Students and Alumni Career Resources

We would like to define the term “Drop-In” Hours once and for all! Your success is our mission!

Students and alumni can stop by our office which is located in the Moody Library Room 117. “Drop-In” means you do not have to schedule an appointment. Just show up, sign-in, and meet with someone regarding any career-related topic you would like to discuss.

Since the Career Fairs are taking place throughout the year, a popular topic to discuss is resumes. If you do not have a professional resume then Drop-by OR email us as soon as possible so you are ready for the Career Fairs and/or applying for any internships and jobs in Handshake.

We have a specific resume template that employers in Houston love! The Career and Calling resume template can be found in the Career Library.

Students can schedule 30-minute appointments with Career Counselors by logging into Handshake, uploading a draft of your resume, and then going to Make Appointment on the home page and selecting a day and time that will work for you.

Here are topics that can be discussed during Drop-In Hours:

• Resume/Cover Letter Advice
• Mock Interviews
• Career Assessments
• Job Searching
• Internships/Work-Study/Community Work-Study!
• Career Counseling
• Changing My Major
• Personal Statements/Graduate School Selection
• Career Fairs/Networking
• LinkedIn & Personal Branding
• Discussing my Career Path
• Discovering My Calling
• The Career Road Map
• How To Work A Career Fair
• The Community Internship Program

Bring your resume with you to Drop-In Hours today to have your resume reviewed by a Career Services Professional! Did you know that we are Certified Professional Resume Writers?! See you soon!

Husky Drop-In Hours

Monday & Tuesday – 4:00pm-5:00pm
Moody Library, Student Success hallway

HCU Career Roadmap

Your career begins on the very first day of class here at Houston Christian University. No longer are students waiting until their last year in college to start developing their skill-sets for the World of Work. God has a plan for each of our lives and as we seek to be an active participant in His daily will this plan will gradually unfold.

Career and Calling has carefully crafted a journey for your to follow throughout your academic years in order to gain the following skills; networking, resume writing, interviewing, team-building, leadership, time management, public speaking, and a host of additional skills. The Career Roadmap consists of specific milestones that freshmen, sophomores, juniors, seniors, and graduate students should accomplish during each school year.

Are you ready to compete for an internship or job in your field? Here are important topics you should start thinking about and come and discuss with us immediately:

• Discovering Your Career and Calling
  • We strongly believe our Heavenly Father has given us all purpose in this life and it is up to each of us to recognize our innate abilities and skills and utilize them to ultimately pursue our calling with the confidence that he will never forsake us and will never leave our side as he guides us down our career paths.
    • Your calling is not necessarily a job that you will pursue although it could very well involve certain functions or responsibilities within a specific role or field. For example, if you have always had an interest in being a blessing to children then this could be accomplished in many roles and fields. There are specific majors and jobs such as education, psychology, teacher, counselor, etc… that a Career Coach would recommend to you in a one-on-one appointment. Discovering your calling can be achieved in the following ways:
      • Daily Prayer
      • Self-Reflection and Career Advising
      • Taking Career Assessments
      • Attending The Career Insider Series
      • Following the Career Roadmap
• Cover Letter
  • The Cover Letter introduces the reader to your resume. It is a document that internship & job seekers use to expand upon why their skills and past experience makes them the best for a position. This document takes time to perfect so we highly suggest that you begin working on this document and bring it by for a Career Coach to review.
• Professional Resume
  • This document is the most important you will ever create in your adult life as it truly opens doors for interviews, internships, jobs, scholarships, graduate school, and a lot more! We know you would like to have the best resume in your class so stop by as soon as possible for us to review it. Hurry as we have an excellent resume template you can start utilizing today!
• Scheduling Appointments with Career Coaches
  • Never estimate the power of a Career Coach. We have over 30 years of experience assisting internship & job seekers with pursuing their careers. Students who continuously meet with us to go over documents like resumes and discuss topics like major, internships, jobs, industries, etc. are students who successfully land internships and jobs. What are you waiting for?!
• Mock Interviews
  • Career Coaches conduct Mock Interviews every week! Mock Interviews are practice interviews for work-study, internship, and job interviews. Career Coaches typically have students schedule a 30 minute appointment in Handshake, come dressed professionally, and bring a copy of your resume. The Career Coach asks the student/alumnus specific questions related to an internship or job interest and then provides specific feedback at the end of the Mock Interview. If you would like to be chosen for an internship or job then please schedule a Mock Interview today!

It can be overwhelming to balance your commitments in the classroom, at work, with family, and the list goes on and on into the sunset! However, your career is arguably the most important aspect of your life! Preparing for your career begins in college and we have designed a strategy for you to follow when beginning to actively plan:

H.I.R.E. (Career Planning)

Hire: The first step to getting hired for work-study, internships, part-time and full-time begins with contacting the Career and Calling. You can also pre-register for Workshops, Campus Interviews, and Career Fairs. We recommend you use Handshake to apply for jobs before using any other resource as employers deliberately post in the database in order to recruit Huskies! Check out Handshake on the student portal, Career & Calling icon.

Internships: If you are interested in gaining experience in your field then we highly recommend you take advantage of internships while in college. Research has been shown that students who complete internships have an easier time starting a career after college. We have launched our very own Internship program for Huskies! The Community Internship program consists of employers who specifically want to hire Huskies as interns! We hope you sign up for this program soon!

Resume:  The resume will become the most important document you have ever created! Spend time with designing and creating this life-changing document as employers use it to determine whether they should call you fo ran interview! We strongly recommend that Huskies always meet face-to-face with a Career Counselor regarding their resume as this document is designed to be a conversation starter and the Career Counselor might have a variety of questions regarding the information you’ve added on the document. We have a specific resume template and resume guidelines for all Huskies! Do not download a template from Microsoft Office! Use the resume template specifically for Huskies and drop by during Drop-In Hours or make an appointment in Handshake. You will also need to send your final draft of your resume to the Office of Career and Calling. We will send your approved resume to companies for internships and jobs!

Experience or Education: At this point in planning your career, you should have scheduled an appointment with a Career Counselor to discuss what type of experience your career requires and also whether it will require additional education or certifications. Making time for your career is the right thing to do if you are interested in leading a successful career. Pro-active Huskies will know years before graduation what is required of them to pursue their careers after college. Schedule your Career Counseling appointment in Handshake today!

Career & Calling Resume Guidelines

Font:

• The font on all resumes should be either Times New Roman, Arial, or Calibri. The size of your font should be no larger than 12 with exception
  to your name. It is okay to have your section titles at 12 font while the information in each section can be at 10-11 font. This helps with fitting more information on one page.

Length:

• The length of a resume depends on the years of experience job candidate’s possess. If you have less than five years of direct experience in
  your field of interest then the resume should be only on one page.
• Candidates with more than five years of experience have the option of keeping their resume on one page or going to two pages.
• Candidates with 10+ years’ experience should have a 2-3 page resume.
• If you are close to one page, but keep spilling over to the second page then we suggest that you go to PAGE LAYOUT and then MARGINS and choose the NARROW option so you can fit more text on one page.

Templates:

• Resume Templates found on Microsoft Office are forbidden as they are difficult for Career Counselors to adjust, amend, and critique,
  because of the formatting associated with these templates. The accepted resume template for all HCU Huskies is how your resume should be formatted.

Font Color:

• The text/font on your resume should be black. Any colors outside of black will result in your resume not being approved.

Education:

• Your Education section should reflect your most current degree you are pursuing at the top of the section.
• If you have transferred from a community college, you should add the current degree you are pursuing at the top. Your high school should never be above the current degree you are pursuing at HCU.
• If your resume is missing the degree you are pursuing at HCU, it will be rejected.
  Section Order:
• The Sections on your resume should be in a certain order depending on the years of experience you possess. If you have less than five years of experience then your sections should be in the following order, more or less:
• 1. Professional Summary
• 2. Education
• 3. Skills
• 4. Clinical Rotations/Internship Experience
• 5. Professional Experience
• 6. Volunteer Experience
• 7. Awards & Activities
• 8. Achievements
• Keep in mind that sections 1 & 6-8 are optional, but highly encouraged as it gives you additional opportunities to sell your well-rounded experience to potential employers.
• If you have more than five years of experience then the sections should be in the following order: 1. Professional Summary 2. Skills/Summary of Qualifications 3. Professional Experience 4. Organizations/Affiliations 5. Education; Keep in mind that the fourth section is optional.

Skills Section:

• This is a section where you add bullets regarding any software you are familiar with such as QuickBooks, Cool Edit Pro, Photoshop, Illustrator, etc… If you are interested in the medical field then you should also add any lab instruments you are familiar with as well as medical theories, concepts, and medical procedures that are relevant to the field.
• The skills section is also where you add any additional languages you are familiar with besides English. Please do not list that you can speak English.
• Please do not add Microsoft Office unless you have advanced knowledge of the suite. It is expected that you should be familiar with Microsoft Office entering college.
• The key to a great skills section is being specific regarding your knowledge and expertise. Adding general skills like “Great Communicator”, “Attention to Detail”, etc… is not specific and will not cause an employer to contact you.
  Experience Section:
• Career and Calling suggests that all internship/job descriptions have a minimum of three-five bullets/lines explaining each internship or job on your resume.
• If your job descriptions are in paragraphs then your resume will be rejected. This makes your resume much easier to read as employers spend less than 10 seconds reading a resume.
• If your job descriptions have less than three bullets/lines then your resume will be rejected.
• If you do not remember what you exactly did in a previous/current job then we suggest you follow this link to a great resource that houses job descriptions: https://www.onetonline.org

Action Verbs:

• Every sentence on your resume should begin with an Action Verb. Your bullets/lines/sentences on your resume should not begin
  with I, My, You, or Me.
• Action Verbs bring your resume to life as they convey the action you took to complete the job or internship. Here is a great article by the Muse that we believe you will find very helpful in finding the right Action Verbs for your resume and experience: https://www.themuse.com/advice/185-powerful-verbs-that-will-make-your-resume-awesome
  Heading:
• The heading on the resume should be centralized on the resume and contain the following: Your Name, Address, Phone Number, Email,
  LinkedIn URL, or any other link that conveys your experience/portfolio.
• We also highly suggest that you attend our Drop-In Hours to meet with a Career Counselor about your resume/job search.
• Drop-In Hours do not require an appointment as during this period a student may meet with a Career Counselor for 10-15 minutes regarding their preferred topic of choice including resumes, job search, choosing a major, etc… Students attending Drop-In Hours or appointments usually walk out of the session with a finished resume.
• Scheduled appointments typically last 30 minutes. In these longer appointments, Career Counselors go more in depth regarding your topic of choice including mock interviews, career assessments, LinkedIn Profile creation, etc…
• We also critique cover letters, personal statements, and Curriculum Vitae during Scheduled Appointments.

COMMUNITY INTERNSHIPS
Career and Calling assists students with finding and securing internships in the Houston area via the Community Internships program. Students can schedule appointments to meet with the Internship Coordinator and discuss current internship opportunities. Here is how students can participate;

• All majors are welcome to apply- At least 30 credit hours
• Updated Resume and Cover Letter in Handshake
• Class Schedule
• Unofficial Transcript
• Complete LinkedIn Profile

Please follow this link to learn more and to fill out the Internship Interest Application.

CAREER FAIRS

Career and Calling hosts Career Fairs each semester. We highly suggest students and alumni attend these events to network with employers in fields related to your interest and major.

Students and alumni should pre-register for the Career Fairs below by signing into Handshake as your uploaded resumes will be sent to employers electronically after the Career Fairs.

Employers and organizations can also register on the Career Fairs page.

PROFESSIONAL ATTIRE FOR CAREER FAIRS (DRESS CODE)

The Office of Career and Calling requires current students and alumni to dress professionally for Career Fairs held on the HCU campus. Career Fairs are the most direct way for students to connect with recruiters from companies in their field of interest. We take these events very seriously as companies are spending their precious time and money to come to HCU to speak to Huskies about internships and jobs. We expect for students to make an excellent first impression with these recruiters and this is why we expect professional attire at Career Fairs. We hope that you take these events even more seriously than we do. Below is a guideline for professional attire at HCU Career Fairs that will be in effect starting September 1, 2021:

Huskies are recommend to wear @ Career Fair(s):

• Professional Suit Jacket & Slacks or Skirt/Dress (Black, Gray, or Navy Blue)
• Professional Collared Button-Down Shirt or Blouse
• Dress (or business casual) shoes are encouraged
• Facial hair well-groomed
• Limit excessive jewelry
• Smiles are welcomed!
• Bring Resumes!

If you can not afford to purchase professional attire for an interview or Career Fair, please do not worry as we have partnered with organizations that can assist you with looking Business Professional! Please stop by our office to get a referral to the following organizations:

Women – Dress For Success

Men – Career Gear

Are you interested in learning more about the different industries in Houston? Do you want to network with professionals in your industry of interest? You should attend The Career Insiders: Job Seeker Series!

We partner with company representatives from most industries to speak during this series. Below was last FALL Edition of the Career Insider Series. Stay tuned for more on this year’s line-up!!!

Purpose
The Career Insiders Series (aka, Appetizer Tuesdays!) will continue this Fall! We are always looking to bring more employers on campus to connect with Huskies. The purpose of each session is for you to network with someone who works in your industry of interest and to learn about a specific career topic.

Food
Your choice of Appetizers (Chicken & Beef Sliders, Meat/Cheese/Veggie sampler, and other “lite bites”) will be served during each event below!

Events
Please mark your calendar with the following dates for the upcoming The Career Insiders Series: Fall Edition

Past Career Insiders

• Topic: Résumé and Job Fair Tips from a Campus Recruiter
• Speaker(s): Meet Elle Pallugna, Program Manager, Talent Acquisition–Harris Health System
• Industry: Healthcare

• Topic: College Student Budgeting 101: Money and Time
• Speaker: Meet Michael Farris, Regional Director–Modern Woodmen of America
• Industry: Finance

• Topic: Branding and Marketing Yourself as a HCU Husky
• Speaker: Meet Anthony Caridi, alumnus/Executive Recruiter
• Industry: Oil & Gas

• Topic: Valuable Interview and Job Search Tips from a Campus Recruiter
• Speaker: Meet Christine Koukas, Talent Acquisition Specialist–Enterprise Holdings
• Industry: Management

• Topic: Job Search and Application Strategies
• Speaker: Meet Special Agent Baker, Applicant Recruiter-Federal Bureau of Investigation
• Industry: Government

Rewards/Gifts
Any student or alumnus who attends all four sessions of The Career Insiders Series this summer will receive these rewards/gifts:

• Gift Cards for professional clothing and/or hair-styling from:
  • Macy’s
  • Visible Changes
• One year Student Membership of a professional organization of your choice-up to $100
  • Examples: SHRM, Houston CPA Society, Texas Association of Future Educators, National Student Nursing Association
• A leather pad-folio/portfolio

Remember, you must attend all events in an entire series like the one above in order to receive the FREE gifts. The attire is business casual and you are more than welcome to bring your resume if you would like to pass it along to the speaker. Refreshments and Snacks will be available!

THE CAREER LIBRARY

The following are resources are waiting to be utilized in The Career Library:

• Resume, Cover Letter, and CV templates
• Virtual Job Interview & Behavioral Interview Questions & Tips
• O*Net Online is a very powerful job research tool
• Handshake is a job search tool just for HCU HUSKIES
• Pay Scale is a resource that allows for browsing jobs and average salaries in various industries by city and state
• Personal Branding Guide and actively using it can open doors to competitive internships and full-time jobs at Fortune 500 companies
• Graduate School Resources
• Professional Schools in Texas and their Entrance Exams
  o Medical
  o Dental
  o Physician Assistant
  o Occupational Therapy
  o Physical Therapy
  o Pharmacy
  o HCU BSN Program
  o Chiropractor
  o Veterinarian
  o Law
• Students and alumni can access The Career Library at anytime

Career Assessments

It is perfectly fine that you have questions about which major to choose or are having doubts about a specific major. We provide Career Assessments that contain excellent insight for students to make an informed decisions about which career(s) to pursue!  Assessments are $10 or $15 each and will require a purchase prior to taking the assessment(s). Here are the steps for taking one or all of the assessments below:

1. Please visit HC.edu/careerassessments
2. Register to to pay for any or all of the assessments
3. Once you have paid for the assessments, you will be contacted via email about the next steps
4. After taking an assessment, you will need to visit the Office of Career and Calling to meet with a Career Counselor.