College is all about making new friends and taking new classes, but another essential part of college is professional development. After college you want a job, right? Spend your time at school developing the skills and gaining the experience you need to have the most successful job search and post-grad experience.
Hopefully you attended Career Week! You’ve met with the employers, did some networking and forwarded your resume. That’s a great start, but now what? There are still things to do to be a proactive applicant.
Now is the time to be preparing for interviews. offers an abundance of interview preparation materials on its website, and you can schedule an appointment to meet with a career exploration specialist to practice your skills!
You can also connect with the company and recruiters you met with on . Find a company you love? Follow up with them! Contact the recruiter and let them know how much you love the company.
The company doesn’t have an opening right now, but you’re still interested? Follow them on ! When you follow a job or employer on Handshake, you will receive alerts when the job application window is closing and be updated when the employer is attending an event for Syracuse students.
Still looking for experience? There is an amplitude of career resources at your fingertips!
With your syr.edu email address you can get free premium access to , a self-guided tool that allows you to explore thousands of business, tech and creative courses to build skills for your future career. There are also campus resources like the the ! The Wellness Leadership Institute offers a variety of workshops focusing on all sorts of different skills such as physical, emotional, financial, and career. Workshops like “Strategies for Career Planning” focus on maintaining a positive attitude as you work to transition from student to work life.
Finally, Syracuse has many student employment opportunities that allow for both work experience and skill development to help you reach your career goals. On-campus employment opportunities and events will be listed in Handshake and listed as ’CuseWorks opportunities. Every job on campus will help you develop your skills to help make you more successful and beef up your resume. Learn more about student employment and what to expect on the !
Professional development doesn’t just start with your first job. It’s all of the experiences you get while still being a student. Take advantage of all the resources on-campus today!
Written by Charlotte Shea ’23, S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications