Faculty Guide to Career Services

Career advisers are adept in helping students discover a sense of self and purpose, even when starting from scratch. Once pinpointed, students consult with career advisors savvy in a particular industry, learning the best strategies for career success.

Our advisers conduct research, attend professional conferences, and network with faculty, employers, and alumni partners to stay current on industry trends.

More about career discovery

We employ multiple strategies to cultivate and maintain relationships with providers of diverse post-graduate opportunities.

• Our online internship and job platform, Colgate Handshake, hosts Colgate Premier employment opportunities specifically targeting Colgate students.
• Summer on the Cuyahoga (SOTC): Paid internships, alumni networking, and community housing offered as part of an economic development program in Cleveland.

Learn more about Recruiting and Employer Relations

In addition to sharing your own insights, please refer students to Colgate Career Services should they inquire with you about general career or industry-specific questions. We are able to assist students in:

• Clarifying career and academic interests utilizing career assessments.
• Developing job and internship search strategies.
• Writing basic or targeted resumes, cover letters, and personal statements.
• The process of applying to graduate or professional schools, including standardized testing.
• Preparing for employment interviews.
• Identifying career resources for special populations: students of color, LGBTQ, veterans, international students, etc.
• Funding to support unpaid or underpaid experiential opportunities.
• Receiving academic credit for internships where credit is required.

We ask that the faculty please share any internship or full-time opportunities sent by employers, parents, or former students, as well as student worker positions you have submitted to the Portal. We post these positions to Colgate Handshake where it will receive maximum student exposure. Just email us the description.

We are always considering new ways to reach out to and engage with faculty across campus. If you have ideas of new ways we might collaborate with you or adjust our current practices, please contact us at ccs@colgate.edu.

Classroom Presentations

One way to help students connect their academic work at Colgate to their plans for life after graduation is to collaborate with Career Services for an in-class presentation tailored to the students in class. A 15–45 minute presentation or workshop in class may be a productive and educational opportunity at a time when your own schedule may require you to cancel class or have a late arrival/early departure. 

Departmental Meetings

Colgate Career Services staff is also available to attend departmental meetings to share current initiatives in career services, provide an overview of services and opportunities, and to collaborate with the department to best meet the needs of students.

Available Subject Matter

Here are a few possible topics we are prepared to present:

• How to prepare study group participants for their internship placements and applying for summer internships while off campus.
• What can I do and what have Colgate alumni done with a particular major?
• Using career assessments to discern interests, values, and career direction.
• Preparing application materials, targeting resumes, and cover letters.
• Personal statement preparation for graduate school admission.
• A general overview of Career Services.

Scheduling

To schedule, please email ccs@colgate.edu.

Career Services has funds designated to collaborate with faculty on events designed to expose students to diverse career paths. We also entertain proposals from students to subsidize career-oriented conference registration fees.

Funds are limited, so connect with Colgate Career Services as early as possible to take advantage of these resources.

Colgate Career Services tracks students’ summer and first post-graduate outcomes and can provide department-specific data to aid your work with current students — especially those who seek clarity on what to do with a certain major.

Members of the faculty are welcome to attend on-campus career events, including employer information sessions, to learn more about their interests and processes. Many of our employers seek access to the faculty, and many sometimes members of the faculty will invite the contacts they make with employers or graduate programs into classroom or student organization settings for informational purposes.

If this is something in which you are interested, please contact Employer Relations.