at St. Anthony Regional Hospital in Carroll, Iowa, and it’s where she has stayed for the last 15 years. She was appointed the Director of Radiology several years ago, and in her position, she works with staff and technologists to provide a wide range of medical imaging services.

Pietig also interacts with students who shadow or perform clinicals in the Radiography department at St. Anthony’s. Each of these interactions offers her an opportunity to share the benefits of a Clarkson College education. “When high school students began job shadowing at the hospital and were thinking about schools, I would bring up Clarkson College,” she says. “I would talk to local students who were planning to visit the College and tell them how happy I was with my education.”

round the time Pietig became Director, Clarkson College Radiography program faculty members reached out to clinical sites asking for volunteers who would help students refine their job search skills, including resume building and interview techniques. Pietig jumped at the chance to give back to the institution, and she now travels to campus every year to perform mock interviews with graduating Radiography students.

Selected students meet one-on-one with Pietig and walk through a simulated job interview where she asks them questions about their education, work background and professional goals. For the graduating students, the invaluable experience allows them to prepare for the job search. “Going through the interview process helps students work out their Lori Pietig completes a mock interview with a Radiography student. nerves, and I think it’s one of the biggest benefits of the mock interviews,” says Pietig. “Plus, they have someone giving feedback without judging whether or not they are going to be hired.”

Resume building is another skill that Pietig offers students. Prior to the interview, she receives a copy of each student’s resume so she can provide feedback and recommendations. Whether they are pursuing their first job out of school or re-entering the workforce after a career change, she encourages students to use their resumes to highlight their specific strengths through work experience and volunteer activities.

Students have the opportunity to ask Pietig questions at the end of the process, which not only allows them to learn more but also benefits Pietig as a manager. “It’s just as important for me as it is for them,” she says. “Every year when I meet with Clarkson College students, I refresh my skills because I also have to go through the process. Sometimes it’s as nerve wracking for me as a manager as it is for the student, and it helps me just as much as it helps them.”

Pietig hopes students leave the process with more confidence as they begin their job search. She knows that their education and career-focused opportunities such as the mock interviews are what set Clarkson College graduates apart in the workforce. “I have always really appreciated the education I received at Clarkson College,” she says. “I work with a lot of different techs who have different backgrounds, and I really feel that at Clarkson College, our education was top-notch compared to a lot of students at other schools.”

The gratitude she feels toward the College faculty who educated her is one of the main reasons she chooses to give back to the institution. “I really could not give enough credit to the Radiography program at Clarkson College in how their education prepared me,” she says. “I hope to continue doing all I can to help prepare the next generation of students and techs.”

Alumna Helps Students Build Job Search Skills

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