UCO Career Development Center: what you need to know If you are speaking to a sophomore class, you might mention the name change in case they have heard of Career Services. I let them know we are the same department, just with a new name. I explain that we wanted to have a name that better reflected what we do.

Read them the mission and tell them why this is our mission Read them the mission and tell them why this is our mission. You could say something about how this is reflecting how we view our work with students. We want to work with them to help them gain the tools necessary to reach their career goals so that they have the knowledge, skills, and confidence to use these tools again in the future.

CAREER/MAJOR EXPLORATION Online resources Appointments Individually tailored to your needs Assessments Focus 2, Strong Interest Inventory, Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) Emphasize that choosing a major or career path takes time. 35% of students, nationwide, enter college undecided on a major. 70% of students who enter with a major change it. Studies have shown that they don’t just change it once, they change it an average of 2-3 times. Taking your time to make a decision on a major or career path can actually be a good thing. Unfortunately there isn’t a magical solution, but we do have many online tools and resources as well as in-person services that can help you with choosing a major or career. Review our resources Review what an appointment can be for - Sometimes you just need a quick resource to help you make that final decision, but for many situations an appointment can be the most beneficial option to assist you with your specific situation. During an appointment, we will ask you questions to understand your situation and then can assist you with things such as identifying interests and skills and understanding what different careers may involve. We can provide resources and help you set goals. Assessments are tools that we use as part of the career exploration process. Don’t emphasize this as a stand alone tool. - Assessments help us gather information, such as identifying interests, skills, personality preferences and values, to assist in determining what our next steps might be. We do have one that is completely free and available on our website to use – Focus 2. You can create an account, take the assessments, and get immediate results. Our other two, MBTI and Strong, can also be very helpful, however they do have a fee to take and require an interpretation. If you have questions, we can talk with you and determine if an assessment would be useful in your situation and which assessment would provide the best information for your particular situation.

DOCUMENT REVIEWS Types of documents: resumes, cover letters, personal statements, essays for scholarships, etc. Guides with tips and examples on our website Optimal Resume Walk-ins for resume reviews Appointments Review types of documents we can critique. Let them know that we have guides online and Optimal Resume, which provides examples and samples to help them get started on a resume. Tell them how they can get documents reviewed. We can review a resume through the Review Center in Optimal Resume or in a walk-in, which we have Monday-Thursday from 3:00-5:00pm, or in an appointment. We can review all other documents in an appointment only. When we review your documents, we help with the basic structure of that document as well as provide you with help tailoring the document for the job, scholarship, or grad school you are applying for. We can help you figure out how to demonstrate transferable skills and what to include or not include. We can also review documents for graduate school or even an essay for a scholarship. As you begin gaining experience – part-time jobs, volunteering, campus activities, etc., begin writing them down. Keep track of the dates and make notes of what you did in each role.

JOB & INTERNSHIP SEARCHING HireBronchos Prep guide and links on our website Appointments Search process and resources tailored to your needs Intern UCO Impact Careers Set them up with accurate expectations for this process - We can’t give you a job or internship, but we can help you identify what type of job or internship you may need to help you reach your goals. Review HireBronchos and how to get to it. Find on campus and off campus employment – part-time jobs. Mention our job and internship guide and that we have additional tools and links on our website. In an appointment we can: Assist in the identification of what type of job/internship you want and/or need Review job/internship search methods and things to consider Provide more specific resources for finding a job or internship We have an on-campus internship program available for students starting their sophomore year. Freshmen can apply in the Spring. It offers paid internships in departments across campus and monthly professional development. Gaining experience while in school is very important. Employers want students to have experience by the time they leave college. Internships are great ways to try out jobs in an industry you are exploring and to gain experience and skills in the field. Completing more than one during your college career will make you more competitive. If you can’t find an internship in your industry, getting involved in student orgs and volunteering are also great ways to gain experience. If you are interested in finding a career that will make a positive impact in some way, such as socially, economically, or environmentally, you can check out our impact careers section on the website or schedule an appointment to discuss options.

INTERVIEWING Guide with tips on our website Big Interview Appointments Interview tips Mock interviews Industry specific Mock Interview Days Review resources. Describe a mock interview appointment. Mention how we can tailor the appointments to the job they are interested in and then give them feedback. Feedback will focus on how questions were answered as well as behaviors they may be doing that might be distracting to employers. We can also answer questions they may have and give them additional tips on how to prepare for an interview. Mention that we have employer led mock interview days geared towards specific industries, which can change each year.

GRADUATE/PROFESSIONAL SCHOOL Guide about the process on our website Appointments Educate on and assist you with the process of applying For freshmen and sophomores they may not be ready to think about this, so I would acknowledge that - Some of you may already know that you want to go to med school, law school, or maybe another graduate or professional program. It’s never too early to begin thinking about this next step because it gives you more time to prepare. We can assist you with determining what types of programs or degrees you need for the career you want, how to research programs, understanding timelines and what you can be doing now to become more competitive when you are ready to apply. For now, begin building relationships with professors so that you will have people to ask for strong recommendation letters when you are ready to apply.

UCO Career Development Center Nigh University Center, Room 338 405-974-3346 careers@uco.edu www.careers.uco.edu Office Hours: Monday-Friday 8:00am-5:00pm Resume Walk-ins: Monday-Thursday 3:00-5:00pm Schedule an appointment online Follow us on social media