Few students realize what a valuable resource they have on college campuses through their career center or career services office. Students can talk to trained professionals on career development and support services. Here are some of the many resources you can find at your college career office. Some career centers will schedule workshops and lectures on these topics, or you can request to meet individually with a career counselor. Every center offers different services so be sure to go into your center to find out about what they offer.
Get help deciding on a major: many students are interested in learning more about specific majors and what types of careers they can lead to. Some career centers schedule workshops or talks about what you can do with a major in different subjects.
Explore career paths: receive helpful information and resources about different types of careers and the steps you need to get there.
Meet one-on-one with career counselors who are trained to guide you as you explore careers and work-related issues to prepare for your future.
Use computer assessment tools to evaluate your own interests and values as it relates to a career and some possible fields you might want to consider.
Participate and learn how to conduct informational interviews and job shadow with professionals in a career of interest to you. Some schools may have partnerships with alumni or professionals in the community who are willing to meet with students to talk about their career and show them what their job entails.
Find graduate internships with companies in which you have a strong career interest. Some schools have established summer or semester-long internship programs that you can participate in, while others can help you locate suitable internship placements.
Participate in mock interview sessions at the career center and gain valuable feedback about your interviewing style, strengths and weaknesses. The more you practice interviewing, the more confident and comfortable you’ll be when you go for real job interviews.
Learn about on-campus recruiting and career fairs with companies interested in hiring new grads. You can usually get a list of companies scheduled to attend these events so you can prepare and/or schedule an interview ahead of time.
Attend graduate school information sessions with representatives from different programs you might be interested in. You can also gain information about searching and applying for graduate and professional programs.
Learn about the best job searching tools for the types of jobs you’re looking for. There are so many job databases and websites to look at for job openings so it can be helpful to learn about some resources you might not know about as well as different techniques to help you during your job search.
Learn about networking tools and alumni clubs in different areas. Your school may offer ongoing career support for alumni and networking groups in different cities and industries.
