For Undergraduates: Career Planning & Resources
Career Coaching
Learning how to manage your career is an often neglected but very important companion to your college education. Statistics show that, on average, over your work life you may change jobs over ten times and change careers three to five times. The career management steps you will learn in working with a CEC career coach will provide an invaluable road map for both your current and future career planning and decision-making.
The CEC's staff of highly experienced career coaches is available to help you every step of the way with any career-related issues you may encounter. You may set an appointment with a CEC career coach to learn more about how to successfully engage in your career development journey.
Why Meet with a Career Coach?
Your career coach will tailor counseling and coaching to address your specific needs. She will assist you with all aspects of career planning, such as choosing a major and future career direction. Your career coach can also help you develop many valuable skills, such as clarifying your job search goals, developing your resume and cover letter writing, understanding the value and how-to's of networking, researching fields and industries, finding and evaluating job and internship postings, and interviewing effectively. Together you may decide to use career assessments, explore information on career fields and options using the collection of e-resources in the Beatley Library Career Guides, review sample resumes before developing your own, or delve deeper into any other career topic. It all depends on you, the individual, where you are in the career development process, and your specific needs.
What to Expect when Meeting with a Career Coach
Your career coach will meet with you for a 55-minute appointment or during Drop-in Hours to address the career-related issues you are encountering, depending on where you are in the career development process. Since all Simmons undergraduates are assigned a CEC career coach before they arrive on campus, many first-year students come in for an initial meeting with their coach just to understand what services the CEC provides and how they can work with the CEC over their time at Simmons. Other student appointments may focus on a single topic such as a resume review or preparation for a job interview.
How Often to Meet
If you only have a few questions related to your job search or need assistance with developing a professional resume you might only need to meet with a career coach once or twice. However, if you are just beginning to develop your career plans and are feeling confused about choosing a major and exploring future career opportunities, you may find that it is helpful to meet several times over the course of your time at Simmons to accomplish your career goals.
Typical Student Questions about Career Planning
Typically undergraduate students will encounter some of the following questions and concerns and may benefit from support from a career professional in the CEC. While all of these questions can be addressed with a career coach, we also suggest that students prepare for their meeting with a coach by reviewing the relevant information found in the Career Toolkit, and accessible via the links below:
- How do I translate my interests, skills, values and personality preferences into possible jobs or careers? (See Assess Who You Are)
- What major is a good fit for me and how do I explore my career options? (See Explore Majors and Careers)
- What is networking? (See Optimize Your Networking)
- How do I develop an effective resume and cover letter? (See Write a Resume and Write a Job Search Letter)
- What is a "job search strategy" and how do I find a job? (See Manage Your Job Search)
- How do I prepare for an interview? (See Prepare to Interview)
- How do I go about finding an internship? (See Pursue an Internship)
- Is graduate school right for me? (See Explore Graduate School)
Set Up an Appointment or Drop By
To schedule an appointment with a CEC career coach you may call the CEC at 617-521-2488, e-mail us at careers@simmons.edu, or just stop by the CEC. The CEC is located on the first floor of the SOM/Academic Building, Suite M107-M112. You can also stop by during Drop-in Hours to meet with a coach on a first-come, first-served basis for 15 minutes. Drop-in hours are held year-round, every Monday and Tuesday from 3:00-4:30 PM and Wednesday and Thursday from 1:30-3:00 PM.
Why meet with a career coach?
Click here to screen the CareerSpots video on the benefits of meeting with the career experts in the career center.
Check out the STEPS Career Development Plan
To learn more about the STEPS Career Development Plan based on the 5 Step Model and developed specifically for Simmons undergraduate students, visit the STEPS Plan page.
Find a Job or Internship
Check out CA$H for on-campus and work-study jobs, CareerLink for internships and full-time jobs, and the other job boards and resources we've compiled.
Meet with a Career Coach
Wondering where to start? Let us help. Drop by Monday and Tuesday from 3:00-4:30 or Wedneday and Thursday from 1:30-3:00; or, make an appointment at a time convenient to you.
Next Career Event
Employer Info Table: UrbanSitter
Sep 16
Sep 16, 2013 at 11:00am at Fens Lobby Main College Building, Lower Level
