Career Services

There are a world of opportunities at the Career Center. Please browse through the following links to see what the Career Center has to offer. We want to help you plot your path to success!

Take Advantage of Career Services

Career Development

• Know who you are and what you want. Understanding you is the first step in determining what career to pursue. There are career and personality assessments available to help you identify your skills, values, interests, and personality as it relates to career paths.
• Company representatives are impressed with interviewees that have clear objectives. After you have chosen a career path, reserach what it will take to be successful.
• Research your "dream job" by conducting an informational interviews with a professional in that field. Also consider shadowing a professional to learn about their day to day task and responsibilities. One resource is the Mentoring and Shadowing Network via Wildcat CareerLink www.uky.edu/CareerCenter
• Get real world experience with internships, part-time work, and service projects. Attend an Internship Info Session. Or learn about internships at http://www.uky.edu/CareerCenter/internship.htm
• Learn to develop and utilize a network. Networking is cultivating relationships with others. Become genuinely interested in people. Learn to remember names. Listen. Keep track of interesting people and be of service to them. Keep in touch. One resource is the Mentoring and Shadowing Network via Wildcat CareerLink www.uky.edu/CareerCenter
• Have excellent correspondences: resumes, cover letter, thank you letters etc. Tips are available on the Career Center's website http://www.uky.edu/CareerCenter/students.htm
• Use resources that are available to you! Wildcat CareerLink is our online internship and job posting system (thats where the internships and jobs listed). Workshops are available on: Resume writing, interviewing, job search, and other topics. Information available.
• Do a practice (mock) interview. Call the Stuckert Career Center at 859.257.2746 to schedule an appointment with Mrs. Azetta Beatty. Or via e-mail.

• Attend Career Fairs. A business related career fair is offered every semester. View the employer list for the Oct. 7-8, 2009 Fall 2009 2-Day UK Career Fair https://uky-csm.symplicity.com/events/students.php?cf=2009Fair
• Research companies. Employers want applicants that have good skills, have a passion for the work, and want to work for them. Know why you want to work for a particular organization.

Career RELATED Workshops

The Career Center offers career development workshops throughout the semester to help you prepare for your career. Workshops are a good way to obtain information from career counselors and employer guest speakers. In addition, you learn from other student experiences in the group setting.

The Profesionalism Series (workshops and events) is offered in the Gatton College for all students each semester. http://gatton.uky.edu/Undergraduates/Content.asp?PageName=UProSeries

Workshops topics include:

• Resume Writing
• Interviewing
• Job Search
• Government Jobs
• How to Work a Career Fair

 

Sign Up to Receive Career Related Emails

The Gatton career counselor periodically sends out emails concerning career related events, internships and jobs. To sign up to receive these emails:

Send an email to LISTSERV@lsv.uky.edu
Leave the subject line blank
In the body of the email write "Subscribe GATTONCAREER-L Your name"

OR Click here

NOTE: Make sure you delete any signatures or logos that may appear at the bottom of your outgoing message.

PLEASE keep in mind that this GATTONCAREER Listserv serves as an FYI notice. It should not be your only means of gathering career info about internships, job, upcoming events, etc. Remember that YOUR job search and career related searches are YOUR responsibility.

Preparing Resumes & Cover Letters

Your resume is used to market you. It is used when applying for an internship, co-op, and job. It may also be requested for graduate school, scholarship, and fellowship applications.

Employers often review resumes and cover letters in less than one minute. Therefore, your resumes must be well-written, concise, and very well organized to be effective. Customize your resume for the reader, looking for opportunities to match your accomplishments and interests to their needs.

There is no "perfect resume format." However, there are basic do's and don'ts that can make or break your resume. It depends on your unique education, experiences, and skills. You may even want to have different versions of your resume depending on the job type/industry that you'd like to target.

Cover Letters offer an excellent opportunity for you to highlight your accomplishments and related or relevant experience. Write this letter from a pursuasive (positive and assertive), conversational perspective. Share your specific qualifications. This is an opportunity for the employer to get to know you and learn more about why you have applied for the internship or job. Do not focus on negative information or your shortcomings.

Find tips on the career center's website http://www.uky.edu/CareerCenter/studentsinfo.htm  
Make an appointment with your career counselor for individual advice by calling (859) 257-2746.

Or utilize the daily Drop-In Hours at the Stuckert Career Center (408 Rose Street) Mon.-Thurs. 11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.; Fri. 11:00 - 1:00 p.m.

Choosing a major

Choosing a major can feel like an overwhelming task. There are dozens of options available. How do you know which one to pick? The great news is that in today's workplace, your major no longer defines you or pigeonholes you into just one career path. Your options are widely varied within any one major, so you don't have to feel like you're deciding your whole future when you declare your major.

Get Help From A Career Coach

Your career counselor is there to help you sort through some major decisions as an up and coming professional. Your career counselor will advise you on choosing a career path that is a good fit for you. In addition, you will be advised on the latest trends, employer and job expectations, job search strategies, and the do's and don'ts in the job market just to name a few.

Call the Stuckert Career Center at 859.257.2746 to schedule an appointment with Mrs. Azetta Beatty. Or email Azetta.Williams@uky.edu. Mrs. Beatty's offices are located in 235G Gatton College and the Stuckert Career Center (408 Rose Street).
 

Tips & myths about career services

Misconception #1:
I have to know exactly what kind of major, career or job I want before I come to the Career Center.

Reality: You may visit the Career Center at any point in your career decision. Career counselors will work with you to help you generate ideas. They serve as coaches and guides to resources that will help you make informed career and employment decisions. The Career Center serves to guide students and cannot tell you what career to choose.

Misconception #2:
The Career Center will find me a job.

Reality: Only YOU can find yourself a job. The Career Center provides opportunities for you to interact with employers through career fairs, on-campus employment interviews, job vacancy postings in the library and on Wildcat CareerLink and networking opportunities. In addition, we help you polish the job seeking tools to make a good impression including resume writing, nterviewing and business etiquette.

Misconception #3:
Employers will look at my resume and tell me what jobs I could do for them.

Reality: Employers expect you to be able to state what you can do for them. Treat your job search as you would any other research project in your classes. One employer summed it up best by saying: Tell job seekers we are NOT career counselors. We are over-run with job seekers who say they will do ANYTHING. We want to talk with job seekers who tell us they will do SOMETHING and articulate what that is.

Misconception #4:
The best time to begin looking for my first professional job is after graduation or a few months prior.

Reality: Employers begin visiting the Career Center the third week in September each year to interview seniors on campus and participate in career fairs. If you wait until you graduate you will very likely have missed several opportunities to interview at the Career Center throughout the year.