CAREER DEVELOPMENT

From the day you step on the campus of Iowa Wesleyan University until the day you graduate, the Tiger Station is here to assist you. This office can provide you with the guidance and support you need to assess career interests, explore occupations, transition through a career change, proceed through the job search process, and prepare for the professional workplace. Stop by today to design a career plan for your future!

What Tiger Station can help you with:

assess career interests
explore career options
support in the job search process
- looking over resumes
- what to do and not do in an interview
- clothing for interviews
- visit Big Interview to learn and practice your interviewing skills
prepare for the professional workplace
professional development seminars:
- resume and cover letter writing
- job search success
- interviewing strategies
- dress for success
- dining etiquette
- life after university

Career Resources and Tools

Career Development Learning Outcomes

Students will develop skills and utilize resources to be career ready.
Students will be able to determine personal interests, strengths, values, and skills that will inform intentional career decision-making .
Students will be able to create a plan of personal goals for professional growth.

Personality Assessment

The Career Services Center is well equipped to help students answer the key questions involved in the career decision-making process. The first step is assessment. A number of “tools” are available to students, including John Holland’s Self-Directed Search and numerous online assessments. These assessment tools, in combination with individual career counseling appointments, help students evaluate their interests, skills, and values.

Professional Development Series

Iowa Wesleyan University is committed to providing students opportunities to learn about professional life after graduation. One way in which this commitment is lived out is through Professional Development Seminars which are offered each semester. The series is intended to assist students in setting themselves apart from other recent graduates in professional settings. The seminars include:

BA 102 A – Resume and Cover Letter Writing
BA 102 B – Job Search Success
BA 102 C – Interviewing Strategies
BA 102 D – Dress for Success
BA 102 E – Dining Etiquette (combines with BA419 in Spring)
BA 102 F – Life After University

Students can take these during their sophomore, junior, or senior year. Students can register through your academic advisor or through the Tiger Station. Business students are required to complete the seminars, but they are open to all Iowa Wesleyan students.

Graduation Surveys

Each semester Iowa Wesleyan collects information from our graduating seniors. This information includes; employment statistics, graduate school information, expected salaries, and internship outcomes. In addition, some of the information gathered is used for national, state, and accreditation accountability measures.

Graduate School Tests

Students intending to enter graduate school can also be assisted by the Tiger Station and can find test information at the following sites:

GRE: The Graduate Record Examinations is a standardized test that is an admissions requirement for many graduate schools. www.ets.org/gre
MCAT: the Medical College Admission Test is a computer-based standardized examination for prospective medical students. www.aamc.org
LSAT: The Law School Admission Test is a standardized test administered by the Law School Admission Council for prospective law school candidates. www.lsac.org/lsat
GMAT: The Graduate Management Admission Test is a computer adaptive test intended to assess certain analytical, writing, quantitative, verbal, and reading skills in written English for use in admission to a graduate management program. www.mba.com/exams

Practicing Your Interviewing Skills

Gain confidence in interviewing by practicing your interviewing skills through Big Interview or you can schedule a mock interview for practice. Also, we want to provide you with 4 year plan with tips and suggestions to launch your career.

Use Big Interview to learn and practice your interview skills, whether you’re interviewing for a job or graduate school.

What kind of career will fit me best?

Resume Writing Guide

A resume is used to show you have the knowledge, skills, and experience relevant to a particular job and to entice the employer to interview you. Your resume is often the first thing a potential employer uses to evaluate you.

4-Year Career Plan

The path to an engaging and rewarding career begins with a plan. Your time at Iowa Wesleyan University affords you a wonderful opportunity to tap into a wealth of knowledge and resources that can help you achieve and surpass your goals.

Freshman Year

The main priority of a first year student is to manage the transition from high school to college. The coursework is more rigorous and you’ll need to adjust to new living arrangements, various interpersonal relationships and dynamics, and a new-found sense of independence. Balancing academic requirements with campus activities and a social life is an extremely important skill that is essential for you to be successful throughout your time at Iowa Wesleyan.

Sophomore Year

Having successfully navigated the transition from high school to college, you begin to shift focus from transition to progression. Sophomore year is a time when most students declare a major and engage more deeply with interest areas and topics. Start the process of internship/grad school preparation. Create a resume, complete a job shadow or informational interview, and make connections in an effort to expand your professional network.

Junior Year

Junior year is important for career/graduate school planning and preparation. By this point, most coursework is related to your major. Academic performance may be a significant factor for considering graduate or pre-professional programs. Be fully prepared with a resume, cover letter, and interviewing skills to quickly apply to internships. Feel confident about your skills and abilities to perform admirably in a professional setting. If you haven’t engaged with activities or groups, this is a crucial time to be able to add those things to your resume.

Senior Year

As a Senior, your focus should be on putting the finishing touches on what should have been an amazing experience. Just like First Year students, this is a time of transitions as you begin to seek out and finalize post-graduation plans. Finish strong and make sure that all academic requirements have been met.