(COVINGTON, La.) — In line with the guest speaker series implemented by the SPS Business and Law Department this year, Hornbeck Offshore Inc. Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer Tim McCarthy visited St. Paul’s on Tuesday, March 28, to educate students on career opportunities.

The event, which took place in the Alumni Memorial Theater, was attended by several social studies and religion classes, and was hosted by students in the entrepreneurship class.

McCarthy began his lecture by giving a brief synopsis of his early life, culminating with his arrival at Hornbeck Offshore in 2002. Subsequently, he transitioned into his main presentation which ultimately advised on the subjects of finding an appropriate career and landing a job. In each of these subjects, McCarthy delved into very specific strategies and plans of action for job searchers to utilize. In terms of job search basics, McCarthy offered a five-point plan that consisted of: identifying one’s skills, finding job opportunities that meet those skills, writing a strong resume to best fit those opportunities and succeeding in an interview. Using visual aides and actual examples, McCarthy elaborated on each point, passing out mock resumes and displaying pictures of different apparel options for interviews.

“I think having the ability to prepare for and conduct an interview is essential,” Entrepreneurship teacher Brian Logarbo said. “A candidate may have three or four different interviews, and you’re going to have to prepare three or four different ways.”

Throughout the event, McCarthy maintained a socratic style while addressing the audience, frequently answering questions with questions, which kept the attendees constantly engaged.

“It was so refreshing because (McCarthy) wasn’t just preaching on the podium,” junior Ashton Van Deventer said. “This was one of the few times that I’ve noticed a large group of students so genuinely interested in what was being talked about.”

In the final minutes, McCarthy opened the floor to general questions, and was met by a plethora of raised hands.

“It’s always great listening to somebody like that,” junior Forge Mathes said, “but the Q&A segment was by far the best part.”

McCarthy’s visit to St. Paul’s has further ushered in a new collaboration between SPS and Hornbeck Offshore. In addition to their contributions to the engineering curricula at St. Paul’s, Hornbeck Offshore is now working with the Business and Law Department to enhance its progression. This may come in a variety of forms that have yet to be hammered down, but the ultimate goal is giving students hands-on experience.

“We’re headed for a curriculum that’s more experience-based,” Logarbo said. “You can sit up there all day long and lecture on how to do business, but to be successful, you actually have to get your hands dirty and watch it blow up in your face. A lot of the partnerships we’re working on right now aim to take the academic portion of the class and match it with the experience side.”

The Business and Law Department at St. Paul’s has been growing at an unprecedented rate in the past years, and not expected to let up. It is still unclear what specific changes will be made to the department for next year, but nonetheless, the program is expected to continue to evolve.