Center for Career Services
The Center for Career Services assists students in three areas: career decision-making, career-related skills development, and connecting to opportunities.
Career Decision-Making
Career Services staff assist students in making decisions about choice of major, summer jobs, internships, graduate/professional school and post-graduation employment or gap year experiences. Students can schedule individual appointments with advisors who will guide them through and train them in the decision-making process. This work may include personal and skills assessments, online research and informational interviews; the goal is to ensure students are learning how to engage in a process that leads to well-reasoned decisions.
Career-Related Skills Development
Students develop the skills required to identify and secure career-related experiences and jobs through individual appointments with advisors and participation in the Professional Development Programs. The approach to delivering these programs is educational, as students will need these skills throughout their lives as their career and work lives progress. Through workshops, online tools, events and employer visits, students develop skills in areas such as resume/cover letter writing, networking, job/internship search, interviewing, and how to be a professional. For those applying to graduate or professional school, Career Services assists with the application process, including the writing of personal statements and statements of purpose.
Connecting to Opportunities
Handshake is John Carroll University’s complete online career resource for career skills development, job postings, event listings, and on-campus interview registration. Students can access Handshake by going to https://jcu.joinhandshake.com/.
Highlights include the following:
Educational materials, including “How to” guides and videos on career-related skills development.
All jobs—including on-campus student employment, part-time, full-time and internship opportunities—are entered by the employers themselves, looking specifically for our students and alumni.
Students of all majors may participate in the on-campus recruiting program (see our website for specific requirements). Interviews take place in the Center for Career Services during fall and spring semesters and are available for both full-time entry-level positions and internships.
Career Services conducts several career fairs throughout the year where students can meet a significant number of employers in one setting.
All events sponsored by Career Services, as well as local and other national career development and networking events, are posted in Handshake.
The Academic Internship Courses
The Academic Internship Program offers students the opportunity to integrate classroom learning with “real world” experience through internships related to their academic and career goals. Professional work experience helps students to clarify their career goals, gain resume-building experience, increase their sophistication about the world of work and their network of contacts, and develop core competencies required for their preferred career field.
Internships may be paid or unpaid and are eligible for credit or non-credit transcript notation. Work assignments relate to students’ career interests and majors and allow them to advance in terms of level of responsibility and required competencies as they mature and progress through the curriculum. In order to receive credit, students must register for these classes in person at the Career Center and should consult the website for requirements and appropriate paperwork.
Alumni Network
The John Carroll network of alumni is strong. Students can access this network through the JCU Alumni page on LinkedIn -https://www.linkedin.com/school/john-carroll-university/people/