How to use the Career Center

Written by: Madeline Lewis, a senior majoring in English (Writing, Rhetorics and Literacies) 

As college students, we have a lot on our plates: academics, social life, work, clubs, and more. But one thing to not lose sight of, is that at the end of your time as a student at ASU, you’ll be moving onto professional life. It can be daunting to think about, but luckily ASU has some amazing resources to help.

Career and Professional Development Services is one of my personal favorites. Their website is filled to the brim with information and resources, and they have great professional staff ready to help. Read on for my tips on how to use the Career Center to your advantage.

The Career Center offers both passive and interactive resources. Let’s go over the passive, online information first.
 

Handouts
The great thing about the Career Center is the plethora of specific resources. And you don’t even need to leave home! As a start, the website has a whole page full of helpful handouts. Topics range from interviewing to internship and career search. 

Resumes
A great beginning step to professional development is either making or improving your resume. CPDS’s Resume Dropbox is my holy grail at ASU. You’re telling me that I can drop the link to my resume, wait a few days, and get an email with feedback? All without leaving home or talking to anyone? Sign me up!

Don’t forget to check out all the other resume resources- videos about how to write them, example resumes for every field, and the ultimate resume checklist.

Interview practice
After turning in that shiny resume, you’ll definitely schedule some interviews. Visit the interviewing page for videos and handouts about how to prepare both physically and mentally.

InterviewStream is a great way to get feedback. After making an account (ASU-verified) you will be able to upload videos of yourself answering common interview questions. You can review them, then submit them to the professional staff for specific feedback and tips!

Next, let’s look at how you can interact with the professional staff. The Career Center staff offer appointments based on a huge list of topics. Book appointments with them through your Handshake account.
 

Career Exploration
With an ASU degree, you have so many opportunities after graduation! What next? Discuss ideas for potential careers. 

Grad School Prep
The Center offers appointments dedicated to learning about grad programs, preparing your application, and reviewing your materials.

Online Profiles
Your LinkedIn and other professional profiles are a great asset in the professional world. Get timely feedback on how to make yourself stand out!

The Career Center offers a ton of other appointments – check them all out on your Handshake!

With all these professional resources, we don’t need to be nervous for the future. We have all the tools we need to be successful!