Success Stories: Emma

How have you benefited from using the Career Center services?

The Career Center offers a number of different services, all of which I have taken advantage of and all students should too. I have gotten resume advice and critiques; I have gone in for mock interviews; I have been taught how to write a good cover letter, and I have gotten advice on how to handle tricky situations with the internship process and future employers.

How did working with the Career Center impact your internship/job search?

The Career Center’s FrogJobs is always a helpful and impactful resource for the internship/job search. I have used FrogJobs since freshman year, and it never fails to provide internship or job opportunities even for small majors like criminal justice.

What was the most helpful advice given to you by the Career Center?

The most helpful advice given to me by the Career Center was confidence and enthusiasm. Confident handshakes are great, but in an interview, if you’re too nervous and don’t smile it appears like you are uninterested and don’t really want the job. Additionally, a thank you email after an interview–whether it was in person or over the phone–goes a long, long way. The email should emphasize your desire for the job and also should recall one or two specific things you talked about as a refresher for the employer; overall, however, a thank you email should be of gratitude for all the consideration given to you, especially since you got an interview out of all the applicants.

What challenges were you facing and how did the Career Center help you solve them or motivate you to solve them?

The biggest challenge I’ve faced was a very particular situation in which I was offered an internship position while I still had another pending application. My Career Consultant met with me a handful of times, and we emailed back and forth; the solution was to be communicative. I accepted the original internship by the deadline but informed my employer of the one other pending application, and when I received an offer from that internship, I communicated with the former employer that I would, unfortunately, not be committing.

What advice would you give others facing the same challenges you did?

My advice to others facing similar situations–or even a situation where you receive multiple offers–is talk to your Career Consultant, be communicative with your potential employers (honesty goes a long way), but ultimately choose the path you would rather see yourself on. You shouldn’t cheat or deceive any employer, but when it comes to your future and your career, you need to choose what is best for you, even if that may be a selfish decision.

Where there any specific events you went to that were beneficial? If so which one and why was it helpful?

The most beneficial Career Center event for me has been the Career & Intern Expo. I attended this event in the fall and got to meet the recruiter who would later interview me for the summer internship I have accepted. It was extremely helpful to be able to make that first impression before any other applicants were considered.