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Want to build resilience, job-hunting skills and confidence within your abilities? Here at U Career Success, we offer a wide range of services to help leverage student learning and success. Our dedicated career coaches can help you gain and strengthen your skills. Let’s go through common misconceptions and frequently asked questions about our office and services.

Career Coach Misconceptions

“I don’t need a career coach if I know what I want to do. They only help students with resumes and cover letters.”

Knowing what you want to do is only part of the career development and planning puzzle! Our most common area of assistance is resumes and cover letters, but we can also help with:

Networking
Creating online profiles
Interviewing skills
Application strategies and follow-up practices
Negotiating salary offers
Identifying skills and strengths for careers
Finding internships and jobs
Career assessments
Leveraging on-campus resources

“Isn’t your office just for business students?”

At the U Career Success Center, we pride ourselves on welcoming all students from all majors. When taking a look at all the coaches on our team, it’s easy to see how our coaches represent all colleges and majors across campus.

Student Dedication

“Students don’t need to work with a career coach until their senior year.”

While senior year is an obvious choice, we can help you make the most of your time on campus early on. Meeting a career coach every semester can help you to align your course work to internship opportunities and steadily build your career profile. Early and ongoing career coaching helps streamline your career development throughout all four years of college. This will help ease your transition into the workplace during your senior year.

“I am almost ready to graduate. If I start now, I won’t be able to meet once I graduate.”

Not true! Alumni can still access our services for up to two years. Students can access their Handshake accounts and make ongoing virtual or in person career coach appointments. Additionally, all other office services such as headshot appointments, job fairs and our career closet are available as well.

“Career Coaches only help students who have declared their major.”

We welcome all students regardless of major or major status. If undeclared, meeting with a career coach is another way to help you focus on the major you want. We can help you sort through career preferences, workplace values, interests and workplace settings to fine-tune your major selection. Furthermore, we can help you decide on internships or jobs to try out for your career prospects.

“I thought appointments are only in-person during the academic year.”

We are available all year long for virtual and in-person appointments.

Job and Internship Opportunities

“Some people say your office is a placement agency and can guarantee me a job.”

While we are not a placement agency and cannot guarantee job placement, we are dedicated to supporting all students in their efforts to secure employment. Career coaches partner with students to truly understand their preferences and strive to identify opportunities for the student to apply to. Students can work with coaches to write and fine-tune their resumes and cover letters. Students will apply to jobs suggested by career coaches and jobs identified in their own searches.

Once an interview has been scheduled, students can see their career coach for a mock interview. Students can visit our career closet and borrow clothes to feel confident at the interview. After the interview and position offer, students can meet with a coach to understand how to negotiate their offer letter. Throughout the process, students take initiative to conduct their job search and secure their jobs, building resilience, job-hunting skills, and confidence in their abilities.

“Internships are unpaid, so I don’t want an internship.”

Current research shows that approximately 41% of internships are unpaid, according to “With ‘Unpaid Is Unfair,’ NACE (National Association of Colleges and Employers) Seeks to Broaden Its Call for All Internships to Be Paid” by Mimi Collins. There are a wide variety of internships, ranging from minimum wage pay, semester stipend, tuition reimbursement or a combination of compensation methods. The good news is U Career Success offers a program called Step Up, which can pay you for your unpaid internship. If you find an internship that is unpaid or underpaid, this scholarship will pay for a portion of your internship. Learn more here.

“I thought internships are only for juniors or seniors. I am a first-year or sophomore, so it doesn’t apply to me.”

Not in all cases. Internships are now open to all academic levels, undeclared students, and all majors. Career coaches work with students to learn about their preferences and suggest internships that align with students interests and goals.

First-years: Ask about Community Champions and Goff Explorers

Sophomores: Ask about Goff Explorers, U Service Corps, Learn + Earn

Career Success FAQ

“Who is my career coach?”

It’s best to look at our career coaching team on our page https://careers.utah.edu/career-coaches/. If you have a declared major, look for a career coach aligned with your major or school. If you are undeclared, select a career coach that most closely aligns with a major you are interested in.

“How can I book an appointment?”

Go to our career coaches page at: https://careers.utah.edu/career-coaches/
Find the coach that aligns with your situation
Click on the “Schedule an Appointment” button
Schedule an in-person or virtual appointment

Most in-person appointments will take place at 1300 Garff. Some coaches hold appointments at other locations, they will inform you of the exact appointment location. For virtual appointments, your coach will send you a calendar invite with a Zoom link.

“How do I learn about events and sign up for career fairs?”

To learn more about upcoming events, check out our website: https://careers.utah.edu/events/

Use Handshake to register for career fairs and other events. When you register for an event ahead of time, you’ll receive reminders and urgent communications if anything about the event changes.:

See career fairs in Handshake

See all events in Handshake

Registration is not required. However, you’ll want to bring your UID to the event to check in upon arrival.

Make the Most of Your Career Resources Today

At U Career Success, our mission is to empower every student to achieve their goals with confidence. By debunking misconceptions and answering your questions, we hope to make our services feel approachable and accessible no matter where you are in your career journey.

Don’t wait - start building your career momentum now. Schedule an appointment, attend career events, and take advantage of our resources today. Together we can set a great foundation for your career development and help you create the future you want.