POINT PLEASANT — The Mason County Area Chamber of Commerce’s monthly luncheons resumed on Tuesday with a presentation by Debbie Stoler of the Marshall University Career Services office.

The luncheon was held at the Marshall Mid-Ohio Valley Center and featured a catered meal by the First Church of God Ladies. Stoler began her presentation by outlining the groups that the career services office helps, which includes students, faculty and employers.

According to Stoler, Marshall career services help students through career assessment; resume development and revision; job search assistance and networking; mock interviews; and on-campus recruiting events and career expos. In addition, the career office offers the Marshall Job Trax program, which is a networking Web site that students, employers and faculty can join.

“With Job Trax, employers can post jobs and students can upload their resumes, transcripts and build portfolios,” Stoler said.

She added that the career office is not a placement center, but serves as an outlet to help students with getting a job.

“We teach students how to network...Many people, including adults, don’t understand the importance of networking,” she said.

As for faculty, Stoler said that the career office is helpful because it serves as a liaison to connect staff with employers and is a place of referral for students’ professional development. In addition, the office is a resource for class presentations and partners with professors to help students secure internships.

With the majority of chamber members serving as potential employers, Stoler stressed the importance of utilizing Marshall’s career services. According to Stoler, the career services office is vital for employers because it enables them to post job positions free of charge on the Job Trax site; connects employers with school faculty; and offers three major career expos each year. In addition, the career services office provides internship development assistant to employers, which is something that Stoler described as very important.

“Internships are very valuable for both students and employers,” she said.

Stoler described internships as a way to “test run” an employee as well as to showcase companies to potential employees. As for students, she said that internships are the best way to gain work experience as well as a way to network with potential employers. According to Stoler, through career services, employers are given guidance on the duration, responsibilities and compensation of internships.

To conclude her presentation, Stoler announced the newest opportunities that the career office is providing this year. Staring this fall will be the Marshall Mentoring Network as well as the Interview Steam, which is a virtual mock interview. A Career Expo also is slated for Wednesday, Oct. 6 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at the Memorial Student Center, located on Marshall’s main campus in Huntington.

In other business:

• It was reported that MOVC will host an open house and “business after hours” session on Thursday from 5-7 p.m. Representatives from Marshall’s main campus and South Charleston campus will be in attendance.

• It was announced that Peoples Bank is the chamber’s August “Business of the Month.”

• Becky Stein-Lambert of ERA Town and Country Real Estate provided an update on the community’s “Operation Soldier Care” program. She announced that she received pictures of the soldiers receiving items that were donated through the program, and said that the pictures can be viewed in the Tuesday, July 27 edition of the Point Pleasant Register.

• It was announced that the next chamber luncheon will be Tuesday, Aug. 24 at the Point Pleasant Riverfront Park. Charles Humphreys, executive director of Main Street Point Pleasant, will serve as the guest speaker. The luncheon will be catered by Emma’s Galley.