Career Services podcast explores Bearcats’ first jobs, career paths

Career Services staff members Hannah Christian and Travis Kline interview Northwest alumna Grace Niemeyer in this screen capture of a recent episode of the Career Services podcast "Behind the Bearcat." Christian and Kline recently launched the second season of the series.

Northwest Missouri State University Career Services is back this fall with the second season of its “Behind the Bearcat” podcast featuring Northwest students, employees and alumni sharing stories about their first jobs and career advice.

Travis Kline, a career services internship coordinator, and Hannah Christian, assistant director of career services, anchor the podcast, which they began last year to help listeners understand that one’s career path doesn’t always go as planned.

“Everybody’s career path and story is unique,” Christian said. “I think by hearing other people’s stories, especially for students or even alums and faculty, you really develop a better understanding of people once you hear their story.”

This season’s interviews, which are recorded through Zoom as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, feature guests who are not only part of the Northwest community but can help students learn more about a variety of industries and build their networks. Christian says the off-campus guests bring some diversity and new perspectives to the podcast.

“I think it’s becoming ‘Hey, here is a Bearcat and here is their story’,” Christian said. “How can you contact with them and build up your network?”  

Kline added, “We plan to keep doing the podcast as long as people keep listening and watching. It is a lot of fun for us to hear these stories as well. People we work with everyday don’t always have a chance to tell us about their first job or what it means to them personally to be a Bearcat, and we are inspired by every guest we talk to.”

The podcast is available for download from a variety of platforms, and video recordings are accessible on the Career Services’ YouTube channel. New episodes are released on Fridays.

To learn more about “Behind the Bearcat” and listen, visit www.nwmissouri.edu/career/podcast.htm.