Hofstra's Center for Career Design and Development has services for all students, from first semester freshmen to graduating seniors, to help push their careers forward.
From the beginning of the fall semester through Nov. 30, the Career Center had 4,932 in-person interactions and touch points with Hofstra students, whether that was one-on-one appointments, major-based career fairs, workshops or other events.
However, with a total of over 10,000 undergraduate, graduate, medical and law students enrolled at Hofstra University within the past year, only about half of those students are utilizing the Career Center.
Michelle Kyriakides, the executive director at the Center for Career Design and Development, said that Hofstra students still use the career services at a rate higher than the national average.
“It depends on where students are in their developmental process,” Kyriakides said. “We’re here to help students with transitions, whether it’s choosing a major, finding that first internship, changing their major or finding their first job and a mentor in that field.”
“It’s a little overwhelming,” said Morgen Grover, a sophomore marketing and business management major. “Sometimes it just feels like you’re being overloaded with information.”
“Personally, I have never been to the Career Center because I never knew where to start with getting help on preparing for internships or post-graduation,” said Mel Benny, a junior in the pre-physician assistant studies program. “But I do know that they put on an internship fair for students, which I think is a great opportunity.”
With spring internship application season upon the student body, the Career Center becomes more known for its abundance of career-centric opportunities at this time of year.
“The Center for Career Design and Development grabs my attention more apparently in October when students are interviewing for next semester,” said Nicoletta Gambino, a junior mass media studies major. “You're always hearing about the Career Closet.”
Colin Sullivan, the director of communications for Student Enrollment, Engagement and Success at Hofstra, was able to speak on the success of the Career Closet this past semester.
“[The Career Closet] has nothing to do with your resume or interview skills, you simply come in to get free professional outfits,” Sullivan said.
One of the top challenges college career service offices face is marketing to students. Sullivan finds the Career Closet to be a sufficient conversation starter among students to encourage them to utilize the Career Center.
Hofstra has an outcome of 97% of total former undergraduate students currently working in their field or in graduate school, with 42% accepting positions at or before graduation. Additionally, 28% of students accept positions within three months of graduation. Students said that there are some ways in which the Career Center could improve on being a contributor to student’s success.
“More flexibility when it comes to working with busy students would be really helpful,” Grover said.
“They send emails, but some students just don’t look at their email, so it’s not really doing much,” said Daniel Lopez, a sophomore business analytics major. “A classroom visit will make students realize it’s important to go.”
Kyriakides encourages students who have utilized the Career Center to tell their friends and share how it helped them work toward success.
