After relocating numerous times these past few years, the University Career Center has finally settled in a permanent location and welcomes students to start planning for their professional careers after St. John’s.
Sitting literally (and symbolically) at the heart of the campus since its inauguration at the end of the spring semester, the brand new, state of the art center has moved to a permanent home on campus – next to the Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall in the Chiang Ching Kuo Building.
“We are here to give you all of the support that you need to get you to where you need to be,” Denise Hopkins, executive director of the Career Center, said.
Though the aim of the center is to map out a plan that suits and caters to every individual student’s aspirations, undecided students are also encouraged to pay the building a visit.
Hopkins stresses the importance for students to start preparing for their careers, “early and often,” which is also the unofficial motto at the Career Center. She says it’s important to start as early as your freshman year.
“We want to get to know freshmen and we want to stay with you for the rest of your college career,” Hopkins said.
Not only will the Career Center help students gain experience needed for future careers through internships, part-time jobs and mock interviews, but advisors will also assist students in creating and perfecting résumés and cover letters and discussing proper business attire.
“I’m so glad that the Career Center finally has its own building,” junior Christian Bossman said. “I don’t think students really recognize the importance of preparing for your future.”
“The fact that the building is right in the middle of the campus is pretty hard to ignore,” he said.
Advisors have been entering residence halls and classrooms as well as speaking to student organizations in an attempt to attract more students and educate them on the importance of career readiness.
Career services also launched a peer program which recruits current students and trains them to give guidance on resumes, cover letters, interview tips, and internship and job search strategies.
“Wow, I didn’t know that the Career Center had so much to offer,” another student, Elizabeth Guillen, said,
“I’ll probably head over there now and make an appointment.”
Hopkins also wanted to remind students that University Career Services will host the Career Expo and Academic Internship Fair on Thursday, Oct. 3 from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.
