Services for Students and Alumni

Individual Counseling

• Uncertain about your career plans or your major? Make an appointment to talk with one of our career counselors at your convenience. An appointment can also be helpful if you're just getting started with your job or internship search. If you have other career concerns, you may want to talk with a counselor during Drop-in Hours.

Drop-in Hours

• No appointment is necessary on Monday and Wednesday afternoons from 2 - 4:30 pm when classes are in session. At least one counselor is available for assistance in the resource area on a first come, first served basis. Counselors can help you locate information; critique your resume or cover letter; and answer quick questions about internships, job search, summer jobs, or applying to graduate or professional school. If you think you'll need more than 15 minutes or so, you may want to schedule an appointment instead.

CDO Online

• Visit our web site at http://www.fredonia.edu/cdo and discover links to career information, job search sites, graduate school information, and much, much more!

Internships

• Counselors can help you identify and find internship opportunities related to your educational or career goals. Assistance is also available in applying for internships, obtaining a Learning Contract for Experiential Education, developing resumes, writing cover letters, and preparing for interviews.

Quest

• Quest is a web-based system that provides you with the ability to search professional, internship, and summer employment opportunities, learn about career fairs and other CDO events, as well as to post a resume online for review by interested employers. Click on the Quest logo to get started and set up a Job Agent to have opportunities e-mailed to you!

DISCOVER

• DISCOVER is an online program that helps you to identify career options related to what you like to do, what you are good at, and what is important to you. It also includes information about 500 careers. It is most helpful when the printouts are discussed with a counselor. Check out the Careers and Majors section of CDO Online.

CareerSearch

• CareerSearch is a national database of comprehensive information on over 1.8 million potential employers. It provides contact names, titles, addresses, descriptions and links to organization web sites, and is searchable by industry and geographic location. It also includes salary information, a salary wizard, and an internship search. Check out the CareerSearch link in your Quest account in CDO Online.

Practice Interviews

• A counselor will interview you, and videotape the interview. During the playback of the tape, suggestions for improving your interviewing skills will be discussed. See yourself as the employer sees you.

Career Guides

• A series of handouts is available on each of the following topics:
  • career planning (successful career planning, a timetable, information interviewing, information interviewing questions)
  • resumes (writing a great one, pointers, what to include, styles, career objectives, action verbs, a checklist)
  • letters (job search letters, pointers, an outline, electronic)
  • job search (basics, common mistakes, networking, finding advertised vacancies, using directories, researching an organization, finding jobs online)

Career Information

• Books, magazines, pamphlets, articles, and videotapes about careers are organized for easy browsing on bookshelves in the resource area. They contain information about work tasks, desired academic background, personal qualities and experiences, salary, hiring organizations, and job market. These materials are also available for overnight sign-out.

Job Search Information

• Books and videotapes about how to look for a job, writing cover letters, interviewing, writing a resume, as well as sample resumes, are available on the job search information shelves in the resource area.

Graduate School Information

• Directories of graduate programs, books on financial aid and how to write an application essay, as well as information for the GRE, GMAT and LSAT are available in the resource area. Test preparation software, books and videos are also available.

Credentials File

• When you are in the final year of your degree program, you can establish a file which includes letters of recommendation that can be sent to prospective employers or graduate admissions offices to support your candidacy for post-baccalaureate jobs or study. Check out the Credentials File section on CDO Online.

Follow-up Study

• The office conducts an annual follow-up study of the most recent graduating class to determine their employment and/or graduate study status.

Workshops and Seminars

• The staff is available to make presentations on a variety of career-related topics including career options, internships, summer jobs, resume writing, job searching, interviewing, and graduate or professional school application issues.