As the end of the academic school year is approaching, many students are seeking summer job opportunities or internships. Those who are graduating are working on resumes, cover letters, and trying to get interviews. For many, this process can be very overwhelming. What many students may not realize is that there are resources right on campus than can help guide you through this stressful time. Even if you are not in search of a career or internship opportunity, underclassmen might be trying to choose a major, or see what they can do with their major. The one place on campus that has all these answers is located on the second floor of Lawrence and is known is the Twardowski Career Development Center.
The goal of the Twardowski Career Development Center is to provide a variety of services, programs, and resources that can help facilitate the lifelong career development process of students. Some services provided to assist students with advancing their careers are individual appointments for identifying major options, career exploration and job search resources, resume writing assistance and personalized feedback, interview advice and preparation, and on-campus interviews and career fairs.
The Career Development Center also offers a library collection. The library provides easy-to-use career exploration and job search materials, as well as a wide variety of literature. The Career Center’s library can be used to help individuals write resumes, prepare for interviews, search for jobs, explore different majors and career options, research graduate school programs and more. The library also holds job binders which include part time and summer listings. Students can be found flipping through pages of employment opportunities just walking distance of WCU. Employers fax and email job postings to the career center on a daily basis. Most of the listings are for part-time, summer, and internship opportunities, in addition to full-time positions. This is a great resource for students who are starting to think about summer jobs now that it is only a couple of months away.
In addition to the many resources offered in the Career Development Center and on the Web site, there are also some other internet resources that the staff encourages students to utilize. One of these online resources includes the College Central Network. With so many different Web sites promoting employment opportunities, it can be challenging to know where to begin a search online. College Central is the resource WCU uses as its official resume and job posting service for career-related jobs and internships. Students are able to create free accounts to access job postings, resume critique and referral services, and also participate in on-campus recruiting. How it works is, employers, who are interested in hiring WCU students, post jobs within the system, and students who are logged in are able to view the positions that might be a good fit for them.
It is recommended that students register with College Central Network no later than two semesters before their graduation date. Some students prefer to create College Central accounts sooner, like Abbey Beisswenger, who joined the network as a sophomore. “I knew I needed more experience on my resume if I wanted a good full time job when I graduated, so I checked out some of the positions that were posted and ended up getting an interview which resulted in the internship I still have today,” says Beisswenger of her paid internship position at ING in Philadelphia.
No matter what stage of career building students are in, many would agree that it is never too early to start getting a resume together and planning for the future. Fortunately, for West Chester University students, these resources are available right on campus.
The staff at the Twardowski Career Development Center is dedicated to working with students to help them have a positive experience at West Chester University. They are knowledgeable about job trends, employer requirements and educational opportunities. It is strongly encouraged by the Career Center to set up a one-on-one appointment with one of the staff members. They are there to do everything from helping students develop self-awareness of interests and skills to coaching on job search skills, resume development and interview techniques. The staff is concerned with providing support and guidance to students and helps them prepare career goals.
Not only can students gain plenty of valuable information on career development, but they can also expect to be treated in a respectful manner and to receive answers to all of their questions or be directed to someone who can provide the answers they need.
The Twardowski Career Development Center, located in 225 Lawrence, is open 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and appointments can be made over the phone. Drop in hours are Mondays and Wednesdays between 2 and 3 p.m., and Tuesdays and Thursdays between 2 and 3:30 p.m. and these are the only time slots when appointments are not necessary. For more information on the Twardowski Career Development center, the staff encourages students to stop by, or look under student services on the West Chester University homepage.
Lindsay Lynch is majoring in communications studies with a minor in journalism. She can be reached at LL628475@wcupa.edu.