The mission of the Career Center is to teach Millikin students and alumni lifelong career skills so that they can develop & achieve career goals, thereby translating their Millikin experience into a lifetime of meaningful work and professional success in a global economy. The Career Center also promotes civic engagement and active participation in the community to assist students in developing the skills needed for a lifetime of democratic citizenship and service to others.
Career Development
Recognizing that career development is a life-long process, not a one-time event, the Career Center offers a variety of services to assist students and alumni in every phase of this process. All of our services can be categorized into the following areas of career development:
Evaluation/Self-Assessment
Becoming self-aware of who you are by identifying your values, interests, personality traits and skills. This is the first and likely most important step in the career development process.
Exploration of Majors and Careers
Many students are not fully aware of fields of study and careers that are available to them. By exploring these areas students can identify majors and careers that area good fit for his/her values, interests, personality traits, and skills.
Experiential Learning
This includes hands on experiences such as part-time jobs, internships, or volunteering that are related to a student’s major or career interest. Meaningful work and/or service experiences help to supplement a student’s education and are important in helping students to clarify or confirm career goals. Additionally, employers seek graduates with relevant “real world” experience.
Employment/Graduate School Assistance
This phase of the career development process includes building skills needed to conduct an effective job search or learning how to get into graduate school. Resumes, cover letters, and personal statements that are excellent (not just okay) are critical to a successful job search or graduate school admission. Interview skills are also a crucial component to this step in the career development process.
Education
Educating yourself about the world of work is an important step in the career development process. This includes researching potential employers, understanding your industry choice and how to get a job in it, learning about the labor market and how to make informed choices regarding job offers and other employment related concerns.
