Career Services

Planning will help you make the most of your college years.  Here are some activities that will help you clarify potential career paths.

FIRST YEAR
1. Start thinking about your skills, values and interests. Visit the Career Services, Advising Resource Center. Begin reading about work that intrigues you in the Career Services Resource Center where you’ll find information on a variety of careers that correspond to Lyndon’s major courses of study.2. Job Shadow; consider spending a typical day on the job with two or three different professionals in different careers.3. Develop and test out your skills by working with campus clubs and organizations (e.g., if you think that you might be curious about journalism, join the Critic staff if you might be interested in making things happen on campus, get involved with the campus activities board (CAB) or Student Government.4. Browse through the internships and summer jobs in and on the internship info. section on Career Services website.5. Meet with the Career Services staff or a faculty member to discuss strategies for uncovering other internship leads.6. Put together a draft of your resume and cover letter using Fishing Gear, (which you can pick up in Career Services). Seek help from Career Services staff whenever you like until you are happy with your resume (keep in mind, your resume will be in a constant state of updating).7. Research the academic requirements for professions of interest and work with your academic advisor to make sure you’re taking the best courses.

SOPHOMORE YEAR
1. Take courses and choose projects that will expand knowledge and skills related to your field(s) of interest. Consider course work outside your major that will enhance your marketability (e.g., computer applications and writing courses).   2. Try to arrange an internship related to your field(s) of interest. It doesn’t matter whether you do internships for credit or not or whether you get paid or not. Employers just want to see some practical application of the skills you’re learning. This is often true of graduate and professional schools, too! Career Services can help you here.   3. You may be able to use a responsible club position or work experience for an internship (Contact your faculty advisor for further information).   4. Start thinking about soliciting references from professors and employers. Schedule appointments to meet with them to confirm their willingness/ability to provide positive references for you.   5. Rework and update your resume.

JUNIOR YEAR
1. Wrap up your research of career fields2. Get in another professional experience via a summer job or internship to test the direction you’re heading (does it seem appealing to pursue for the first year or two after graduation?).3. Rework and update your resume (again!).4. Start compiling a list of networking contacts (past employers, faculty, family & friends) to approach for help with your job search.5. Compile information about potential graduate programs and request graduate school applications.6. Think you’re interested in applying to graduate school? Pick up graduate school information, admissions test application booklets in Career Services and begin to research financial aid information (scholarships & grants) and check the Graduate School page on the Career Service website.7. Take Graduate school entrance exams

SENIOR YEAR
1. Meet with Career Services to develop an individualized job search plan.   2. Fine tune your resume, cover letter and interviewing skills. Career Services is available to help   3. Check your LSC CONNECTIONS and our other online databases or links regularly for job leads.   4. Check job leads in the job newsletters and bulletins, which Career Services receives.   5. If you haven’t had an internship, try to have one this year. If your schedule permits, have a final internship.   6. Possibly develop a special senior project or independent study   7. Continue your involvement with campus clubs and organizations   8. Continue networking with faculty friends, family and former employers.   9. Join a relevant professional association at the reduced student membership fee to gain access to more networking opportunities as well as job leads and continuing education.  10. Take graduate school entrance exams and complete graduate school applications.

POST GRADUATION
1. Complete the Graduate Survey that Career Services sends you; let us know where you’re employed or which graduate school program you’ll be attending.   2. This is also the tool you’ll use to let us know if you’re still looking and want to receive job notices from us.   3. You can continue to work with Career Services whether you’re in the Lyndonville area or not.

1. Plan ahead; leave ample time for a professor to write the letter…at least a month. Clearly define the deadline (at least one week before the materials are actually due)
2. Decide whether you want to indicate that this will be an “open” (you can read) or “closed” (you cannot read) letter. An open letter guarantees that you know what was said about you. A closed letter gives away your right to read the letter. Some people see this as an opportunity for the recommender to be more candid, thus giving the letter greater validity.
3. Choose professors who know you well, and who know the range of your abilities.
4. Diplomatically request a letter of recommendation. “Do you feel you know enough about me to write a good letter?” If a professor seems at all hesitant, find someone else to ask.
5. Be sure to include recommenders that a graduate school would expect a letter from. (i.e., thesis advisor)
6. Give the professor all the forms at once (if possible), with a postage-paid, addressed envelope for each school or employer.
7. Provide the followingL
   1. A degree audit on which you have marked the courses taken from the professor.
   2. A draft of your cover letter, personal statement, or notes about your goals, professional work history, accomplishments and honors, unusual experiences and personal strengths.
   3. Your resume, and possibly a copy of your best paper, exam or assignment.
8. Insurance plan: Include a stamped postcard addressed to you, noting that the graduate school has received the letter of recommendation. Ask the professor to enclose this with the letter of recommendation. The school will then send the postcard back to you when they receive the materials. If you do not receive a confirmation postcard, you will know you need to gently remind your professor of the deadline.
9. It is good manners to send a thank-you note!

Donald Asher in Graduate Admissions Essays writes the “components of letters of recommendation should include: credentials of the writer; depth of knowledge of the candidate (you) as a person and as a performer; testimony as to the candidate’s intellectual capacity, work habits, preparedness for graduate studies; some small fault to demonstrate the writer’s objectivity; and predictions of the candidate’s future career contributions.”