Center for Career Planning

Choosing a Major

To help first- and second-year students make this important decision, we begin with a discussion of your academic, career and personal interests. To broaden possibilities, we introduce major-specific information and resources like the Occupational Outlook Handbook and O*NET. To help you explore your interests further, we also offer career assessments including Focus II and the Strong Interest Inventory to assist in generating possible career fields and related academic majors.

Finding an Internship or Job

We're here to help you with all aspects of your internship and job search, from starting the search and networking to crafting targeted resumes and cover letters to interview preparation. The summer between your first and second year is not too early to find a paid internship.

The best place to start is Handshake at CNU. In Handshake, you can:

• Connect with employers and graduate school contacts,
• Apply to job and internship listings, and
• Find out about upcoming Center for Career Planning events.

Our goal is to equip you with life-long career planning skills. We want to not only make sure you have the resources to find an internship or your first job, but also to enable you to find subsequent opportunities you will need in your career.

Write a Resume

As you gain experience academically and professionally, we're here to help you communicate your direct and transferable skills. We can help you draft your first resume or help you improve an existing one. We emphasize understanding how to tailor your skills and experience for each opportunity in a concise and professional format through one-on-one review, campus workshops, and online and print resources.

Prepare for Graduate School

Considering graduate school? We can help you find the graduate programs that match your interests and goals, and offer guidance through the application process. Preparation for graduate school includes:

• Exploring programs
• Researching coursework and assistantship/fellowship opportunities
• Contacting graduate admission staff and faculty
• Compiling application materials: resume/CV, personal statement, transcripts, etc.
• Completing any required testing (GRE, GMAT, LSAT, MCAT, etc.) and interviews

We recommend students start the graduate school exploration process early to allow time for research and preparation. We provide workshops and individual appointments for graduate school planning.

Events

See the Events tab in your Handshake account for more details!

Post Opportunities

Do you have an opportunity you would like to share with our students? You can create a Handshake account and post your profile and openings. You must have a physical address, phone number, web address and company/organization domain email address to create an account.

On-campus Recruiting

We prepare students for successful futures after college by helping them explore core values, interests and abilities as they pursue a rigorous liberal arts and sciences curriculum. Toward this goal, we offer vast opportunities for your organization to engage and recruit our students:

• Job and internship postings
• Career and graduate school fairs
• On-campus and virtual interviews
• Information sessions and tables
• Recruiter panels
• Resume review and mock interview programs
• Job shadowing and informational interviewing
• Employer site visits and tours

To learn more about engaging with our students, check out our Recruiter Engagement Guide to connect with our Employer Development team.

Events

The Center for Career Planning partners with employer and graduate school recruiters to host either in-person or virtual recruiting events. We host fairs during both the fall and spring semesters.

Recruiting Policies

Nondiscrimination Policy

We welcome all equal opportunity employers. Christopher Newport University is committed to providing an environment that emphasizes the dignity and worth of every member of its community and that is free from harassment and discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, sexual orientation, veteran status, political affiliation or any other status protected by law.

National Association of Colleges and Employers

Employers and graduate schools who recruit at Christopher Newport University must adhere to the principles for ethical professional practice set by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE).

We also recommend recruiters follow NACE’s professional standards for university relations and recruiting.

Department of Justice

Work Authorization
The U.S. Department of Justice requires employers, recruiters and others posting employment opportunities to comply with all applicable equal employment opportunity laws, including the anti-discrimination provision of the Immigration and Naturalization Act.

Posting Guidelines

• For remote / work-from-home / freelance opportunities, please describe how you will train, supervise, evaluate and provide guidance/mentorship to the hired candidate
• All commission positions must have a base salary equivalent to minimum wage or higher
• All contract/1099 positions must be identified as such in the position posting
• The following types of positions are prohibited:
  • Solicitation of/hiring students to sell or promote an organization’s products or services to other students
  • Pyramid or multi-level networking structures that require the recruitment of others to sell products and services
  • Any positions that would employ students by a private individual and/or in a private home (e.g., babysitter, book editor, tutor, caretaker, interior designer for your home)
  • Campus brand manager, ambassador, marketer positions

Please review our full list of recruiting guidelines. If you have any questions/concerns, please contact Sarah Hobgood at (757) 594-8763 or sarah.hobgood@cnu.edu.

Internships

An internship is an intentional, structured experience where the employer/host and the student intern develop projects and tasks that benefit the organization and help the student meet his/her objectives for learning and skill development.

The main components of an internship include:

• Opportunities to explore career options by completing projects relevant to the organization’s work and being exposed to both an individual department and the organization as a whole.
• Application of course learning and development of skills for the workplace.
• Supervision by a professional who will guide and direct the intern on tasks and provide regular feedback on performance.

Benefits of an internship for an employer:

• Increasing productivity for the organization with additional project help.
• Providing new energy, fresh perspectives and relevant theories/principles just learned in the classroom to the department and the organization.
• Identifying future hires.
• Creating opportunities for current employees to gain or strengthen supervision skills.
• Building the employer’s brand as the intern shares his/her internship experience.

All internship postings should meet both the NACE internship experience guidelines and the Department of Labor Fair Labor Standards Act.

Contact the Center for Career Planning at (757) 594-8887 or ccp@cnu.edu for more information.

Career Services for Life

Alumni have access to our services, including:

• Individual appointments
• Review of documents including resumes, cover letters and graduate school personal statements
• Job search and interview strategies
• Access to Handshake, CNU’s online career management database
• Career fair attendance

Share Opportunities

Hire a fellow Captain as an intern or full-time employee:

• Post positions in Handshake or share information with your human resources department about how to recruit CNU graduates
• Recruit students through on-campus opportunities, including interviews, career fairs and information tables

Tell Us Your Story

Each week, we feature profiles on our blog about interns, alumni or organizations where CNU students or graduates work or study. Contact us if you would like to be featured or nominate someone.

When posting opportunities or your accomplishments on social media be sure to use #CNUCaptains or #CaptainForLife.

Services

We know parents and family members are often the most influential people in students' lives. Please contact us if you have questions about our programs and services. Because of FERPA regulations, we won’t be able to discuss your student's use of the Center, but a conversation with one of our staff can help you in supporting your Captain.

Share Opportunities

Would you like to hire a Captain? Does your organization have an internship or job opportunity you want to share with CNU students? Create a Handshake account or encourage your human resources division to connect with us on Handshake.

Supporting Your Captain

• Prompt your Captain to connect what they are learning in class with their potential career options.
• Encourage your Captain to schedule at least one individual appointment with us each year.
• Suggest that your student pursue intentional opportunities during the summer that help them connect classroom learning with career options, including internships, undergraduate research, study abroad or community engagement.
• Ask your Captain, “As you think over the last few years, what are you proud of?” Listen to their answers and help them identify particular accomplishments or themes that point to qualities or skills that can be applied in the work place.
• Reassure them that if they take steps to figure things out, they will be successful.