The Career Center offers career services to all currently enrolled CSUN students and eligible alumni. Our services help students:
- Identify their interests, skills, strengths and values.
- Match academic programs with career fields.
- Make meaningful decisions.
- Clarify career goals.
- Engage in career planning.
- Prepare for a job search.
Career Counseling and Advisement
Walk-in career advisement
If a student has a quick question about their career, needs their resume critiqued or wants to learn about career resources and job search strategies, they can meet with a career peer educator and get started! Walk-ins are offered on a first-come, first-served basis. Call us at (818) 677-2878 to find out available times before coming into the office.
Career counseling
Students can come to us for direction, career planning, information, guidance and support. Career counselors help students understand themselves and their lives, make choices and develop plans. Counselors also assist students with all aspects of their job search and can help students tap into the harder-to-find employment opportunities. Please note that a walk-in session is required prior to making an appointment with a career counselor.
Graduate and professional school advisement
The Career Center provides assistance to students who are exploring graduate school options. We help students with researching programs and personal essays. Each fall semester, the Career Center hosts a Graduate and Professional School Fair that attracts approximately 90 colleges and universities. College recruiters meet with students at the event to showcase their graduate programs and offer information on the application and admission processes. Graduate and professional school services are coordinated with the CSUN Graduate Studies Office and their annual Advancement to Graduate Education (AGE) Conference.
Pre-Employment Services
Resume writing and interviewing
The Career Resource Library has several references that teach students how to prepare for a job search. Books provide sample resumes for comparison and best answers to tough interview questions. There are also resources that help students gain experience with digital job search processes like using Linked-in and Skype interviewing.
Students can also build a resume using the Handshake resume builder and can save the resume in their account for use when applying for jobs online. CareerLink has an online resume workshop in the Plan Your Future module under the Job Search Preparation section. Resumania, offered once each semester, provides students an opportunity for a 10-minute resume critique with an industry professional or one of our career counselors. Students can also receive a resume critique through walk-in advisement.
Each semester students can practice interviewing with an industry professional or a career counselor at Interview Frenzy. Students can also practice online using the Handshake Mock Interview module and send their recorded interview to staff, faculty or family by email for a critique. Students can access our online workshop on interviewing through CareerLink.
Job boards and electronic resources
Employers that want to hire CSUN students and graduates for jobs or internships can post online in Handshake. The Career Center provides links to other online job boards that can be accessed through CareerLink. These select resources include:
- NACElink Network, which contains multi-school postings by nation-wide employers.
- Current Jobs In, a career field series.
- State, local and federal government job sites.
- Going Global, a country-specific job posting and employment guide service.
Major and Career Exploration
CareerLink
CareerLink has online resources and materials developed for students by our career counselors. In CareerLink, students can discover themselves and access career information through exercises, games, videos and articles. CareerLink can help students with their career questions at any point in their college journey.
Career engagement activities
Students can earn a career certificate and badges by completing our series of career engagement activities. These activities help students use the Career Resource Library materials along with other career services to explore majors and careers, and design their career plan.
Internships and information interviewing
The Career Center offers help to students with preparing and planning for an internship or an informational interview. We connect students to opportunities where they can learn more about their chosen field or industry, gain real-world experience and begin to develop a professional identity. Testing out assumptions and expectations as well as applying classroom knowledge in the real world helps students decide if they are on the right career path.
Eureka
Eureka, an online career guidance system, allows users to relate personal characteristics with California-based information on majors, careers and graduate studies. Eureka can be accessed in the Career Library Resource computer lab or online by obtaining a password from the Career Center.
Career education and professional development events
Professionals and CSUN alumni working in particular industries or career fields are invited to campus to share their knowledge and experience with students. They may participate on a panel, present a webinar or workshop, or attend a mentoring event. Our industry professionals also share information with students about their own educational and career paths. Students can learn about opportunities, trends and workplace culture. By participating, students better understand how their major relates to careers as well as the demands and requirements of specific career fields.
