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Preparing for the “Real World”

Sorry for not blogging for a while. I have been super busy with job applications. While the thought of the “real world” is absolutely terrifying, luckily the fantastic staff at the Vanderbilt Center for Student Professional Development (previously the Career Center) are always willing to help! They have been invaluable as I try to navigate the road ahead, as scary as it may be.

The Vanderbilt Center for Student Professional Development offers several services that have been very helpful as my friends and I frantically try to stay on top of job applications.

First and foremost, the Center for Student Professional Development provides resume and cover letter critiques. Prior to applying for any jobs, I had someone review my resume and they offered lots of very useful feedback. They also taught me how to tailor my resume to the position that I was applying for. Additionally, I signed up for a mock interview with someone that has experience in the fields I am applying for. This proved tremendously helpful as I learned about the types of questions that are typically asked and received valuable feedback about my responses.

Additionally, the Center for Student Professional Development’s website has an application called DoreWays which allows students to apply for a wide variety of jobs and internships. Applicants can narrow down their searches through a variety of characteristics, such as job type and location. Through DoreWays, I found a variety of jobs in my field of interest that I didn’t even know existed.

Additionally, the Center for Student Professional organizes opportunities for many organizations to recruit on campus. Most organizations that participate in on-campus recruiting will host an information session, in which interested applicants can learn more about the company and the open position. After that, the company can interview students on campus. On-campus recruiting has been tremendously beneficial as I do not need to spend the time and money attending interviews in other cities. And trust me, during senior year, time and money are two things that are tough to come by!

During several information sessions, the employers mentioned how impressed they are with Vanderbilt students’ professionalism during the application and interview process. This is largely a result of the many services offered by the Vanderbilt Center for Student Professional Development!