Career and Graduate School Planning
For more information, contact the Center for Career & Vocation at (334) 833-4562 or ccv@hawks.huntingdon.edu.
Online Resources for Career and Graduate School Placement Information
- CareerOneStop is a U.S. Department of Labor-sponsored Web site that offers career resources and workforce information to students to foster talent development in a global economy.
- O-Net OnLine is an excellent online source for more information about particular occupations, such as the job outlook for the profession, the average pay one can expect, and search listings for selected areas.
- GradSchools.com: The leading online resource for graduate school information with more than 58,000 programs listed, this site contains a unique and comprehensive directory categorized by curriculum and subdivided by geography. Users simply select their desired curriculum to receive thorough information about pertinent graduate programs.
- Graduate Guide: Search for graduate school, law school, and doctorate and MBA programs by major and state. Sections cover admission tests, financial aid, and more.
- GraduateSchool4You.com
- National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE)
- Peterson’s: Innovative, web-based products and online practice tests provide consumers with the depth and breadth of information they need to make informed decisions about their education or career. Their financial aid database of nearly $5 billion worth of scholarships, grants, and prizes is fully searchable on the Web and available in printed guides. Peterson’s also offers online services for essay editing and instruction as well as résumé-writing.
- Princeton Review: The Princeton Review provides research tools and advice for your graduate school search.
- Test Prep Review: Provides free online practice tests for various graduate school exams.
- U.S. News and World Report: The Best Graduate Schools Index allows you to start on the right track toward choosing the right graduate program for you with personalization tools, including searches and comparisons, as well as school directory pages and feature articles. Go to the Education tab.
Personality Testing
Want to know a little more about yourself? Visit the Holland Code testing site and take the personality assessment test. Bring your results to the CCV and meet with director Sherry Leigh Farquhar, who can interpret your score and give you insight into the types of work that fit your personality
Graduate School Placement Tests
Most graduate and professional schools require that you complete an entrance or aptitude exam and submit your scores as part of the application process. The following sites will help you as you register and prepare for the tests:
- American Medical College Application Service AMCAS
- Graduate Management Admission Test GMAT
- Graduate Record Examinations GRE
- Law School Admission Test LSAT
- Medical College Admission Test MCAT
Internships
An internship is a work experience, usually semester-long or summer-long, in a field you’d like to explore further or in which you’d like to gain experience. Internships can be full- or part-time, paid or unpaid, credit or non-credit. It is up to you, your employer, and the CCV to work out these details and expectations.
The Huntingdon Internship Program incorporates real world work experience and learning into a student’s college academic experience in order to help the student find his or her personal calling. The program includes internships in nearly every career field, including the Hawks on the Hill internship program, which specifically addresses public service. Internships are a partnership between the student, the employer, and Huntingdon College. Each partner has a responsibility to be honest and ethical. Each student represents not only him- or herself, but also his/her academic department and the College. Conduct and performance should be of the highest standards.
The Benefits of Interning
- Career-related work experience
- Exposure to professional work environments
- Application of ideas learned and personal skills for use in the “real world”
- Networking
- Resume builder
Internship experience makes you more mature, more professionally polished, and teaches you things beyond what you can learn in the classroom. You’ll appreciate your education more as a result, and you’re likely to perform better academically after having worked. Looking for experience during college helps you learn essential job search skills so that you’ll be better prepared for the job search when you graduate.
To find an internship, work with the CCV, your academic department, and other online resources. The CCV will help you find just the right positions to steer your career direction.
Interviewing
The interviewing process is an extremely important part of receiving an offer for graduate or professional school or for employment. The typical interview begins the minute you are introduced to the recruiter. This can be an awkward time if you are not prepared. Stop by the CCV for a practice interview or for interviewing tips. Remember, the résumé gets the interview, but the interview gets the job or graduate school slot—or not!
Externships
An externship is an experiential learning opportunity, like an internship, but considered less rigorous. It is usually a short-term, unpaid “shadowing” experience, and provided to give students short practical experiences in their field of study.
An externship is an opportunity to:
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- Discern your career path
- Gain hands on experience in the work setting
- Make connections and establish a network
- Apply your classroom knowledge to a real-world setting
- Assess your fit for a particular position / organization
- Boost your resume
Email ccv@hawks.huntingdon.edu to be connected with a professional in your field of interest to shadow and complete the student externship program form.
Resumes
Resumes are, in many cases, the first impression you make with a potential employer—and it is essential that the first impression you make is a good one. Although we offer resume-writing workshops, we prefer to work with each student individually in the development of his or her resume. Bring with you to your appointment:
- A list of your work and learning experiences (paid and unpaid employment, volunteer work, leadership roles) with dates and job titles
- A list of the clubs and organizations with which you’ve been involved and your leadership roles within those organizations
- A list of any special skills you have developed through work, volunteer experiences, leadership, or coursework (languages you speak/know; technical skills; ability to conduct an experiment, etc.)
- An idea of the type of employment you are seeking and the industry in which you’d like to work
The Path to Graduation
Freshman Year
- Get involved in at least two extracurricular activities.
- Maintain a good grade point average.
- Begin a new resume.
Sophomore Year
- Get involved in more extracurricular activities, with leadership roles.
- Complete an externship.
Junior Year
- Complete an internship.
- Continue involvement and leadership positions.
Senior Year
- Schedule your senior meeting with your CCV director.
- Complete an internship.
- Finalize your college resume.
- Apply for jobs and/or graduate school.
Make an appointment today and let’s get started!
