From presentations and workshops to in-classroom career readiness resources, we’ll work closely with you to prepare your students for life after graduation.
Classroom Resources
Infusing career-related content into the classroom can help students understand how their academics apply to their future careers. Invite the Center for Career Development (CCD) to present to your class or student group on a variety of career topics. Presentations can cover everything from resumes and interviewing to networking, graduate school preparation, and more. Sessions can be tailored to your course or student audience.
Submit a Presentation Request Form
Resume Assignments
If you are interested in adding a resume assignment to your course, consider utilizing VMock. This platform helps users create polished and highly effective resumes.
Options can include requiring students to receive a score on their resume, sending it to you (or someone else) for feedback with VMock’s web-based interface, or getting a resume review from the CCD.
Contact us at future@bu.edu if you are interested in learning more.
Career-Readiness Competencies
Increasingly, employers recognize that recruiting talent based on transferable skills, experience, and personal attributes (like work ethic) is far more successful than focusing on academic concentrations or GPA. In recruiting students and new graduates, the focus is now on career readiness.
We use a set of eight competencies developed by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) to connect career readiness to what students gain from coursework, co-curricular activities, and experiential learning.
Read more about career readiness, including what each competency includes and ways we suggest that students can build capacity. Contact us at future@bu.edu if you are interested in exploring additional ways to add career readiness to your courses.
Referring Students to Career-related Resources
Referrals are a great way to help students take advantage of all that BU has to offer.
When to Send Students to the CCD
The CCD has a robust program of services and resources designed to meet student needs from the very beginning of their college experience. We work with students on a wide range of specific topics, including:
- Feeling stuck or lost regarding choice of academic area of focus and/or career goals
- Developing career skills, including personal brand materials (resume/CV, cover letter, LinkedIn, personal statements), interviewing, networking, internship/job searching, and evaluating offers
- Additional education decisions, including whether to go and when, and how to best prepare for graduate programs
- Questions and concerns about changing plans, goals, career paths, and academic concentration, including looking beyond the industry closely tied to their academic area
- Self-assessments to identify interests, skills, values, personality
When to Send Students to Other Campus Resources
For some topics, students can use both the CCD and other campus resources for different, if related, questions.
- Other Career Offices: Students in a school/college with a specialized career office are advised to start with their school-specific option and to come to the CCD if they are interested in looking beyond the field or industry closely tied to their academic area.
- Academic Advising: Students need to consult with their academic advisor for questions about degree requirements.
- Pre-Professional Advising: Students considering law school or a health-related professional school are encouraged to meet with Prelaw or Pre-Health advisors. The CCD works with students who may be unsure of whether these pathways are right for them or to explore alternatives.
- Writing Centers: While we can help with purpose, structure, and content of career documents, the various writing centers at BU help students with English-writing mechanics and grammar.
- International Students & Scholars Office (ISSO): We can help international students find opportunities, but they need to go to ISSO to understand their eligibility, status, and any required steps for possible work authorization through CPT (Curricular Practical Training; work experience required for the major or degree) and OPT (Optional Practical Training; work experience related to the field of study).
Students who are exploring interests and possible career paths have many options, including those they can do on their own. Browse the various areas on our site to learn more how to support them in their career development journey.
