COMPUTERIZED ASSESSMENTS:  The Career Center has three specific career-assessment tools used by professional counselors across the country. These computerized assessment programs are available to our students and alumni free of charge simply by scheduling an appointment. All of our assessment programs rare simple to use and easy to understand. Call us, email us, or come by the office to set up an appointment to explore one of these valuable tools.

• SIGI-Plus: This user-friendly self-assessment program suggests possible career fields and occupations that might be of interest to you, based on your values, interests, and skills. It also provides you with the latest statistical information on other occupations of your choice, including frequently used job titles, salary information, and educational requirements. It also gives you information on how to prepare yourself to pursue each occupation, in terms of academic and professional experience.

• The Strong Interest Inventory (SII): This assessment program suggests career fields and occupations for you to pursue based on your responses to a series of questions, which interpret your personal goals and interests. It generates a thorough report explaining the different statistical models, and how you fit into that model. Our career counselor is available to assist you in interpreting the results.

• The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI): This assessment program aids you in better understanding your personality, how you interact with other personalities, and how your personality affects your "fit" into your particular career field. It also generates a report, placing you into a specific category along the MBTI "grid". Our career counselor is available to help you in understanding your results.

CAMPUS INTERVIEWS:  Many local and national companies conduct campus interviews throughout the year. Most of these interviews are conducted to fill full time positions with graduating seniors. However, more and more companies are also coming to campus to recruit undergraduates to fill internship and co-op positions.

All students who are interested in participating MUST be involved in our Resume Referral Program. This involves turning in 10 copies of your resume to our office, along with a copy of your resume on a diskette. Once you do this, we will make your resume available to all companies who recruit on campus, as well as to other companies who request resume in specified majors/areas. All interview dates and announcements regarding the selection of students for those interviews is listed in our on-line Campus Interview Schedule, and is also updated every week in our "Lifeline" bulletin. All students are responsible for the announcements made in that bulletin.

In order to sign up for an interview, you must either (a) be PRE-SELECTED by the company, or (b) meet all of the qualifications that the company lists. If you meet the qualifications, or are pre-selected to interview, sign-up sheets for each interview date are located in the Career Lab. Call us or come by the office to pick your interview time. Signing up for an interview time is acknowledgement that you understand and have met the qualifications; it is also a guarantee that you will be in the Career Center at the time for which you signed up. FAILURE TO SHOW UP FOR A SCHEDULED INTERVIEW TIME WILL RESULT IN THE FORFEITURE OF YOUR CAMPUS INTERVIEWING PRIVILEGES FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE SEMESTER. NO EXCEPTIONS.

If you must take your name off an interview schedule, you may do so 72 hours prior to the interview time with no penalty. If you must cancel an interview inside of 72 hours, you will accumulate "points", which count toward forfeiture of interviewing privileges:

* Canceling an interview inside of 72 hours of the scheduled time counts for one (1) point.
* Canceling an interview on the day of the interview counts for two (2) points.
* A complete no-show for an interview without any notification is an automatic five (5) points.

Any accumulation of five (5) points during a semester will result in forfeiture of interviewing privileges. We all realize that emergencies come up; all we ask is that you call and let us know. You can have two "emergencies" occur on interview days, forcing you to cancel, and still only accumulate four (4) points.

If you have any questions about interviewing policies or procedures, please call or come by the office and speak with a staff member.
 

CAREER LAB:  The Career Lab houses more than 200 different resources geared to assist you in career planning, job searching, resume and cover letter writing, and many other phases of career development. It also receives 40 different media periodicals, including Newsweek, Computerworld, The Memphis Business Journal, Graduating Engineer, and Equal Employment Opportunity Bi-Monthly.

Although most of the resources located in the Career Lab must be viewed there as well, some of the magazines and periodicals that arrive in bulk quantity may be taken or purchased. An inventory of all Career Lab Resources is located in the Lab to assist you in identifying and locating materials.

Adjacent to the Career Lab, there is additional computer equipment. This equipment may be used for preparing resumes and cover letters, taking assessments, viewing company CD-ROM literature, or browsing the Internet for career information. More than 150 videos, featuring company profiles and previous Career Center workshops, are also available for viewing.

EMPLOYMENT LISTINGS:  Each year, we receive thousands upon thousands of job listings from companies locally, nationally, and even a few internationally. Whatever type of position you're looking for--part-time, full-time, internship, co-op, temporary, seasonal--we usually have something to fit your needs.

All current job listings are kept in three-ring binders in the Career Lab (Barry Hall 237), and are available for viewing during regular office hours. Listings are updated at least twice a week, and each listing runs for 30 days unless otherwise specified. Check in from time to time to see what's new.

Coming soon, we will also have highlighted jobs posted every week right here on our website. If you have any questions, please feel free to email us, call us, or come by the office.

GRADUATE SCHOOL FAIR:  Each year during the Fall Semester, CBU conducts a Graduate School Fair in conjunction with other local universities, including LeMoyne-Owen, Crichton College, and the University Of Memphis, who hosts the event.  This is an excellent opportunity to meet representatives from graduate programs all over the United States.  Last year, more than 100 programs were represented at this event.  If you are even remotely thinking about continuing your education beyond your CBU experience, then you won't want to miss this event.

Each year's Graduate School Fair is usually scheduled for the fourth Thursday in September. As schools sign up to attend, you can check the link to the University Of Memphis Career & Employment Services page for a listing of confirmed programs.

During previous years, schools from all across the country have attended, including representatives from such schools as Cornell University, Purdue University, University Of Notre Dame, The University Of Memphis, St. John's College, and several others. We expect another large, diverse group of programs this year.  Check our Calendar Of Events each fall to see when this year's event it scheduled!

GRADUATE SCHOOL INFORMATION:  In addition to company literature, the Career Center also receives information from hundreds of Graduate School Programs. Catalogs, application information, and even a few school videos are available for your review. Posters from dozens of schools line our hallways, with application cards that allow you to write off for more information.

We also offer a detailed information packet on the Graduate School Process; it details how to determine if grad school is right for you, how to find the right school and program, and other helpful tips. In preparation for being admitted to any graduate program, you must first take the proper graduate admissions exam. To assist you in this endeavor, each semester the Career Center offers "Practice Test Day". This is your opportunity to take the GRE, GMAT, LSAT, or MCAT Graduate Admission Test. This event is co-sponsored each year by Kaplan Testing Services.  Check the Career Center Calendar of Events for the next scheduled series of Practice Test Days.

JOB FAIR INFORMATION:  Click here for the dates, times, and locations of this semester's Job Fair events, as well as the up-to-the-minute listing of companies who are confirmed to attend.

The Career Center has sponsored annual Job Fair events each year since 1993, varying in size and scope.  Most frequently, these events are geared toward all majors and all types of career-related employment:  full time, part time, internships, and co-ops.  These events are held at least once, occasionally twice, per school year.  All students and alumni are invited to intend.  We currently have a mailing list of more than 1,000 company contacts that are invited to each event we host.

Each Job Fair is scheduled in order to give students and employers a venue for discussing positions that are currently available in a variety of industries.  These events have been very successful in years past in generating interviews for students and alumni, many of whom have been hired as a direct result.

Any companies who are interested in attending any of our Job Fair events, please contact our office at (901) 321-3330, or email us to join the mailing list and receive registration information.  Typically, there is one event held in the Fall (usually in early-to-mid-November) and another held in the Spring (usually in early-to-mid-March).

COMPANY LITERATURE:  One of the most common errors that people make prior to an interview is not fully researching the company. Not having a firm grasp on the company's history, products, and services, shows a lack of preparation and a lack of interest. Certainly not the impression you want to send to your interviewer, is it?

To help prevent you from falling into that category, The Career Center houses an extensive career library of research materials on hundreds of local and national companies. Brochures, annual reports, pamphlets, videos, CD-ROMs, and other materials are available for students and alumni to use in researching companies prior to interviewing. Some materials may be taken free of charge, others must be viewed in the Career Lab, and appointments may be made to utilize videos and multimedia resources.

If we don't have materials for a particular company, let us know. We may be able to help you find what you're looking for.  It may also help us identify a need to expand our career library into other areas.  Check with us often, we're adding new companies every semester!

RESUME REFERRAL PROGRAM:  Each year, the Career Center helps match up students and alumni with prospective employers. We do this in a variety of ways. The most common way is through our Resume Referral Program. Last year alone, we mailed, faxed, emailed, and made available on-line several thousands of resumes of our students and alumni to company recruiters locally, nationally, and even a few internationally.

We send out these resumes for all kinds of positions--full time, part time, internships, co-ops, and more. Anytime a company lists a position with us (we received more than 10,000 last year alone), it is posted in our Career Lab for viewing by students and alumni. If the position is "career-related" (that is, a position that is specific to a particular college major), we will also respond to that company by forwarding the appropriate resumes to them.

Our On-Line Resume Referral Program allows recruiters from all over the country to review the resumes in our database through this web page. We are accepting registration requests from recruiters to gain access to our database of resumes right now!  Students, make sure you aren't left behind! 

How do students get involved?  Click on the Resume Referral link.  Keep in mind that you MUST have your resumes on file with us to be eligible for campus interviews.

How do recruiters get involved?  Recruiters should complete the on-line registration form.  You may also mail, fax, or email us a description of the positions for which they are hiring.  Be sure to include the job title, a brief description of duties, requirements and/or experience needed, hours and salary range (optional), and your contact information (company name, address, phone, fax, e-mail, and of course, your name.) Once we get it from you, we can usually return your log-in information to you the next day.  Alternately, we can mail, fax, or email resumes to you as needed.

WORKSHOPS & SEMINARS:  Each year, the Career Center conducts a wide variety of workshops and seminars, covering a broad range of career topics, which include:  

• Choosing A College Major
• Resume Writing
• Interviewing
• Behavioral Interviewing
• Job Search Strategies
• Professional Image In The Workplace
• Balancing Career & Family
• Career Transition
• E-Recruiting
• Starting Your Own Business
• Work Environment Of The 21st Century And Beyond
• Negotiating Salary

Consult our on-line Calendar Of Events, or the Career Center weekly bulletin, "The Lifeline", for an up-to-date schedule of workshops and seminars and their scheduled times, dates, and locations.