Buffalo State College:

Press release from Buffalo State College:

Sydney L. Pfeifer

March 3, 2022

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the employment landscape has been shifting rapidly, and getting a foot in the door of the working world is harder than ever for new grads. According to Business Insider, 20- to 24-year-olds constituted just 26 percent of new hires in June 2021, a 33 percent drop from the pre-pandemic figure of 39 percent. The Class of 2021 is also vying with the Class of 2020, which graduated into an economy hobbled by the pandemic and a record-high unemployment rate of 14.7 percent.

Now more than ever, it is critical for applicants entering the job market to use all the tools and resources at their disposal. Luckily for Buffalo State College students and alumni, the Career Development Center is available to give them a leg up for all their professional needs, from résumé polishing to interview preparation. CDC director Denise Harris explains how the CDC provides a much-needed edge. 

Name: Denise M. Harris 

Title: Director of the Career Development Center 

Denise Harris has more than 18 years of higher education experience and oversees the comprehensive career development program for both the undergraduate and graduate student population at Buffalo State College. A certified career coach, Harris is a qualified administrator of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, a certified etiquette expert, and an ATIXA-trained Title IX investigator. She earned her bachelor of science degree in communication from SUNY Fredonia and her master of arts in college student personnel from Bowling Green State University. She’s a member of the Western New York Association of College Career Centers, the National Career Development Association, and the American Association for Employment in Education. 

How long have you been the director of the Career Development Center (CDC) at Buffalo State? 

I started in June—June 22, 2020—right in the middle of the pandemic. My interview was virtual, and my entire first year was virtual and then hybrid. I think starting during the pandemic forced me to be super intentional and make connections. If I was just here, I think I would’ve thought, “Oh, I’ll meet them when I meet them,” but because of COVID, I had to actually put meetings on calendars. Making connections outside of the CDC was one of my big goals when I got here, and I was able to do that.

Tell me about your background. What were you doing before coming here? 

I’ve been involved with the career world pretty much my entire career. It’s my passion. I spent 10 years at Hilbert College, five years as the director of their career center, and then I was promoted to vice provost for student engagement. I really enjoyed that experience, but being in a senior-level leadership role, you are further and further away from students and doing the work of career development, which was what I loved, so I took a step back. The director of D’Youville’s career center position had just opened up, and I worked there for three years. They had just gotten a new president and were doing some innovative things around the idea of connecting offices. And then the career center director position opened here at Buffalo State, so I thought, “I’ll throw my hat in the ring and just see what happens.” Long story short—I’m here! I’m so happy. It’s been such a good fit.

When did you realize that career services was what you wanted to do? 

I am a product of the SUNY system. I went to Fredonia, and I said I was going to do public relations for the Buffalo Bills. I don’t really know where that came from. I loved talking, I thought it was super fun, and it was what I wanted to do. I’m a first-gen college student, so I went in like, “I’m going to listen to what everyone says, and sit in the front row, and take notes, and go to tutoring and office hours,” and I did everything. In my junior year, I took my first public relations course. I was so excited, and then the professor started talking, and I thought, “I hate this.” And I cried. I ended up going to the career center and the woman was doing a presentation, and I knew that was what I wanted to do. I loved the professional part of it; I loved helping people. I kind of had to grieve that loss of a career, but I found this whole new thing.  

Can you talk about some of the trends and challenges younger workers face in the current economy? 

This press release was produced by Buffalo State College. The views expressed here are the author’s own.