Services

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Career Services assists students and alumni with one-on-one appointments and services designed to launch a career.

We also offer presentations for classes and student organizations, plus interview preparation assistance for faculty who require mock interviews as part of their courses. You can find a full list of our services below. Most appointments can be scheduled by emailing us at careerservices@semo.edu or calling us at (573) 651-2583. Please look over our student policies for information on cancelation.

One of the biggest decisions you will make as a student is deciding on your major, and sometimes it can be an overwhelming decision. Career counseling helps you understand how your unique interests apply to a major and career ambitions. We want to help you not only make these important decisions now, but to empower you with knowledge and skills you will need to make future career and life decisions.

What can I expect?

Appointments for career counseling are scheduled for 60 minutes. Since career counseling is a process, be prepared to meet with your counselor more than once to discuss your educational and career goals.
  • Your career counselor is a person with training and credentials in the field of counseling, skilled in helping you sort out and make sense of your thoughts and feelings, so you can make a decision you are comfortable with. All of our career counselors have at minimum a master's degree in counseling or a related field.
  • Your career counselor will help you locate and explore sources of career information. They might also provide referral to campus or community resources as needed to assist you.
  • Your career counselor will help you develop a plan (both short-term and ongoing) to prepare you to achieve your goals.
  • Your career counselor won't tell you what to do, what you should major in, or what career you should pursue. Our goal is to serve as a fellow traveler along your journey to forming your own conclusions and making your own decisions.

What can i do with this major?

Whether you are exploring several majors or looking to gain further insight into your chosen field, this website will help you connect majors to careers.

Use the Tool

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Career Assessments

O*NET Interest Profiler

This O*NET assessment tool is one of the most trusted FREE instruments available online. This tool can help you identify and discover your interests, connect how these relate to the world of work, and brainstorm careers you might want to explore.

Take this quick personality instrument to help you discover more about your individual characteristics and how this can relate to your job search. IMPORTANT: Upon completion, choose the 'Temperament Mini Report' for free results. You DO NOT need to pay for a report. Explore the Keirsey website for more information on your temperament and how to connect it with possible career options.

Completing this checklist will allow you to brainstorm what you know you are good at and self-rate your skills and abilities. Print and complete the checklist to help prioritize your skills. As you research majors/careers, consider the required skills for that career or jobs in that area, and whether or not these are skills you feel you possess or could develop.
*Other ways to identify your skills include reflection on your personal accomplishments, academic performance in various subjects, previous jobs or community service projects you’ve worked on, and feedback you receive from others.

Your values are what is important to you. People tend to feel most satisfied when their work satisfies their values. Work values are the characteristics of a job that are important to you, such as salary, amount of independence, required hours, etc. Lifestyle values characterize what preferences you desire for your future, such as living in a particular location, a fulfilling family life, ability to travel etc.
Print and complete the checklist to help prioritize YOUR values. As you research potential majors and careers, consider whether or not they will allow you to fulfill these values/life preferences.

A free, quick personality inventory based on MBTI and Jungian Typology. Your results will highlight a personality type and provide insight into why you do the things you do. Understanding your preferences and traits are important when considering careers and how you interact with others and make decisions.

Free, 50 question inventory to help you determine where you rank in 5 major dimensions of personality: Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism. *Users have the option of creating a profile to save results after finishing the assessment, but you don't have to in order to view and print results. Truity also offers additional assessments for purchase if desired by the user.

FOCUS-2
This tool is an online, interactive career, and education planning system that combines self-assessment, career exploration, and decision making into one comprehensive program. It will help you map out a career path and select a major area of study to support your career goals.
Login instructions
  1. Click on the Focus2 link above to log in
  2. If you are a first time user, click the REGISTER button
  3. Your Access Code is: redhawk
  4. Complete personal details using your Southeast email.

Whether you are applying for an on-campus or part-time job while a student, applying for an internship, or getting ready to apply to your first ""real"" job after graduation, it will be necessary for you to have the skills and knowledge to write a quality resume and cover letter. Our office can provide guidance on getting your documents ready, so you highlight your skills, qualities, and experiences to get an interview!

What can I expect?

  • Resume and cover letter reviews are 60-minute appointments. It is ideal for these appointments to be face-to-face, but we can schedule a phone appointment or an email review. If you request this, make arrangements to send over your documents prior to the appointment. It is expected students will bring a hard copy of their documents to a face-to-face appointment.
  • Appointments are designed to provide feedback on formatting and resume writing guidelines tailored to your job search or current needs. Be prepared to discuss the job you are applying to or the industry you are looking at applying to during your appointment to help guide the conversation. We will not write your resume or cover letter for you. Our staff are trained to help assist you in tailoring your resume or cover letter, so you capitalize on your experience and skills to show an employer you are the candidate they want.

So you landed a job interview... great! But now you're feeling a little freaked out about what to expect? We can help! You can schedule a mock interview or consultation with members of our staff. We will do our very best to tailor it to your upcoming interview.

What can I expect?

  • Mock interview appointments are scheduled for 60 minutes, with approximately 30 minutes for the interview portion and 30 minutes for review of your interview with a Career Services staff member.
  • Simply call our office at (573) 651-2583 or stop in to schedule your mock interview. Once scheduled, you will receive the name of the staff member you are meeting with and can communicate any additional details to help them in tailoring your mock interview to a position or industry type. We encourage you to schedule at least one week in advance due to staff availability.
  • We treat mock interviews like actual interviews. Plan to arrive 10-15 minutes beforehand. Dress professionally and bring with you any documents or materials you think you would bring to the actual interview. Not only will we provide feedback on your answers to prepared interview questions, but also give feedback on: clothing and appearance, body language and demeanor, overall level of preparedness, and discuss the follow-up process. If you present yourself as you plan to for your actual interview, we can provide you more accurate feedback during your practice interview. Remember, you are doing this to reduce your anxiety, get answers to your interviewing concerns, and work to modify these, so you can rock your interview when you have to do it for real!

"We meet with students and alumni to discuss how to begin searching for a job or internship. It can be hard to know exactly who is hiring in your industry, what job titles and descriptions actually mean, or maybe what you want to do with your major following graduation.

What can I expect?

Appointments for job/internship search assistance are scheduled for 60 minutes. The topic areas could vary, but generally speaking, these are just a few of the questions or concerns students have when making these type of appointments:
  • "I don't know where to start looking for jobs."
  • "I need help finding an internship."
  • "I feel like I don't know how to network. Can you help me?"
  • "I want to become a ____ who is hiring for this?"
  • "I've heard about LinkedIn...can you help me create my profile?"
  • "I am majoring in ____ but I am having a hard time searching for jobs with this major. Can you help me?"
  • "I have no idea what kind of salaries to expect with my major and level of experience."
  • "I think I might need to go to graduate school. Can you help me figure this out and look at options?"
A staff member will need to ask you questions related to your experiences, skills, values, personality, and career goals in order to provide you guidance and assistance in accessing resources relevant to your search. You could have multiple appointments depending upon your needs, but the process will be focused, short-term and goal-oriented. Where career counseling appointments are more reflective (understanding you) a career coaching appointment is more educational (learn about/implement resources).

Our goal is to help you learn about career tools and build your skills for the job search process. We do not "place" students in internships or jobs or have influence on the hiring processes of companies.

For certain career paths, continuing your academics after completing your undergraduate degree might be a necessity or increase career options beyond what you can expect with a bachelor's degree. Other students choose graduate school programs to increase a knowledge base or focus area beyond what they studied as an undergraduate. Whatever your interest might be in graduate school, we can help you sort out and make sense of:
  • Whether or not you need graduate school
  • Researching schools or programs
  • The application process (timelines, testing requirements, interview preparation, etc.)
  • Review of application materials (personal statements, resumes/CV's etc.)

What can I expect?

Appointments for graduate/professional school preparation are scheduled for 60 minutes. Follow-up appointments may be recommended depending upon where a student is in the decision-making process on attending graduate/professional school.

Stop in without a pre-scheduled appointment during our walk in hours Monday-Friday of regular semesters between 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.. These brief meetings with a Career Services staff member (15 minute maximum per stop in) are great for:
  • Resume/cover letter reviews
  • Job/Internship search (assistance with REDHAWKjobs.com, Career Expo preparation, etc.)
  • Social media & Networking (LinkedIn photo assistance, practice of 30-second pitch, etc.)
  • Interview preparation (what to wear, what to take with you, questions to ask, etc.)

If you and your Career Services staff member determine your needs warrant a scheduled appointment, a follow up meeting can be scheduled for a later date.

Career Services is happy to extend interview preparation assistance to faculty who may provide/require practice (mock) interviews as a part of their course(s). Our office is able to host the interviews, keeping record of student attendance if needed, or a CS staff member can come to a location designated by the faculty member.

To request assistance in this area, faculty will need to complete and submit the Faculty Request Form. Assistance will be granted on a first-come, first-served basis and, due to high demand, forms must be submitted prior to or within the first three weeks of the current semester. We will do our best to accommodate all submitted requests.

Due to CS staff availability, if a faculty member wishes to have their students complete a practice (mock) interview as a required assignment, it is strongly recommended that students are being encouraged to schedule their interview as soon as possible and are provided with a minimum of 4 weeks to complete their interview.
Note: It is highly recommended that faculty have Career Services come in and present on Interviewing Skills prior to assigning their students to complete a practice (mock) interview.

Please contact Career Services with any questions.

Incorporate career planning into your classroom or organization by requesting a presentation on a variety of career topics. Requests are granted on a first-come, first-served basis and requests should be submitted at least one week prior to the date requested. All presentations are designed to last 30-40 minutes. Please fill out our Presentation Form.

Career Services Overview

Comprehensive overview of the services, resources, and program opportunities available through Career Services.

Career Services Overview (First-year Student/UI100)

Intended for sections of UI100, this presentation includes a comprehensive overview of the services, resources, and program opportunities available through Career Services as well as more detailed information on the FOCUS-II assessment.

Career Fair Preparation

Maximizing opportunities available through career fairs including employer research prior to the event, appropriate dress, creating a strong first impression, communicating relevant skills, and appropriate follow-up.

Graduate School Preparation

Insight into the graduate school application process, how to identify and research schools, personal statements, scholarship and funding sources.

Internship & Job Search Strategies

An overview of resources and strategies used in searching for an internship or full-time employment. Topics covered include setting goals, targeting and researching employers, networking, and generating interviews.

Interviewing Skills

Information on the different types of interviews, how to prepare, making an impression, common questions, appropriate dress, and effective follow-up.

Networking & Online Presence

Using networking tools as an effective job search and career development strategy.

Resume & Cover Letter Writing

Strategies for developing a resume and cover letter that markets relevant skills and experiences to employers.

Selecting a Major & Career

Overview of the major/career exploration process including assessment tools and resources available to guide the career decision making process.

Alumni

Southeast graduates are eligible to receive full career advising/coaching services for up to one year post graduation. All alumni, regardless of graduation year, are eligible for up to four sessions of in-person or virtual coaching. Individualized services include:

  • Resume, cover letter, and LinkedIn profile consultation
  • Networking and job searching strategy
  • Mock interview
  • Career decision making and transition

Schedule Your Appointment Today!

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Canvas Online Learning Lab

Career Services is on Canvas! Enroll in our Online Learning Lab to submit resumes or cover letters for review and to access additional career resources. Have your resume reviewed by one of our staff members. You'll receive feedback on format, content, and other important factors.

Enroll in Online Learning Lab
Career Services
Contact Us
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Phone
(573) 651-2583
Location
Office
Academic Hall 057
Mailing Address
One University Plaza, MS 3333
Cape Girardeau, MO 63701

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