Career Services

Career Information

Learn about potential occupations on these sites:

• Candid Career - Access thousands of video clips featuring professionals sharing their career experiences and job preparation tips. Utilize the Candid Career Activity sheets and take notes to review.
• O*Net Online - tool for career exploration with descriptions of occupations
• Occupational Outlook Handbook - career information on duties, education and training, pay, and outlook
• Career Videos on CareerOneStop

Local Employer Visits

Career Services arranges visits to local employers for students to learn about career options and opportunities. Recent examples include visits to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Northern Trust Bank.

Employers also visit campus throughout the year to both recruit and inform students about open positions.

You & Your Vocation

Considerations and advice about finding your unique purpose and talents – You & Your Vocation

Assessments

Identify your career-related interests with these two interest inventories:

• My Next Move
• Interest Assessment (Career OneStop)

Informational Interviews

Conversations with people in occupations of interest to you are a great way to learn more and make connections – Informational Interviews

Forage

Forage is a FREE online resource that offers virtual day-in-the-life experience programs designed by leading companies. Develop your skills and gain a better understanding of different roles by working through self-paced modules that utilize tasks similar to ones you would undertake during a traditional internship.

All Forag programs are self-paced, taking between 2-4 hours to complete, and ensure the ultimate flexibility! 

These programs include: 

• Video instructions and materials created by employees within your chosen organization/field
• Work that reflects day-to-day tasks os interns and graduates

What are the benefits: 

• Sample what work is like at leading companies
• Discover career paths that you may not have previously considered
• Build confidence and gain skills to prepare you for your career

Create a Forage account

Internship Standards & Requirements

Each department at CUC has different requirements for their particular majors. That being said, we would suggest using the following steps to determine what works best for your situation:

1. Speak to your Department Advisor to see if your major requires completion of an internship in order to graduate. Some major require one and some are optional for your own benefit.
2. If you’d like to receive credit for your internship, speak to your Academic Advisor to sign up for an internship course.
3. Your next step includes searching for internship opportunities. Once you have secured a position, you’ll have to coordinate further with your Academic Advisor and Department Advisor to receive approval and fill out any necessary paperwork.

Volunteer Opportunities

The CUConnect Portal contains links to volunteer opportunities. To locate this section on the portal:

• Log in at using your CUC login info
• Click on the CUC Experience tab
• Scroll down to “Career Services”
• Click the links under “volunteer opportunities”

Download a copy of our Career Planning Guide to access quick tips for cover letters, resumes and more with links to sites that can help you along the way. The Guide also provides information on the Office of Career Services resources available to assist with career exploration, interview preparation and job/internship searches.

• Career Planning Guide (PDF)

Resume Writing
If you would like to meet in person for help with your resume, please contact our office.

The following resources are also available:

• Resume Writing Quick Tips
• Resume Checklist
• Resume Target

Cover Letter Writing

• Cover Letter Quick Tips

Interviewing Skills

• Interviewing Quick Tips
• Mock Interviews: If you’d like to set up a mock interview to practice your skills and receive professional feedback, please contact career.services@CUChicago.edu to set up an appointment.

Networking

• Networking Quick Tips
• Create a LinkedIn profile to build and engage with your professional network – Building a Great Student Profile
• A tool for managing your networking efforts – Jibberjobber.com (consider using the free version)

Preparing for Career Fairs
Career fairs enable students and many employers to meet face-to-face in one place. Concordia partners with various organizations to offer career fairs and events in the Chicagoland area and on-campus, including the College Career Consortium of Illinois (CCCI), and Athlete Network.

• Career Fair Quick Tips

Here are some tips related specifically to career development for international students:

Resumes – U.S. resumes are different than international resumes. View this PDF for more information on the differences and how to write a U.S. resume and cover letter - International Student Resumes & Cover Letters (PDF)            

Employment – On-campus employment, Curricular Practical Training (CPT), and Optional Practical Training (OPT) 

International students have had CPT and OPT experiences with a variety of companies including Bulmen, Consultant Group, Inc., Groupon and Language Stars.