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Career Services

Support for Faculty and Staff

Make an even bigger impact on your students. When you combine your strengths with ours, we can help students thrive and get students excited about their future.

Team Up with Career Services

Contact Our Director

Quanisha Kumi-Darfour

(309) 438-2200
qphawki@IllinoisState.edu

Our Areas of Expertise

Employer Connections

Take the stress of finding employers for students off your to-do list. We've already done a lot of the heavy lifting for you. Our employer connections can bring professionals to your classroom and help your students find jobs, internships, or professional practice opportunities.

Classroom Presentations

Let us come to you. We offer lots of career topics, and we'll tailor the presentation to meet the needs of your students. All you have to do is tell us what you have in mind. Popular presentations include resume and interview prep, negotiation, and networking.

Request a Presentation

Career Fairs

Host a career fair that's specific to your area. We can help with all the logistics, like reserving space, processing payments, and general coordination. We can also leverage our connections and add to your employer attendee list if needed.

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Custom Programming

Get career development any way you need it. We can adapt current programming or work with you to come up with something new.

Hire a Redbird logo.

More Than a Job Board

Hire-A-Redbird helps you stay organized and stay in the loop.

Use it to keep track of internship and professional practice records, view upcoming events, and stay connected with Career Services.

Learn more about Hire-A-Redbird

A Strategic Approach

To Career Development

A major does not define a career path. There are lots of paths to explore.

We approach career development with clusters. This makes the process for choosing a career path a little less overwhelming. It also helps students think beyond a major and exposes them to more possibilities post graduation.

Our clusters include:

  • Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math

  • Non-profit, Social Services, Government, and Law

  • Healthcare, Wellness, and Recreation

  • Education

  • Financial Services, Consulting, Management, and Sales

  • Food, Agriculture, Environment, and Natural Resources

  • Arts, Communications, Design, and Media

To Success

The Keys to Academic and Career Success lay out the stages and tips to a successful college experience and career path.

We use the keys to help students discover their passion and achieve their goals.

Stage 1: Explore

Academic Achievement
  • Strive for academic success.
  • Attend and actively participate in classes and get to know their professors.
  • Meet with their academic advisor and faculty to discuss major requirements and academic goals.
  • Participate in and contribute to department-based introductory classes.
  • Explore academic and career interests online. Contact Career Services for help.
  • Attend available tutoring sessions and workshops as needed.
Transferable Skills
  • Develop transferable skills, such as writing, communication, or public speaking.
  • Seek a part-time job, internship, or other experiences to build their current skill set.
Experiences and Involvement
  • Explore student organizations, volunteer, and seek leadership or civic engagment opportunities.
  • Attend academic, career, and campus events.
Networking
  • Conduct an informational interview with professionals in their areas of interest.

Stage 2: Expand

Academic Achievement
  • Create an academic plan with their academic advisor and faculty.
  • Meet with a career advisor to identify career opportunities that align with their interests.
  • Explore options to study abroad.
Transferable Skills
  • Refine writing, communication, analytical, and other transferable skills through course work and involvement opportunities.
Experiences and Involvement
  • Obtain a leadership role in an organization.
  • Attend academic, career, and campus events.
  • Apply for internships in Hire-A-Redbird
Networking
  • Get to know faculty.
  • Conduct a job shadow with a professional in their area of interest.
  • Create LinkedIn and Hire-A-Redbird profiles; They can stop by Career Services to learn how.

Stage 3: Execute

Academic Achievement
  • Inquire about earning academic credit for an internship or research opportunity in their department.
  • Evaluate the status of their academic and career plans.
  • Ask faculty to serve as references to help meet their career goals.
Transferable Skills
  • Leverage their acquired writing, communication, analytical, and other transferable skills.
Experiences and Involvement
  • Relate their internship experience to their course work and career preparation.
Networking
  • Meet with a career advisor and faculty to discuss job-search strategies.
  • Establish a professional social media presence.
  • Continue to build their network at academic, career, and campus events.

Stage 4: Embark

Academic Achievement
  • Research specific academic and career opportunities (i.e. job search, graduate school, etc.).
  • Meet with their career advisor to implement job-search strategies.
  • Apply to graduate programs or jobs that align with their goals.
Transferable Skills
  • Update and finalize their resume and related professional documents to include their transferable skills.
Experiences and Involvement
  • Attend academic, career, and campus events.
Networking
  • Network with faculty.
  • Maximize their professional networks (i.e. LinkedIn, professional contacts, etc.).