Kerri Zold is the Manager of the Career Development & Experiential Learning department at the University of Windsor and joined the CACEE National Board this spring. She has been in this role for five years, but has spent over 15 years at UWindsor in different roles that all had a focus on career education or work-integrated learning and a goal of supporting students while they learn about themselves, gain real world experience, and navigate the labour market to achieve whatever goal they may have for after their time as UWindsor students.

How did you get into the Industry?

My foray into this industry actually started when I was a university student myself. I spent two summers in the Federal Student Work Experience Program, where I worked to help fellow youth with their job search skills and then during my final year at the University of Guelph, I also was the campus rep for a new job search web site called Campus WorkLink (the long-timers among you will remember what I’m talking about!). These experiences opened my eyes to the world of career centres and recruitment so I decided to pursue my HR designation and enrolled in the post-graduate certificate at Seneca College, and even had a little stint as a student employee in their career centre for the semester I was there. After spending a few years working in HR in the private sector, getting a job in the career centre at UWindsor felt like a homecoming to where I was meant to be – helping students realize their job search and career goals.

What do you value most of your CACEE membership?

The connections and sharing! The people that work in this field and come together through CACEE events are so willing to share their experiences and insights. We’re all working toward similar goals and facing comparable challenges, albeit from different perspectives, so I truly value the camaraderie and opportunity to learn from the other professionals in this network. It’s this kind of sharing that makes us all stronger as a group.

When not at work, Kerri can be found listening to podcasts while walking the family dog, trying a new recipe, chauffeuring her kids around to their different activities, or looking for a change for scenery and a travel deal to book for.