By Faye Kenijian
Staff Reporter
With summer approaching, many students are looking for internships, jobs and freelance work. Sacred Heart University has a Career Development and Placement Center on the second floor of the Linda McMahon Commons.
The goal is to provide guidance and preparation to all full-time and part-time undergraduate and graduate
students.
Career Development Center can help students with selecting a major, counseling for career issues, resume and cover letter writing, network events, assistance in finding paid and unpaid internships and career searching post-graduation.
“Career Development at Sacred Heart is a great resource for undergraduate and graduate students because of their network of connections,” said junior Jade Serritella. “This department is one of the reasons I came to this university, and it has continuously helped me in my career. It also has given me the opportunity to work here as my work study.”
Events are displayed and sent through Sacred Heart University emails to notify students when upcoming events with potential employers for internships are happening. Through these emails, students can sign up for the events in order to receive more information about these seminars.
“I attended the NBC Universal event that Career Development held for us. It was a great way to show students opportunities about internships beyond this school,” said junior Eric Todisco. “I walked out of the seminar with more motivation to pursue my major in Media Arts and more knowledge about what a company like NBC can offer me as potential opportunities.”
Students can apply to internships through Sacred Heart’s internal job-hunting website that is only meant for Sacred Heart University students, called PioneerNetwork.
Students can then go on this website and search for the specific type of internship that they want and in what location they want it in. They then can apply directly through the website if stated so.
“Career Development does a good job at offering jobs in this area but are not as helpful for students looking to have a job at their home outside of Connecticut for the summer,” said junior Victoria Hague. “It is a useful tool if you are a business major looking for an internship around school. I think there should be more jobs for non-business majors as well as more jobs at home.”
They have staff members for all of the different colleges such as the Jack Welch College of Business, the College of Health Professions and the College of Arts & Sciences.
“Early and regular engagement with the Career Development & Placement Center is paramount. Students who begin the planning process as early as their first year are typically more successful in aligning these goals,” said Ryan Corbalis, the Associate Director of Career Placement of the College of Arts & Sciences.
The department can be used by prospective students, undergraduate students, graduate students, alumni and employers. In each section, it is demonstrated what type of service can be offered to these students in their specific areas of need.
“Without going to the Career Development Center, I would not have my summer internship or be a part of the accounting leadership program that I received through working with them,” said junior Jennifer Carlson.
