Everything Wildcats should know about one of the most helpful resources at St. Kate’s.
Are you a first-year student at St. Kate’s and looking for an on-campus job? Need help with a resume? Do you have absolutely no idea what you want to major (or minor) in as an undergraduate? Are you curious about graduate school? Career Development is the place where you can find resources, answers to all these questions and more!
Career Development is located on the second floor of the CdC in room 210, which is in the opposite direction of the mailroom and the information desk. If you’ve ever visited the Starbucks on the second floor, then you’ve passed our office! We share a space with Money Management (another incredible student resource) and there is always someone at the front desk to help you with everything from appointment scheduling to job searching. We also have helpful pamphlets, the occasional snack and a puzzle that could use some work, so feel free to stop in and say hello!
The Career Development Mission
As part of St. Kate’s, Career Development’s mission is in alignment with the university’s mission: teaching students of all levels to lead and influence their careers—and therefore, their lives—is what we’re all about.
Student Services
The Career Development office offers a variety of student services, including resume and cover letter advising, internship preparation, career assessments, job search assistance and more. Resume and cover letter advising are conducted by our student peer advisors and most other services are provided by our staff career advisors who have more expertise in specific areas. The KatieCareer Virtual Center—which we lovingly call KCVC in our office—is the heart of Career Development. It has links to Handshake and PeopleGrove, which are magnificent resources, and so many other cool things, like resume templates, career assessments and more. If you need help finding something, chances are you can find it here.
Handshake is where you can schedule appointments, find jobs and internships, and connect with employers. Think of it like LinkedIn or Indeed, but more user-friendly and with aesthetically pleasing formats. If you want an on-campus job, Handshake is the easiest place to find one! PeopleGrove is a new addition to the Career Development resource archive. Have you ever thought about having a mentor, or do you have questions for someone actively working in an industry that you want to be part of someday? PeopleGrove is where you can find that one-of-a-kind connection that could change your world forever.
(And it’s St. Kate’s exclusive, which means that the people there genuinely want to answer your questions and support you, to boot.)
A few other things you should know about Career Development is that we currently offer same-day appointments Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 3-4 PM, our email address is askcareer@stkate.edu and our phone number is 651-690-8890. Work and everything that accompanies it can be intimidating, especially when you’re just starting your higher education experience, wildcat. The more support you have to help you figure things out, the better.
Career Advisors vs. Peer Advisors
There are six career advisors in Career Development and they’re all experts at what they do! Meagan can help with navigating your career journey as an undergraduate student, Xiaoji has experience with professional development and you’ll cross paths with Jen at some point if you have to take an internship. Mary Beth coordinates our fabulous events, if you are a graduate or College for Adults student then Teresa can help with networking, and Sarah is responsible for making sure Handshake, PeopleGrove and other Career Development programs are running smoothly.
Career advisors also directly support peer advisors, which are Career Development’s student workers. There are several peer advisors and if you schedule an appointment with our office, there’s a good chance you’ll meet some of us this upcoming semester.
Events
Making connections with organizations and companies before you begin your journey with them can be difficult in some cases and nearly impossible in others. Career Development hosts everything from recruiting events where you can directly meet a representative from an organization, to resume workshops where you can grab a snack while you review your resume in our cozy office. (Did I mention our office is cozy? It’s super cozy.) We host events from the beginning of the semester to the very end and there is something for everyone.
And where can you schedule appointments and find event information, you ask? The Career Center on Handshake has got you covered.
Etcetera
As an undergraduate nearing the end of a very long journey, I’ve come to believe that developing skills that will support us for a lifetime is enormously important. While I was preparing to write this article, I asked myself, “what did I want to know about Career Development when I first arrived at St. Kate’s?” I wish I knew that this office was here, for one. Plus, it would’ve been helpful to know that there was support for resumes and cover letters (things I’d never created before college) and that patient, brilliant people work here to support students every single day.
So welcome to St. Kate’s, wildcat. And if this isn’t your first rodeo, welcome back. We hope to see you in our office this semester!
