Every Advising & Major Exploration Services student has a career coach. We specialize in helping you discover who you are, find ways to build experience, and how to highlight your skills in a resume or interview.
Learn about the possibilities
What should I expect?
Coaching sessions are free and generally last 30-45 minutes at a time that works best for you. You don't have to prepare anything in advance - your trained career coach will spend time talking and listening to you to learn about your goals and get you started designing your college path.
Possible conversation topics
In a Career & Major Exploration appointment you will take time to explore careers and majors that are interesting to you. Your career coach will help you identify your values, interests, personality, and skills - explaining how they relate to major & career choices. You will learn about valuable resources to help you discover the ins-and-outs of all your options.
Before your appointment, identify any careers or majors that you’ve ever thought might be interesting. During the appointment, your career coach will ask you lots of questions so they can learn about the types of career and major areas that are interesting to you.
All college students should plan to attend career fairs in order to network with employers and explore career paths. In a Career Fair Prep appointment, your career coach will help you develop your ‘elevator pitch’ and show you how to identify employers that match your interests. You will discuss how to effectively navigate a career fair and manage stress.
Before your appointment, identify any questions you have about navigating a career fair, and review the list of the employers who will attend, noting which ones you would like to talk to at the fair.
In a Cover Letter appointment your career coach will teach you the simple formula for writing a great cover letter. You will learn how to carefully read a job description and highlight your marketable skills in your letter.
Before your appointment, print out (or email to your career coach) the job description you’re writing the cover letter for. Write a rough draft of your cover letter so your coach can help refine it. Also, bring your resume to the appointment so your career coach can have some info about your skills and experiences.
Refer to the page on our Student Employment website for more information on cover letters.
A Focus 2 appointment is a chance for you to discuss your results from Focus 2's self assessments. These assessments can help you learn more about your personal and work interests, personality, skills, and values. The assessment will give you results with many resources for you to access! Your career coach can meet with you to discuss your results and suggest resources to further help your exploration.
Gaining experience outside of your coursework is important as you prepare for a career. In an Internship Search Strategies appointment, your career coach will emphasize the importance of networking to find internships, teach you where to look for internships, and walk you through how to apply.
Before your appointment, think about what type of skills you would like to gain in an internship. Make a list of potential places that you would like to intern. If you already have internships in mind, make sure to bring the descriptions to your appointment.
In an Interview Prep appointment, your career coach will help you prepare for the ‘unknown’ elements of an interview by providing you will several steps you can take to succeed.
Before your appointment, print out and bring a copy of your resume, the job or internship description (if you have one), as well as any additional information (research) you might have regarding the position for which you might interview. Also, give thought to what you anticipate wearing to an interview as well as the type of thank you notes you might send following your interview.
Refer to our job interview guide for more information:
In a Mock Interview appointment, you have a chance to practice your interview skills prior to having an actual interview. Your career coach will give you feedback and suggestions about how to best navigate the interview environment.
Before your appointment, create a list of your concerns about interviews to discuss with your career coach. Identify a position of interest and bring a copy of your resume as well as any additional information (research) you have done on a position and employer. Also, dress just like you would for an actual interview. This will give you a chance to practice wearing your interview attire.
Refer to our job interview guide for more information:
An MBTI Results appointment is for students who have already taken the online MBTI assessment. If you are interested in learning more about this assessment, you can discuss with your career coach whether the MBTI is the right assessment for you.
After you have taken the assessment, there is nothing else you need to do before the appointment. Your career coach will interpret your results and discuss the possibilities for career exploration efforts. The interpretation will take approximately an hour to complete.
In a networking appointment, your career coach will help you to identify the key professionals and resources in your network and will help you create strategies to reach out to your network to maximize your career potential.
Before your appointment, identify the people that you already have in your network. Fellow students, professors, and supervisors are great examples of some of the people you may already have in your network.
Informational interviews are a great way to network. Consider talking with your career coach and checking out the following guide to learn more.
In a Part-time Job Search appointment, your career coach will walk you through how to find part-time jobs, what the application process will include, and how to prepare your application.
Before your appointment, make a list of the types of part-time jobs you would like to pursue. If you already have a specific part-time job in mind, bring the job description as well as your resume (even if it’s just a draft).
In a Self-Assessment appointment, your career coach will discuss the formal assessments associated with your values, interests, personality and skills. They will explain how these assessments can help you research and discover majors and careers that may be a good fit for you. Also, they will guide you through the process of signing up for the assessments and receiving your results.
Before your appointment, reflect on what you already know about yourself. During the appointment, make sure to tell your career coach if you have taken a career development course or any of the assessments in the past.
A Strong Interest Inventory (SII) Results appointment is for students who have already taken the online SII assessment. If you are interested in learning more about this assessment, you can discuss with your career coach whether the Strong Interest Inventory is the right assessment for you.
After you have taken the assessment, there is nothing else you need to do before the appointment. Your career coach will interpret your results and discuss the possibilities for career exploration efforts. The interpretation will take approximately an hour to complete.
In a Resume Writing appointment, your career coach will help you format and develop each piece of your professional resume. You will learn how to tailor your resume to specific job descriptions and highlight your marketable skills in your accomplishment statements (bullet points).
Before your appointment, print out any drafts of your resume that you have. If you have never written a resume before, make a list of all of the experiences (jobs, volunteering, student organizations, etc.). Also, bring the description for any specific job or internship that interests you.
Refer to our resume tool for more information on resume writing:
Discover who you are
Our search for a major and career can be guided by our values, interests, personality, and skills. We offer a variety of assessments to help us understand these attributes about ourselves.