January 31, 2018

Career Services partners with companies, offers opportunities to students and alumni

Looking for internships and career opportunities can be a daunting task, and many don’t know where to begin. To help, Wayne State University’s Career Services department maintains partnerships with local and global companies, giving students a competitive edge when it comes to landing an internship or full-time employment. 

“When an organization expresses interest in recruiting from Wayne State University, Career Services provides information on resources and services, offering customizable recruiting options for the employer, said Padmaja Rao, assistant director of Career Services. “Our office makes every effort to assist students and alumni by connecting them directly with recruiters from that company by marketing employment opportunities on behalf of those employers and hosting special recruiting events for students to be able to network with prospective employers.”

Career Services recently launched a new job search platform called Handshake, which allows students and alumni to post their resumes and search for job opportunities at a variety of levels (co-op, internships, part time, full time). Every student’s information has already been preloaded into the Handshake system, so students only need to activate their account by following instructions found here.

Companies from a variety of industries participate in on-campus career fairs, post available job openings on the Handshake website and hold interviews on campus. Companies including Quicken Loans and Henry Ford Health System — as well as global companies like General Motors, Toyota and Chrysler — continue to recruit through the Career Services.

“Wayne State University has a great reputation. That is why these companies partner with us and look for prospective employees who have graduated from Wayne State. When these companies hire from Wayne State, they know they are getting an individual who has been well educated,” Rao said. “Moreover, our office highly encourages students to look into obtaining internships or cooperative education opportunities, which will better prepare them for full-time professional employment ahead.”

Career Services also educates Wayne State students with the knowledge and skills needed to land the job. Resume and job fair preparation workshops, along with mock interviews, take place throughout the year. In addition, Career Services offers stop-in counseling to currently registered students and alumni. Information about stop-in counseling can be found here.   

Rao highly encourages students to activate their Handshake accounts to maximize opportunities for job searching and networking with employers. In addition, she advises current students who are searching for summer 2018 internships to start applying during the early months of 2018. Employers typically start their internship recruitment and hiring practices several months prior to the actual internship start date.

For additional information about the resources and services offered by Career Services, students and alumni are welcome to call 313-577-3390 or stop by the office, located on the first floor of the Faculty Administration Building. Career Services is open from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

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