Students

The Lehman College Career Services Center is committed to guiding all students throughout the different phases of the career development process. We are here to help you identify and develop resources to realize your career goals through an array of services including the following:

• Personalized career counseling
• Rèsumè and cover letter assistance
• Workshops on interviewing, job-search strategies, networking, and more
• Internship, community service, and service learning opportunities
• Opportunities to meet prospective employers and compete for positions with regional and national companies and organizations
• A computer lab with career-related software and Internet access
• Opportunities to meet successful alumni

Register Now with SYMPLICITY

Prior to utilizing any of our services, all students must register here. This database enables us to maintain effective contact with all current students and alumni, as well as to update and maintain jobs/internship postings, post upcoming events and workshops, review and approve rèsumès, and coordinate the Alumni Mentoring Network. Registration on this site ensures that you receive the most current information available. Schedule an appointment with your Career Counselor in Room 254 of Shuster Hall, or call 718-960-8366. This is how we stay connected with you throughout your college career regarding job fairs, internships, workshops, and employment opportunities.

Career Counseling

Career counseling provides students the opportunity to discuss in detail career-planning ideas, issues, and concerns, such as deciding on an academic major and the employment opportunities that may exist for that area of study. Practical considerations, including rèsumès and cover letters, skills assessment, job search strategies, and any other career-related topics are also matters in which the career counselors are trained to offer expertise. Personal information revealed during the course of counseling sessions will be kept in the strictest confidence.

Workshops

The Career Services Center (CSC) conducts a variety of workshops, including the following:

• Rèsumè and cover letter-writing
• Job Search Strategies
• Interviewing Skills (Techniques, Mock, and Phone Interviews)                         
• How can I find a mentor in my field?
• Social Media Utilization

For a complete listing of all workshops, login here or contact the Career Services Center for more information.

Mock Interview Clinic Program

Students can practice and evaluate their interviewing skills and techniques by participating in mock interviews. Prior to making an appointment for a mock interview, have your rèsumè reviewed by a career counselor and create and submit a job description for a position that suits your qualifications. The job description will be used by the interviewer during the mock interview. Professionals in various fields volunteer to provide for you realistic job interview experiences on the Lehman College campus.

Alumni Mentoring Network

The Alumni Mentoring Network is an online mentoring program where you will receive guidance by professionals in your field of interest. A mentor will provide you with career guidance, advice, support, and networking opportunities designed to help you achieve your academic and career goals. Some of the benefits of this program are as follows:

• Personal satisfaction to help support and empower students with the skills needed to achieve their educational goals
• Enhancing student's knowledge with your personal perspective of the Lehman experience
• Increasing the retention and graduation rates of students
• Sharing professional and educational experiences with your Mentee(s)
• Making a difference in student's lives

To become an Alumni Mentor, contact the Program Coordinator at 718-960-8366 or if you are on campus, stop by Room 254 in Shuster Hall.

Recruitment Activities

On-campus and off-campus interviews and seminars are arranged with companies and agencies interested in hiring Lehman students. There are also career-specific Career Expos offered throughout the academic year. During these recruitment activities, you will have the opportunity to speak with and submit your resume to representatives from many different businesses. (For current information on Career Expos, click on our Frequently Asked Questions section.)

Some recruitment events may be open to the entire Lehman College student body and others are available only to students majoring in particular areas of study; e.g., sociology, accounting, etc. Therefore, it is important that you read your Lehman mail, e-mail, and check periodically the Recruitment Events or Symplicity website.

Internships

An internship is an extension of your college learning experience. It occurs in the actual workplace where you are provided a "hands on" learning opportunity as your employer trains you in a "real work" atmosphere. Even though many internships do not offer salaries, the benefits of such participation are incalculable and will last you a lifetime. This type of experience is an excellent way to begin your chosen career path and to explore employment tracks that you may be considering. It also provides opportunities to put to practical use what you are learning in the classroom. Internships are unique opportunities to “test the waters.” Students may receive academic credit pending approval from their academic major department.

Symplicity also serves as a database that allows employers to post job and internship listings directly to our site. All  students must register in order to gain access to this database as well as to the services available through the Center. Further assistance with job search strategies and resources should be discussed with your respective career counselor or by enrolling in our workshop on Job Search Strategies. More assistance with internships may be provided by our in-house Internship Coordinator.

The benefits of an internship include, but are not limited to the following:

• gaining experience relevant to your career goals
• helping you decide on a particular career path
• providing employment experience that can be put on your resume and cover letters
• affording you a competitive edge
• exploring opportunities and expanding potential career choices
• earning academic credit
• networking with professionals
• developing contacts for future job offers

A listing of internship and summer employment opportunities can be found in the Career Services Center and on our Symplicity data base. There are periodic workshops in which internships are discussed in depth.

Read what other Lehman College students say about their internship experiences.

Career Exploration

Deciding on a career is an important, complex, and serious undertaking. Among many other aspects that should be part of this process, you must consider your interests and talents, your abilities and skills, your values, your life goals, your temperament, and your personality and character. Your counselor will help you to develop your self-awareness. All of these parts of your being and your thinking should be integrated into the occupational and educational decisions you make in the planning of your career search. We use the following important and successful programs and assessments to assist you in this significant undertaking:

• What can I do with this major? If you wonder how to connect academic majors to careers, simply go here. Click on a major that is of interest to you and you will see outlines of common career areas, employers  and strategies designed to maximize your career opportunities.
• FOCUS 2. Your ideas about who you are, as well as what are your dreams and plans, impact your life decisions and your career plans. The function of Focus 2 (an online career guidance software program) is to collect information about you and organize it so that it provides the potential for optimum career exploration and planning. The summary of your interests, abilities and values is presented in an integrated manner that allows you to easily understand your results by relating them to the working world.
• Strong Interest Inventory (SII). This inventory matches an individual's interests with employment opportunities, education and leisure activities. It can be categorized into six General Occupational Themes:
  • Realistic: Technically an Athletically-Oriented People
  • Investigative: Abstract Problem Solvers
  • Artistic: Idea Creator
  • Social: People Helpers
  • Enterprising: People Influencers
  • Conventional: Detail-Oriented People
• Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). This indicator identifies valuable differences between people. It is a helpful tool for assessing your own personality type. The results are used to assess how your personality type affects your career choice, as well as its impact on your personal development.

If you are interested in utilizing any of the above resources and/or if you need further assistance with your career path, please contact us. 

Employment Opportunities

The Career Services Center provides several resources that link you to hundreds of part-time, summer and full-time jobs in the private, public, non-profit and government sectors. These jobs are posted on the Symplicity and on our bulletin boards. These postings are updated on a regular basis.

If you are having difficulty finding employment opportunities, it is a good idea to make an appointment to meet with a Career Counselor to review your résumé and cover letter, interview skills and techniques, and job search strategies.