Whether you’re a senior graduating this May or a freshman partying your days away, it is extremely beneficial to get to know and love the career center. This is the greatest resource on campus for us Fairfield collegiettes, and if you haven’t paid a visit before, make sure to do so now. I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to take advantage of every last resource they have to offer. Here are the 6 reasons why the career center should be your new best friend:
1. Perfecting your resume
Resumes are your first impression to potential employers, so you obviously want to make it an impressive one. This is where the career center becomes a valuable tool because they will perfect your resume to ensure it lands in the ‘yes’ pile. They teach what things to highlight and the correct phrasing that will grab the employers’ attention. In addition, the counselors will double check to make sure there are no silly mistakes that turn off employers.
2. Cover letters
Writing a cover letter can be tricky and the career center can help you through this difficult process. This is your time to stand out from the other applicants and explain in depth your skills and qualifications for the position. The career center has a cover letter template that explains clearly what to write in each paragraph. Just remember do not state that you have a certain skill, show them through your experiences!
3. You can master LinkedIn
Many students do not take advantage of LinkedIn or are too intimidated by the concept of it. However, LinkedIn is very easy to navigate once you know all the tips and tricks. If you do not have a LinkedIn profile yet, make an account now! This is the perfect professional social network that allows students to connect with professionals and alumni in their field. Career counselors will help you build your profile and how you can use LinkedIn to your advantage. Also, when employers Google you, LinkedIn should be the first link that pops up, and voilà they are able to review a digital form of your resume.
4. Practice your interviews skillsYour perfected resume gets you in the door, but the interview is what lands you the internship or job. So of course these skills are crucial to practice and perfect. The career counselors know what type of questions employers will ask and can assist with how to answer them. Also, they offer InterviewStream, which is a new online resource that allows you to practice interview skills by going through a realistic interview experience. Then, you can look over it and send it to one of the counselors to review, no excuses not to practice your interview skills now!
5. Make connections!
All us collegiettes know the importance of networking, and the career center has SO many connections, that we should all take advantage of! For example, the career center offers a job shadow program (open to juniors and seniors) that pairs Fairfield students with alumni to get an inside look at their particular profession. This is a perfect opportunity to get a firsthand insight to the business and to network!
6. Internships/Jobs
Of course the reason why most of us collegiettes are at Fairfield is to score our dream job post-graduation, and internships are key to accomplishing that. Internships are the perfect chance to explore what career path you want to further pursue. With help from the career center, all the resources above will help you land an internship in your job field. Definitely take advantage of Stags4Hire, where employers want to hire Fairfield students!
Please contact (203) 254-4081 if you are interested in scheduling an appointment with a career counselor. Also utilize drop-in hours Tuesday to Friday from 1:30 p.m.-4 p.m.
Photo sources:
http://successresumewriter.com
http://www.glassdoor.com/blog/tips-impress-small-business-job-interview/
http://www.urbaninterns.com/journal/jobseekers/internships-in-cities-you-dont-live-in/