Career Services works with students from admittance through graduation and even as alumni.

Ideally, a student will start exploring careers in their first year so that they can prepare for internship opportunities and the eventual job hunt, but if there is confusion during the decision process (which is common among college students!) we can help assist students with clarifying their career goals and finding the right academic program.

We help guide students through self-assessment and career exploration in order to help them determine the right direction at this point in their lives. Here at Franciscan University we are dedicated to the success of our students, and our efforts bear fruit: our last graduate survey showed that 95% of Franciscan University graduates were employed, in graduate school, or serving the Church within one year of graduation!

• Visit the “Career Services” page on MyFranciscan for everything you might need.
• Schedule a one-on-one appointment with one of our Career Services professionals by emailing [email protected] or calling 740-284-5251.
• During the academic year, attend a workshop to learn important skills such as resume writing and interviewing.
• Submit a resume for feedback from mentors by emailing their resume to [email protected].

By working with a Career Counselor, students will investigate their interests, skills, and values and apply this information in formulating career goals. Students may also make appointments to discuss field experience opportunities such as internships and to learn more about how to best approach their job or grad school search (addressing networking, resumes, interviewing, evaluating compensation packages, etc.) Students can rest assured that all information discussed is kept confidential.

ASSESSMENTS: TYPES AND USES

Assessments may be used in collaboration with workshops, counseling, internships, and advice from family and friends to help students find a broad career path that offers many possibilities for professional and personal growth. We do offer some free assessments through a program called MyPlan. Your student has access to this through My Franciscan (under the Career Services tab). While testing does a good job of assessing interests and values, it should not be seen as a foolproof means of choosing a job.

INTERNSHIPS

Students can find internships through a variety of resources. It is recommended that students come in to meet with one of our career counselors to talk about what internships may be available for their major and skill set. Students may also choose to do an online search through sites like Internships.com and Indeed.com.

ON-CAMPUS JOBS

We also assist students looking for a part time job on campus, and those interested should attend the SWOP fair at the beginning of the fall semester. Part-time time job postings are also available online.

To become competitive for the job market or graduate school, students should focus on three areas:

1. Academics: Grades show intellectual competence, self-discipline, and the ability to learn new material. Students should be able to articulate what they learn in their coursework in terms of specific intellectual skills. Beyond classroom learning, students should become involved in research projects with faculty.
2. Leadership Experience: Employers value well-rounded graduates. Students should be able to show examples of strong leadership, communication, organizational and teamwork skills. Participation in student organizations, as well as athletics, can provide excellent opportunities for development in these areas.
3. Experiential Learning: Internships, community service projects, campus involvement, and part-time jobs are all important opportunities to gain hands-on experience in a variety of career fields. Students can identify and confirm their areas of interest as well as develop industry-specific skills needed for a full-time job or graduate school. Additionally, employers often use their internship or volunteer programs as recruiting tools to identify potential entry-level employees.

Students frequently start out knowing exactly what they want to do with their lives, but then become uncertain or consider a completely different direction after taking an introductory course in a field they’d never considered. This is common. Franciscan offers over 40 majors and most incoming students only know about a handful of them. Our Career Counselors are skilled in supporting students who are reconsidering their career focus. The goal is to give students the information they need to make career decisions that are consistent with who they and are what they want from life.

Even within any given major, there are a number of career paths that students may take depending on their interests and abilities. Shadowing, networking, and gaining hands-on experience through internships or volunteer work can help students to develop skills and gain experience that both help them make informed career decisions, and is valued by potential employers. Our office is a valuable resource for finding such opportunities, and for providing access to alumni mentors and employers.

With a good plan in place students can pursue many careers with a liberal arts major. There are a wide variety of majors that do not have an obvious and direct link to the world of work. As a parent, you can assist your student by encourageing him or her to prepare for the working world by exploring different career areas, developing skills and gaining relevant work experience.

We help students consider what elements they should think about as they look at different schools. We also host a graduate school fair for students to connect with admissions counselors from a variety of schools. The earlier they can meet with us the better. There are often a host of pre-requisite classes or other requirements they will need before they can apply to these school, and the sooner we can help them start on these classes the better.