Career planning—discovering who you are and what you are meant to do—is lifework. It’s a process and a journey. As with most things in life, you'll get out of it what you're willing to put into it.
At the Career Center, we’ll help you decipher just what your college experience means in terms of your career options and choices. We'll help you to see how the workplace today is changing, and what employers look for when hiring new candidates. We'll also help you to understand yourself well enough to know your best fit.
Counselors can help with your Career Action Plan (CAP), career exploration, major exploration, career assessments, resumes, job searching, mock interviews, internships, the graduate school process or any aspect of career development.
Virtual and in-office drop-in hours available (no appointment needed):
Tuesdays, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
Wednesdays, 6-8 p.m.
Schedule a one-on-one appointment with a counselor.
A résumé is a brief summary of your qualifications, education and experiences relevant to the internship or job search objective. The purpose of a résumé is to obtain an interview. Employers will spend 30 seconds or less reviewing your résumé; therefore, the information must be conveyed in a clear, well-organized style.
Writing a perfect résumé is an art and can take time. A résumé is a working document and will need to be revised frequently. There are many different formats a résumé can take, namely a chronological résumé or a functional résumé.
The primary purpose of a cover letter is to give you the opportunity to portray your personality and writing style, as well as explain why you are a good fit for the position or organization. Please view our Cover Letter Guide for suggestions on how to write a meaningful cover letter.
The On-Campus Interviewing (OCI) Program, which sometimes is also called on-campus recruiting (OCR), is an opportunity for students to interview with employers for internships and permanent positions. Interviews are held in the Career Center. To be considered for these positions, you must register and submit your application on Handshake at least one week before a company’s interview date.
To contact the Career Center about on campus recruitment, log on to Handshake or contact the Career Center.
The Career Action Plan (CAP) is a four-year program that guides students through a systematic career development process. Each year of the CAP includes a checklist of suggested activities to develop a student's skills and career readiness.
As a first-year student you'll discover new friends, new experiences, and new knowledge. You'll learn to appreciate the talents and abilities you have to offer and will begin to develop new skills and interests.
Think of yourself as a professional. You are not "just a student,” but rather a professional who is juggling classes, assignments, extracurricular activities, and perhaps a job.
Your focus as a sophomore is to explore majors and careers and to appreciate who you are and what you value in relation to the world of work.
Get ready to make some tentative decisions about your graduate school and/or job search plans. Begin to map out your strategies.
Your challenge as a senior is to integrate the experiences, knowledge and self-discovery of the past three years, decide on a career path that is right for you, and take the necessary steps to make it happen.
Interviewing can be stressful. It is important to prepare for all of the questions a potential employer may ask, and to know yourself well enough to provide an honest and compelling argument for why you are the best candidate for the position.
The Career Center offers tips for interviewing and mock-interview sessions that can make the process a lot easier. Set up a mock-interview with a career counselor to learn tips on how to present yourself.
An informational interview puts you in the seat of the interviewer. By asking questions and hearing a first-hand narrative about someone else's position or experience, you can gain insight into a career, receive advice in career decision-making, and build your professional network.
Contact the Career Center to learn how to effectively prepare for and conduct an informational interview.
The Career Center at Mount St. Mary’s University has resources available to help in each step of the career development process.
After you have identified your strengths and areas of interest, the task of finding an occupation to meet not only your personal needs but also your professional goals begins. A job search can look very different from one person to the next as well as from one industry to the next. This can involve networking with peers, alumni, attending job fairs, and subscribing to and posting a resume on job search websites. Whatever your path is, we would like to help by sharing some resources that have helped other students find the career that best suits them.
An internship is a good way to test out a job that you're interested in so you can see what life is like in that field or role. Check out some of these resources for searching out internships.
The following links provide an abundance of information about careers for students:
For an Internet novice the hardest part of finding a job online is knowing where to get started. Job Search Engines like careerbuilder.com and Jobs.com can offer a variety of services. Job seekers can search for jobs by location, industry, pay, etc. A personal account can be opened that will provide ways to post your resume for recruiters to review and allow them to contact you by email for an interview.
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