[UPDATE: We spoke with Adam this week and he let us know he's thoroughly enjoying the new job and is learning more every day. He said his hospitality experience from Endicott - both through internships and in the classroom - is proving quite useful. He will finish up his current rotation in August, and we're hoping to hear back from him then!]

With commencement coming up this Saturday, talk on campus has turned to what’s next for our graduating seniors. How will they fare in today’s job market? Will the experience and knowledge they gained at Endicott be enough to boost them above other competing candidates? We may not know the answer to these questions for each of our upcoming 752 graduates, but what we do know is that on average, 37% of Endicott students are offered full-time jobs at internship sites. And, as you’ll read below, those sites that don’t directly offer positions remain invaluable contributors to a students’ well-rounded college experience, preparing them more solidly for the workforce.

Graduating senior Adam Dube, a Hospitality Management major, tells us how his broad internship experience, a study abroad opportunity, and strong self confidence prepared him for the job search and embarking upon a new career after graduation.

Graduating Senior Adam Dube

I was sifting through the job listings on HCareers.com one day, applying to hotels in Utah, Salt Lake City, Phoenix, and California. Front desk positions, banquet positions, some management positions; I just knew I wanted to go west. A couple of weeks later, I got a message on Facebook from my mother. The message was about a position available at a company called American Cruise Lines.

I didn’t know what the position was, but I went to HCareers.com and submitted my resume. The reason I chose the hospitality discipline at Endicott was so that I could get into the cruise industry, so this seemed like a great fit. The very next day, I got a call from a man named Joe Pascarella. Joe informed me that he wanted to interview me, and that I seemed perfect for the position of Assistant Hotel Manager onboard one of their ships.

Two days later, I made the 3 hour drive down to the American Cruise Lines operations office in Guilford, CT. This was my first interview and first real shot at a job, so I was a little nervous. I was confident in my abilities however, and stayed true to myself while answering the questions. The Director of Operations was brought in to talk to me for a few minutes at the end of the interview, and 45 minutes after I entered the building, my interview was finished.

I left, not really knowing how the interview went, and drove back to Beverly. My interview was on a Thursday, and the following Tuesday I had a missed call from the company. It was Joe, and he asked me to call him back. I called back and left him a voicemail. The following Friday, May 6^th, I had just finished presenting my senior thesis and when I checked my phone there was another missed call from Joe. I called him back and that is when he offered me the job.

One interview, one job offer; I must have done something right. I accepted the offer without hesitation. American Cruise Lines was impressed with my variety of industry work experience and that I did three completely different internships. My internships include; a country club in southern California, a hotel in Auburn, Maine, and a farm winery in Topsfield, Mass. My well-rounded experience was an advantage for me, and I strongly encourage this variety for anybody trying to enter today’s job market.

Another advantage I had was my cultural knowledge. With a study abroad experience in Italy and travel throughout Europe, I am able to interact with people from many different cultural backgrounds, which is so necessary in the hospitality industry.

In my position as Assistant Hotel Manager, I will be in charge of the stewarding staff, guest services, and housekeeping. I will also be responsible for guest services and concierge services.

My four years at Endicott really did encourage a varied body of knowledge and work experience in the industry, and this proved to be extremely valuable. I am more than excited to start my career at sea and feel nothing but confidence going in to the “real world.” It’s proving to be hard to let go of the Endicott experience, and I have so much love for this campus and the people on it. Maybe though, the best way to show my love is to show the world how prepared I am to be a part of it.