Office of Career Services

Four Year Plan

Freshman / Sophomore / Junior / Senior

 Freshman Year - Getting Started 

• Decide or confirm your choice of major
  • Discuss your choice of major with your academic advisor
  • Look at career options associated with your major and other majors
  • Make an appointment with a Career Services counselor and take a career interest test

• Develop attributes valued by employers
  • Join a student organization and/or intramural/athletic team and take an active role
  • Get involved in residence hall life as a floor representative, committee member, etc.
  • Take part in community service activities with Campus Ministry (tutoring, food runs, etc.)
  • Write an article for a student publication (The Tower, Crux, etc.)

• Find out when, where, and how to start looking into internships
  • Learn from your academic department how and when internships for credit are available
  • Look at types of internships students from your and other CUA majors have held
  • Register with Cardinal Connection and see the variety of internship opportunities are offered
  • Attend Career Fairs to talk with employers about what their interns do and what qualifications they seek

•  Confirm your choice of major and look into possible minors
  
  • Look at career options associated with your major and other majors
  • Make appointment with Career Services counselor to talk about your progress to date, and how you can use the coming years to hone in on specific career possibilities
• Look into study abroad options
  
  • Discuss study abroad with your academic advisor
  • Talk with students who have done study abroad to learn about their experience
• Know when, where, and how to start looking into internships
  
  • Learn from your academic department how and when internships for credit are available, and how to register
  • Look at types of internships students from your and other CUA majors have held
  • Become familiar with Cardinal Connection and learn about on-campus recruitment opportunities 
  • Attend Career Fairs.
• Create or update your resume and cover letter
  
  • Keep updating and revising your resume
  • Draft basic cover letter or update existing version
  • Meet with Career Services counselor for a critique of resume and/or cover letter
• Expand your campus involvement & attributes valued by employers
  
  • Join a student organization and/or intramural/athletic team and take an active role; if already involved, seek out greater responsibility; branch out with new activities
  • Take part in community service activities with Campus Ministry
  • If working on campus, talk with your supervisor about how you can get the most valuable experience out of your position
  • Attend employer networking events to mix with alumni in fields of interest
• Build your global skills (intercultural and international awareness)
  
  • Discuss electives with your academic advisor that will enhance your future ability to work internationally or with an organization with overseas activity
  • Attend campus events that expose you to speakers and students with international and multicultural backgrounds

Summer:

• Search and apply for internships for the fall. For suggestions, visit Cardinal Connection and Internships.com

Junior Year - Get Experience

• Explore your career options including graduate school
  
  • Look at career options associated with your major and other majors
  • Make an appointment with Career Services counselor to talk about careers you are considering and what you can do to make yourself the best possible candidate
  • Register to use Alumni Career Network to talk with CUA grads about their work
  • Network for job opportunities

• Consider graduate or law school
  
  • Discuss graduate or professional school requirements with your academic or pre-law/pre-med advisor
  • Read about possible academic programs
  • Decide if/when you will take a grad exam prep course

• Look into study abroad options
  
  • Discuss study abroad with your academic advisor
  • Talk with students who have done study abroad to learn about their experience

• Get an internship (November - May)
  
  • Learn from your academic department how to register for credit for an internship
  • Meet with a Career Services counselor to discuss what types of positions you are looking for;
  • Look on Cardinal Connection and Internships.com and apply.
  • Participate in On-Campus Interviewing, make sure you are up to date with when employers are coming to campus
  • Look at types of internships students from your and other CUA majors have held
  • Attend Career Fair
• Revise your resume and cover letter for summer job or senior internship
  
  • Revise and update existing resume
  • Revise and update cover letter
  • Meet with Career Services counselor for a critique of resume and/or cover letter
  • Do a mock job interview with a Career Services counselor

• Continue developing attributes valued by employers
  
  • Take classes that expand your skills
  • Join a student organization and take an active role; if already involved, seek out greater responsibility
  • Take part in community service activities with Campus Ministry
  • If working on campus, talk with your supervisor about how you can get the most valuable experience out of your position
  • Attend employer networking events to mix with alumni in fields of interest

• Summer:
  • Search and apply for internships for the fall
  • Take LSATs

Senior Year - Start the Job Search

• Prepare for the job search (September through December)
  • Network for job opportunities
  • Meet with a Career Services counselor (fall semester) to discuss your ideas about jobs, and to map out a strategy
  • Look at current job openings in your fields of interest to get an idea of what employers are offering. See Cardinal Connection and Internships.com 
  • Polish up your resume and cover letter. Be able to expand on any point in detail.
  • Identify people who can serve as references during your job search
  • Attend employer networking events to mix with alumni in fields of interest
  • Register to use Alumni Career Network to talk with CUA grads about their work and how to break into their fields
• Apply to graduate/ law school
  • Take required admissions exam (GRE, GMAT, LSAT) (Sept-Oct)
  • Complete applications, including personal statements (Nov-Dec)
• Apply for jobs (September-May)
  • Identify job openings through your network, Cardinal Connection and other sources
  • Participate in On-Campus Interviewing
  • Do a mock job interview with a Career Services Counselor to prepare for the real thing
  • Attend Mid-year and Spring Career Fairs to apply for positions