Compass to career planning

FIRST YEAR

Your first year is a perfect time for discovery, both professional and personal. Join clubs and organizations that suit your interests. Connecting with your peers enhances your communication skills and helps build your network. Make your education and grades a top priority. Pursue your strengths. Improve on your weaknesses. Be thinking of your current major and see to it that it matches the career path you want to follow – if it does not, you can always change it by speaking with a faculty or success advisor as well as your Career Development Center. If you find a part-time, volunteer, or seasonal position that is related to your career interests — go for it! The sooner you are able to establish your role as a student and a professional, the easier the transition will be.

SECOND YEAR

The second year is when you dedicate time for decisions. Figure out what you liked last year and what you didn’t. Map out what your short-term and long-term goals are. It can be as simple as setting up an informational interview with a local organization or locking-in that dream Summer internship with a multi-national company. Take advantage of workshop opportunities offered. Our center is developing more workshops geared towards all of our students. From creating a personal brand, building your resume, to improving your network and interview skills. Start developing a list of people or companies to contact. It is never too early to connect with professionals in your area of interest. Look for internships specific to your major and find out the steps needed to apply for them. Attend site visits or schedule it at your own time. Create a LinkedIn account to boost your professional and online presence. If you have an account created, learn to utilize it well and build your online visibility.

THIRD YEAR

This is the year to focus on your personal development and to start thinking about what you can do to have a competitive advantage when job searching. Stock up on a few essential interview-appropriate clothes. If you do not own a power suit, we have a career closet to help you get started and can show you what to invest in. You should have a resume created by now and this is the time to post it in our resume book within Hire-A-Pirate. If you are involved in clubs or organizations, we encourage you to take on leadership roles as this allows you to learn multiple management styles. Plan to attend at least one of our Career and Internship Expos. Bring copies of your resume and be prepared to network with the companies and organizations attending. If all goes well, this may lead you to an internship offer and will open up a lot of doors for future career paths.

FOURTH YEAR

Your fourth year may be your busiest year yet. With trying to make sure you are passing your senior-level courses and juggling extracurricular activities, it is no surprise if you start to feel intimidated and stressed out. By now, you should be participating in as many workshops and events that the Career Development Center sponsors as possible. Develop a job search plan and familiarize yourself with the job search sites that are out there, and don’t forget to stay organized! Keep track of where you’re applying and keep the contact information of any hiring managers you know. Make sure your application materials are reviewed by professionals. Get comfortable reaching out to your network and let them know you’re available for hire. Practice your pitch and be more comfortable with responding to questions such as “Tell me about yourself.” And remember, be patient as the career search process takes time.

Focus

FOCUS - CAREER AND EDUCATION PLANNING

FOCUS is a self-paced, online career and education planning tool for use by college students.

It will enable you to self-assess your career relevant personal qualities and explore career fields and major areas of study that are most compatible with your assessment results. Students who use FOCUS make better decisions about their goals and plans and learn how to self-manage their careers.

Use FOCUS to help you choose or change your major and also to verify your preferences or early choice of a career field.

To get started on FOCUS:

  • First time users:  create a new account. Use the following ACCESS CODE when prompted:  pirate
  • Returning users:  log on. (using the account you have already created)

Cover Letters

PIRATE COVER LETTER FORMAT

Another opportunity to sell yourself, use it to your advantage! 

Resumes

PIRATE RESUME FORMAT

Below is a format and guide showing the sections that should be included.  Take note that this is a guideline and different industries such as government or creative will look for a slightly different format. If you have any questions specific to your resume send us a note at careerdevelopment@park.edu.

Contact Us

CONNECT WITH US | F2F & ONLINE

4th Floor, Herr House Parkville Campus
careerdevelopment@park.edu

MEET THE STAFF

Julius Foster
Interim Director
Schedule Appointment
816.584.6402
Julius.foster@park.edu

 

Jude Gonzalez
Career Ambassador
careerdevelopment@park.edu

 

Olivia Lauhoff
Career Ambassador
careerdevelopment@park.edu

Recruiters & Employers

The Park University Career Development Center is here to help you connect to top talent for your internship and full-time employment positions. The Career Development Center offers full-service recruiting resources for local, national and international employers.

CONNECT WITH PARK UNIVERSITY

Are you looking to build your brand with Park students and alumni? The Career Development Center offers a variety of opportunities to connect with students:

  • On-Campus Info Sessions and Interactive Online Info Sessions (60-minute sessions to promote your organization & positions)
  • On-Campus Interviewing 
  • Web-based Interviewing (we will work with you to schedule and facilitate interviewing our non-Parkville-based students)
  • Workshops, Panel Discussions, Programs, Networking Events—Volunteer or sponsor an existing event or talk to us about creating something new
  • Site Visits and Treks – Whether your office is across town or across the country, chat with us about how we can bring a group of qualified students to you

HANDSHAKE | JOB AND INTERNSHIP SYSTEM

Is your company wanting post job and internship opportunities, collect resume books, schedule on-campus or web-based interviews, or visit campus to speak with current students? Register below to connect!

TO REGISTER:

1| Visit HANDSHAKE and select what type of user you plan to be

2 | Sign up with all of your contact information, job title, and choose a password – make sure to utilize the email associated with your organization. You will receive an email shortly after to verify your account.

3 | Join your company! 

4 | Search for “Park University” when prompted to connect with schools – you won’t regret it!

Job Search Information

Whether you are on the hunt for an internship or full-time position, we’ve got you covered! Let’s talk – the search, application, and interviewing. 

RESUME 

A resume is intended to market your skills, to highlight what accomplishments you have that could translate well into what an employer is needing, and what you could bring to the table over other applicants. With so little space, a resume needs to be concise, to the point, and relevant to your audience reading them.

COVER LETTERS

Tell your story. Tell your why. Tell them how you would be the best candidate. A cover letter should go beyond what is on your resume and provide something additional that would help recruiters understand how you would help their company. Utilize a cover letter if you are applying to a role that isn’t common with your background/education, a career transition, or to further explain what someone needs to know about your professional history.

 

JOB SEARCH SITES

Handshake: Handshake is the place where students, career centers, and recruiters come to meet, talk, and share opportunities. Solely focuses on posting opportunities that fit within new graduate needs, Handshake helps reduce the roles that do not fit for Park University students.
LinkedIn.com: Leverage the world’s largest professional network to build relationships and connect with opportunity. Use LinkedIn Jobs to harness the power of your network to uncover insights such as whom you know at a company, providing you an edge in your job search.

Idealist.org: This job board provides openings for volunteer opportunities to get connected in your field, internships, and non-profit positions in a variety of locations. These listings are often going to be for organizations or in roles to serve your community.

Indeed: This is a great starting point just to see what kind of opportunities are coming up in the area and field you are searching for. We see Indeed as a “Google” for job opportunities with a wide range of locations and levels of experience needed.

Individual Company Websites: Having a target company list of 10-15 organizations that are in your field, are a culture fit, in the location you are wanting to work or align with your professional goals will help you develop a network that you should start connecting with. Get acquainted with their company website to see their open positions and learn how you might get involved with their organization.

Internships.com: If you are looking for an internship through your time at Park U, this is a great start with the sole focus on those specific opportunities.

Nonprofit Connect: This site mostly focused on non-profit roles in the Kansas City area, BUT if that fits your search this is the place for you. Instead of scouring each individual non-profit’s website, utilize this one-stop shop.

USA Jobs: If you are looking to pursue a job or internships within the federal government, USA Jobs will be the search engine for you. Postings are up-to-date and often can have a quick turnaround time for the application window so watch the deadlines for the positions you are interested in.
Take note, if applying to these roles your resume could look very different than a resume used to apply for a corporate position

INTERVIEW PREPARATION

GRADUATE SCHOOL INFORMATION

Discover your Career

Handshake

This is a great resource for finding a job or internship, as well as, resources to help you prepare your resume and be successful in your job search. We are adding new jobs from across the country and new resource materials every day! 

FOR STUDENTS

  • Access Handshake HERE.
  • Select Student/Alumni.
  • Select the ‘Forgot Password’ link.  
  • You will be prompted to enter your username.  For your username,  use this version of your Park email address (firstname.lastname@park.edu) to login and NOT your studentID#@park.edu address.  
  • Once your username is entered, select ‘Go’.
  • An email will be sent with a new temporary password.

FOR ALUMNI

  • Access Handshake HERE
  • Select Student/Alumni.
  • To the right of the screen, you can select the ‘Alumni Registration’ button.
  • You will be prompted to fill in your information.  Once finished, select ‘Submit’.