As the semester comes to an end and summer nears, students find themselves searching through seemingly endless internships, summer jobs, and resume-building tips. Many of the students who are feeling overwhelmed by these possibilities walk past Covenant’s Center for Calling and Career (CCC) every day on their way to lunch without stopping by or making an appointment. Did you know that the CCC is an office of professionals ready to help students navigate their careers both during and beyond college? 

Meeting the Office  

Why should a student stop by the CCC office during the job search process? Not only can you learn about the process of completing resumes, cover letters, and applications, but the office invites students to think beyond just getting a job and to their calling. The staff, director of the CCC, Dr. John Plating, and assistant director, Leda Goodman, are professionals trained to help people think about what they want to do and how they are preparing so that they can communicate that beyond themselves to potential employers, learning to build networking and navigate obstacles in the career placement process. 

Debunking Myths  

When students do stop by the CCC, there are often a few misconceptions about the role the office plays in the job search process. One common one is that the staff are there to write your resumes and applications for you. While this is false, it is true instead that the staff help students understand exactly how to go about creating their own. Leda Goodman describes it as “teaching students a process that enables them to advocate for themselves.” Often when students attempt to put their information into a generic outline, they fall into another misconception of the job process: that resumes, cover letters, and applications are one-size-fits-all. Instead of this, students need to learn to demonstrate how their experiences have prepared them for a future job. 

Looking Forward  

Rather than serve as a placement office assigning students to jobs, the CCC encourages students to think about the type of career or job they want to pursue, and then helps them find places to start looking for an internship that will help them get there. They advise students to create avenues for what they want to pursue and then use their own voices to translate their experience to the position they desire. Students are also directed to numerous resources such as Handshake to view and filter through potential job options, now with a clear goal in mind instead of limitless potential employment. The focus on helping students find fulfilling careers and callings, and not just immediate short-term job placement, is a unique aspect of Covenant’s professional and academic opportunities. 

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