Unlocking Your Career Potential with Your College's Hidden Gem (It's Not the Library!)
Whether you’re a freshman or a senior, utilizing your university’s career center can make a huge impact on job preparation and offers after graduation. However, recent surveys indicate students of all classes often fail to take advantage of these valuable services.
According to the newest Student Voice survey of 3,000 four- and two-year students on life after college, nearly one-third (31%) say they’ve never interacted with their college or university career center. This includes 28% of juniors, 32% of sophomores, and even some freshmen. Delaying career engagement misses opportunities to build essential skills, connections, and plans to thrive after graduation.
The Data Doesn’t Lie: Career Center Usage Pays Off
Studies reveal career center participation results in more job offers and access to paid internships. 2022 graduates utilizing just one career service averaged 1.24 offers, increasing by 0.05 offers for every additional interaction. Comparatively, those with no career center engagement only received 1 offer.
Additionally, students receiving career center aid in obtaining internships were over twice as likely to get paid positions. Internships let you gain invaluable experience to boost your candidacy after college.
Top Services Students Use and Want
In the Student Voice survey, the services students in all classes utilized most were:
- Career Exploration
- Choosing a Major
- Recruitment Events
- Resume Development
However, even more students felt career centers should expand offerings like:
- Resume Building
- Career Exploration
- Recruitment Event Prep
- Interview Practice
- Networking Assistance
This demonstrates that while current offerings provide a good baseline, students want more personalized guidance in applying skills to the modern job search.
Don’t Delay: Start Early for Better Outcomes Later
While it’s tempting to put off career steps like a freshman overwhelmed with adjusting to college life, data shows early engagement with career center resources leads to better outcomes for students of all grades.
Approximately 70% of freshmen have already utilized their career centers at least once, getting a head start on plans and skills for after graduation. This gives them an advantage over half of juniors who’ve yet to connect with these essential services.
Even seniors should urgently prioritize resume polishing, recruiter networking, interview workshops and other resources if they haven’t already. With graduation deadlines looming, late is better than never when accessing support to transition smoothly into the ideal career.
College career centers offer customized guidance at every step, from choosing classes or majors synced to career goals early on to matching students with recruiters in their desired industry closer to graduation.
Don’t miss out by failing to leverage these expert teams entirely dedicated to helping you identify, prepare for, and launch your ideal career after college. Every interaction increases your likelihood of landing dream jobs and out-earning peers who overlook this vital resource.
Get started now by meeting with a career advisor to outline a personalized strategy, then actively engage career center workshops, job fairs, internship programs, and other offerings. The time and effort invested will pay dividends for years to come.