How to Prepare for a Career Center Appointment

A Career Center appointment is a great way to cover a variety of career preparation topics you need to know about: resumes, cover letters, how to find your ideal job/internship, figuring out which career you want to pursue, practice interviews, career resources, how to apply to positions, your thoughts on your career development, etc. However, you can save a lot of time and make the most out of your appointment by preparing for it.

Here, I quickly cover 5 things that you should try to bring to your Career Center Appointment, especially if it’s your first one ever:

Resume

Most of the information you will cover in your appointment will revolve around your resume. You can save time by having it already printed or on your tablet/laptop so that the career counselor can see your experience and also go over any additions or edits you can make to your resume.

Cover Letter

The reason you should bring your cover letter is similar to that of bringing your resume. Most job/internship applications require a cover letter. By reviewing yours with the career counselor, you can go over if you are on the right track as far as how you are writing the cover letter and if it relates to the positions you are applying to.

Bring a recent/most-edited version of your resume and cover letter

To save even more time, check out our Career Planning Handbook to get tips on how to do your resume and cover letter, so that you can make sure that you have the bases covered.

2 examples of jobs/internships you want to apply to

You can have the most well written resume and cover letter, but if they don’t relate at all to the positions you are applying to, they are not going to get you the job. By bringing some job/internship postings you are interested in (whether printed or on your tablet/laptop) you and the career counselor can see if your resume and cover letter are well edited AND if they match the positions you are interested in.

Pen and paper to take notes

You will get a lot of valuable information during your appointment; don’t forget to take notes on the helpful things you learn.

There’s the saying “Success is where preparation and opportunity meet.” Make sure you do the preparation, and we at the Career Center will help you find the opportunities that fit you.

Nayelli Perez, Assistant Director