Frequently Asked QuestionsGeneral Questions
Employment Related Questions
Graduate/Professional School Questions
Part-Time or Summer Job Questions
General Questions
1. What can parents do to help prepare their student for career or graduate/professional school?
There are several things that we would advise parents to do in helping a student prepare for career or professional school. The first is guide the student but not dictate to the student. The student may have different interests and goals than the parent; and so parents should help facilitate that discovery and then lend support to its development. Secondly, we would ask parents to encourage their student to come to the career center early (preferably early in the sophomore year) and start the career discernment process. Finally, we would ask parents to have an open mind and heart about their students’ career choices.
2. How involved should a parent be in the career development process?
As stated before, we believe parents are very important to the career development process. Parents should express sincere interest in the student’s plans and help them in developing that plan. We believe that parents should be involved in every aspect of the students’ career development – again not as a dictator but as a voice of reason and a sounding board for ideas. Allow your student to express them self and work with career services to develop a rich and rewarding
experience.
3. How involved should parents be in the negotiating process?
Parents should be unseen in this process. Of course they will provide wise counsel to their student, but a parent should never get on a phone or appear in an office to discuss salary and compensation on behalf of the student. Students are advised to take an offer letter and discuss it with their loved ones and then make a decision.
Employment Related Questions
1. When should a student contact Career Services?
Students should contact Career Services as early as the first year. We won’t tell a student to wait; but we do encourage students to spend at least one semester experiencing college and getting accustomed to college life. In the second year of college, we highly recommend that students complete a career assessment tool.
2. How can a student make contact with Career Services?
There are several ways to make contact with the Career Services Office. Students can call extension 4260 and speak with our office, find the staff member on the CS web page and email them, or visit us at our office on the second floor of the Campus Life Building. Students will also find useful information on the Career Services website and in the Daily Announcements. Check out Career Watch on the website for the latest happenings in Career Services.
3. What is the best way for a student to use their summers?
We recommend that students prepare their four years strategically. Starting with a career assessment (Strong Interest Inventory), students can plan experiences that will enhance their undergraduate experience. Internships, part-time jobs and summer research (community of scholars) are all good ways to spend the summer. We advocate that those experiences be tied to the career that a student is considering.
4. What are job fairs/interview days, and how do students find out about them?
The Career Services Office at Wofford College offers several opportunities to introduce students to employers and post graduate programs. The Graduate School Day; Law School Day; Summer Camp Day; and Interview Days are all ways that students can gain valuable information about programs and companies that typically recruit Wofford students. An Interview Day is an actual day of interviews, where a student interviews with a recruiter who is interested in recruiting Wofford Students – these are real job interviews. Wofford does not do job fairs or information fairs for full-time employment.
5. Are job fairs useful?
We have found that job fairs for summer employment are very useful, but more and more employers don’t have the resources to recruit for full-time employment by doing a job fair (simply providing information).
6. What are the best internet job search sites?
Please click on the Directions link to view our list of internet job sites. Students should use discretion in applying for positions online and view our resume tips for online submission before placing a resume online. Students can use (TerrierLink) to connect to secured and approved job listings from client companies.
7. When should a student complete the Strong Interest Inventory or MBTI with Career Report? Which assessment is more useful?
Students can take the Strong Interest Inventory and MBTI with Career Report at any point in their college career. We recommend that students take the Strong Interest Inventory prior to declaring a major (sophomore year spring semester), and the MBTI in the senior year.
8. How does a student manage salary expectations? What are the industry standards for salary and benefits and does Wofford offer any tools for students?
Students should recognize that salary is always tied to various factors including: academic major, work experience (internships, part-time jobs, work-study, geographic location), and current market demands. There are several tools we use at Wofford to help students become fully aware of salary expectations a few online resources are: www.salary.com or http://online.onetcenter.org/.
9. What resources does Wofford offer for identifying career opportunities outside of the Carolinas?
Currently Wofford uses alumni to help in identifying career opportunities outside of South Carolina. The Office of Career Services and the Parents Advisory Council have teamed to provide additional opportunities.
10. What is the Dimensions program and why is this useful for a Wofford student?
“Dimensions” is the Career Development program used by Career Services to provide career guidance and resources for students from their first year at Wofford and beyond. The program includes a period of Discernment (helping students identify potential strengths, leadership style and personality traits), Discovery (helping students secure internships, part-time employment, research, or volunteer opportunities that help develop certain skills), and
Directions (the process of getting students ready to graduate by providing the essentials of resume writing, interviewing and etiquette skills, as well as graduate/professional school help, mentoring, and full-time job interview days).
11. How do students gain access to the job market in parts of the country outside of the Southeast?
The Wofford Alumni Career Network is the first place to start, however students will be forwarded career opportunities as they are developed and located by career services personnel.
12. Explain Career, Calling, and Leadership as it relates to career development.
The idea for a Center for Leadership, Career, and Calling is still being developed, but in relation to Career Services the office seeks to help students through the Dimensions program identify and develop the skills necessary for a life-time of successful and increasingly rewarding employment. We believe that students who can find fulfillment in what they do will make the most out of life and be the citizens that Wofford seeks to create.
Graduate/Professional School Questions
1. When is the best time to apply for graduate/professional school?
The suggested timeline for the application process is:
Junior year: students should research/investigate interests and
goals, institutions offering programs in which they are interested, and research specific programs at universities. The junior year is also the time to talk with advisors about graduate schools plans: ask advice
about specific programs and universities and if the faculty member thinks the student would be a “good fit” for these programs.
Finally, register to take the appropriate admissions test. It is advisable to take the test(s) in the summer of the junior year.
Senior year: Students should talk with graduate school representatives on campus, visit campuses, begin the application process (Students should be aware of the application deadlines and processes of the schools to which they want to apply.), including obtaining recommendations, and, if they have not already done so, take the entrance test required. Register for Graduate and Professional School Financial Aid and other financial aid avenues. After acceptance at an institution, be sure to notify the other universities to which they applied of their decision.
2. What are graduate/professional schools looking for and how can a student better prepare themselves?
There are over a thousand universities in the United States offering diverse advanced degrees. The most obvious requirement that graduate school admissions offices look at is your academic record: past performance is the best predictor of future performance.
The next important item for the student is their score on the relevant admissions test. If their past scores on standardized tests are not good, they may want to consider a prep course and/or a study guide for the test (GRE, GMAT, MCAT, etc) they will be required to take.
Most graduate school admissions professionals, no matter what program or institution they represent, are looking for candidates who can state clearly and precisely why they want to enter graduate school (Using graduate school to put off making a career decision is never a good strategy). These counselors will want to also know what their goals are. The ability to write well is a necessity, and the personal essay is one way for students to show this skill.
Graduate/professional programs are now, more than ever, requiring a resume; so students should begin work early on a resume. “Good communication skills” has become a cliché but is always relevant. Not only do admissions officers want to see samples of the students’ writing ability, they also want to interview them: a graduate school interview is no different than an employment interview. Mock interviews and attendance at interviewing workshops can hone this skill.
3. What information is offered about Graduate/Professional School Fairs and how do students find out about them?
The Career Services Office offers both a Law School Day and a Graduate/Professional School Day. These two events involve colleges and universities and are publicized on campus through the Daily Announcements and Career Watch. Wofford student are also able to attend the graduate school days at other colleges, and these events are publicized in a similar fashion.
4. Are Career Counselors or Wofford Alumni available to discuss graduate/professional school options?
Alumni networking are one the most-used ways for students to learn about specific graduate programs and about what graduate school is “really like.” Wofford also has a number of alumni affiliated with colleges and universities across the country, and these people are a great resource and can be approached more informally than the Admissions Officer of the university. All the Career Services staff can discuss postgraduate study: based not only on resources in our
Career Library (Peterson’s Guides, the Graduate School Guide, admissions tests information) but also on practical experience. The office can be of particular use for assistance in writing a personal essay, composing a resume, and teaching interviewing skills.
5. What role do recommendations play in graduate/professional school acceptance?
The program to which you are applying is directly involved in the admissions process. Although the final admissions decision may be made by the graduate dean or a faculty admissions committee, recommendations from faculty members in your intended discipline are important. Recommendations gain more credence if the institution knows the recommendations are confidential.
6. Is it better to go directly from undergraduate to graduate school or to work first?
There is no right or wrong answer to this question. In some cases the choice will not be the student’s to make: almost all MBA and international MBA program will require two to three years of work experience; financial considerations may make it necessary to work a year or two before going to graduate school. These situations aside, the answer comes back to the student and his/her awareness that postgraduate study in a particular field is an important and meaningful goal. As stated above, graduate school as a way to avoid making a career decision is never a good strategy.
7. Should a student who plans to go to graduate/professional school have a different style of resume than a student who is going into a career right after graduation?
The resume created for an admissions committee is more properly called curriculum vitae. This is the academic world’s version of a resume. The difference may not be great: In a CV you will want to emphasize, not work experiences, but education and academic activities and interests. The format is simpler and generally does not include the enhancements that you may use in a resume. The rules of writing, phrasing and ease of review still hold true for a curriculum
vitae.
8. What are my objectives in attending graduate school?
One objective might be to gain access to a particular career field. Law and medicine, for example, require an advanced degree to practice within the profession. Another objective might be to become more marketable, to enhance job prospects, or to qualify for advancement once on the job. Yet another objective might be to expand your knowledge, gain additional expertise, or broaden academic horizons. Using grad school as a way to defer career issues is never a good strategy. A wise choice of grad programs can only be made once a person has a fairly good sense of specific career objectives.
9. What programs can I qualify for given my undergraduate major, my grades, and my standardized test scores?
There may seem to be an overwhelming number of programs in the country, but when practical considerations are factored in, the options may narrow dramatically. Most programs have undergraduate prerequisites; many have clearly defined GPA/standardized test requirements. You will need to realistically evaluate your academic profile to determine the programs for which you qualify. Once you have narrowed the choices by objective and then applied this qualification step, you should have a manageable list of viable choices.
10. How much can I realistically afford to invest in graduate school?
Although a quality program that satisfies your objectives and that is realistically within your academic grasp should not be eliminated because of cost, most students find it necessary to honestly face the money issue. You should carefully look at your identifiable funding sources and your potential to qualify for grants, assistantships, fellowships, etc. You should also consider the possibility of accommodating graduate school on a part-time basis.
Part-Time or Summer Job Questions
1. Why should I do a part-time or summer job experience?
Part-time and summer job experiences help students gain valuable skill sets to be used in future work environments. Part-time and summer jobs also allow time for students to try out career interests as well as network with employers for future job opportunities.
2. How do I find a summer job?
Students who would like to find a part-time job or a summer job can access these opportunities by reviewing jobs at the summer jobs page and the summer camp list or by visiting the Career Services bulletin board located in the Campus Life Building. Opportunities are also made available through campus daily announcements.
3. How do I find Part-time jobs in the Greater Spartanburg Area?
Students who would like to find a part-time job in the Greater Spartanburg Community will access these opportunities by reviewing jobs at the open jobs site or by visiting the Career Services bulletin board located in the Campus Life Building. Opportunities are also made available through campus daily announcements.
4. What if I want to work on campus? (Work Study and Work Scholarship)
Some students will also have access to work study or work scholarship opportunities on campus. If you would like to learn about these opportunities, please access the Financial Aid website. Wofford students are responsible for finding their own work study or work scholarship position, but Career Services has resources to help students locate open job opportunities for both work study and work scholarship. Please check with the Office of Financial Aid to confirm your participation in the Federal Work Study Program. If you are not a recipient of the Federal Work Study Award, you are not eligible for work study positions on or off Wofford College's campus. Work scholarship positions are open to all Wofford Students.