A career advisor is someone who may work in the career services center of your college. Career advisors help you to make the best decisions for your career and ensure your success.
They are different from an academic advisor. An academic advisor can help you find the right major and think through how it connects to possible career paths. But a career advisor can help you answer questions like:
“How do I find a high-paying entry level job?”
“How do I get a paid internship?”
“What career should I pursue?
“And what do I need to do to get there?”
Staff at your career services center can offer you the tools and expert advice to answer these questions, and more. They can also:
Help you match your skills, values, and interests to your career
The career you eventually pursue should ideally line up with all three. One of the most commonly overlooked attributes when selecting a career is values. Australian psychologist Sabina Read says, “values are relevant to every domain of our life; from work and managing people, to parenting, decision-making and relationships,” and when values are ignored, we “feel eroded, frustrated, resentful or empty.” Imagine eight hours a day of that!
You don’t need to dig deep to find a good career fit by yourself. Not all career advisors have access to in-depth assessments, but they can certainly help you evaluate your career needs to find the right career.
Teach you the art of interviewing and networking
Whether you’ve never interviewed or you consider yourself an interview pro, no two interviews are the same. A career advisor can help you prepare for that next interview’s curveballs. They might even be able to set up a mock interview for you with relevant questions to give you an edge over other candidates.
You can also find out about on-campus career fairs and networking events through your career advisor. Let them know if you’re feeling a bit nervous or worried about attending one and they might be able to offer workshops or opportunities to practice.
Help you write a killer resume and cover letter
If you have a career services center on campus, you likely have access to Handshake. In addition to helping students find internships, plan for life post-graduation, and connect with other employed students, Handshake provides help with resume and cover letter writing. Once uploaded, your college’s career advisor or career services center reviews your document and sends feedback to prepare for submission.
There are so many ways you can seek help, and this list is in no way intended to be exhaustive! Check to see what your college can offer you. If they don’t have an on-staff career advisor, there’s a good chance you’ll still have access to campus-wide events, fairs, workshops, and more resources that are just as helpful.