Explore

• Make an appointment with a Career Counselor to discuss your career exploration and your major selection.
  • Virtual and face-to-face appointments are available, as well as individual and group appointments.
  • Consider taking a career assessment to better define or validate your educational and career goals. We use Focus 2 Career Assessment.
• Attend any of our programs and workshops that align with your interests. We offer many professional development opportunities for students each semester.
  • Career Week
  • Panther Pursuit Series
  • Career Fairs
  • Who What Wednesdays — Meet with employers to discuss your career and internship plans in a casual setting.
  • Experience Pays: Co-op & Internship Fireside Chats — Chat casually with employers to pick their brains, ask questions, and gain insight on how you can create valuable experiences that will look great on a resume and propel you in your field! They may even have a perfect opportunity for you!
• Join student organizations to explore your interests, learn more about Georgia State offices and organizations, meet new people, and build leadership skills. The Panther Involvement Network has a listing of many on-campus student organizations that students can explore.
• Utilize the helpful resources available on Handshake and throughout our website to explore your career and educational choices.
  • What Can I Do With This Major?
  • O*NET OnLine
  • CareerOneStop
  • Steppingblocks

Gain Experience

• Utilize Handshake for on- and off-campus part-time jobs and internship exploration.
• Attend career fairs to chat with employers about opportunities that are available in your field of interest.
• Create a resume and seek feedback from our staff.
  • SkillsFirst is a resume and cover letter creation platform free for students of Georgia State. Create your resume and submit it for staff review. You can also email us a copy of your resume for review.

Continue Your Exploration

• Declare a major and continue to explore career options.
• Work with your academic advisor on the process of declaring your major and aligning your course selection with the major requirements.
• Explore options in various career fields that interest you. You can make an appointment with a Career Counselor to assist you in looking into your options.
• Get your resume reviewed or create a resume if you do not have one. You can make an appointment with a Career Counselor to assist you in creating a resume. To get your resume reviewed, feel free to stop by for a resume review or upload your resume to SkillsFirst.
• Create a LinkedIn profile and start building your professional network. You can make an appointment with a Career Counselor to assist you in making your LinkedIn account as professional as possible.
• Join the ASPIRE program! ASPIRE is a sophomore career community designed to help students gain access to professional connections that can assist with meeting your career goals such as gaining internship co-op leads and participating in networking events and specialized seminars exclusively for you.
• Stay Involved with campus activities, clubs, and organizations.
• Join a professional organization related to your major. Check out What Can I Do with This Major? for professional organizations associated with various majors.
• Interact with your faculty and college staff to build connections.
• Utilize Handshake to apply for part-time, on-campus, or internship positions.

Increase Your Involvement and Experience

• Begin to define your job search strategies.
• Complete an internship or secure a career-related part-time job.
• Try to gain leadership roles related to your major or career choice.
• Join local chapters of national organizations related to your major or career choice.
• Utilize LinkedIn Learning to continue to build your skill set.
• Schedule a mock interview to continue to hone your interview skills.

Connect with Employers

• Attend any of our career fairs and employer engagement events.
  • Who What Wednesdays
  • Experience Pays
  • Employer recruitment visits
• Follow employer social media accounts.
• Explore LinkedIn to research companies and organizations.

Consider Graduate School

• Speak with your professors about your graduate school interests.
• Make an appointment with a Career Counselor to discuss your graduate school plans and how to navigate the application process.
• Prepare for graduate and professional school entrance exams.
• Speak with your faculty about acquiring letters of recommendation.

Develop a Job Search Strategy

• A job search timeline is typically 3-6 months, so start early!
• Continue to refine your job search strategies by:
  • Participating in career fairs and employer engagement events related to your areas of interest
  • Speaking with a Career Counselor about your individualized job search
  • Scheduling a mock interview to practice and improve your interviewing skills
  • Ensuring your resume is updated and speaks to your experiences and skill set
  • Continuing to keep your LinkedIn profile updated and robust.
• Complete the First Destination Survey (check your student email!) to tell us what your plans are after graduation.

Leverage Involvement & Experience

• Seek positive references from professors and supervisors from internship and part-time positions.
• Provide your references with a copy of your resume so they are better prepared to speak to your strengths.

Complete Graduate/Professional School Prep

• Take entrance exams.
• Ask for letters of recommendation and be mindful of deadlines.
• Request transcripts be sent to graduate programs.
• Have graduate school personal statements reviewed by Georgia State Writing Center and/or a Career Counselor.