Career Services FAQ for Students

University Center 107 at the bottom of the stairs, across from the MAVcard office.

Career Services is here to help you along your employment journey! We want to help you throughout your time here at CMU with anything career-related including but not limited to: resume and CV reviews, cover letter assistance, mock interviews, grad school preparation, internship preparation, informational workshops, fall and spring Job Fairs, and much more!

A career advisor is an individual who assists students with career-related documents and mock-interviews, as well as coordinates events and workshops. Career advisors are available to help you reach your professional goals.

CMU students, alumni, staff, and faculty can all utilize Career Services.

We recommend making an appointment. We also have walk-in hours daily from 2 – 3pm. 

To make an appointment, stop by the Career Services Office located in UC 107. We also make appointments via Handshake.

It depends on what you are coming in for and your timeframe. Appointments are 30 minutes to one hour in length. The topic of your appointment may include a resume or cover letter review or a mock interview.

You can a variety of programs to start creating your resume, such as Microsoft Word, Google Docs and Canva! You can then can schedule an appointment with a career advisor through Handshake to receive feedback and recommendations in order to make your resume more effective.

A resume is a professional document that highlights your skills, experience, volunteer work, and other categories. A CV is a similar document that is longer in length, as it is more detailed and usually geared toward academia.

In the Career Services Center, cover letter samples are available. Just like a resume, you can start a draft and then make an appointment through Handshake with our staff to refine it. You can also view our cover letter writing tips here.

We recommend preparing a cover letter and resume as soon as possible. It is always good to have one even before you’re applying to jobs. We do recommend customizing your resume and cover letter for each job. Attend a Resume or Cover Letter workshop for information on how to customize your documents.

Companies are looking for professional and academic references. Some good places to start are former supervisors, coaches, professors, and youth group leaders. Stop by the Career Services Center for a sample reference page.

*Pro tip: references should not be included on a resume. The reference page is a separate document that is formatted the same as your resume and cover letter. 

We recommend making an appointment with us through Handshake to do a mock interview! This will give you an opportunity to practice questions and receive feedback on your responses. Mock interviews help ease your nerves before your interview. You can find more information about our mock interviews here.

“Colorado Mesa University (CMU)” on the first reference is appropriate if you are going to reference it again. The future references can be entered as “CMU.” If you are only using CMU’s name once, use “Colorado Mesa University.”

Use the Handshake App on MAVzone to set up your job-seeker profile. Then filter for on-campus jobs. You can also call different departments and find out if there are any job openings. Additionally, Sodexo.com has several job opportunities. For more information please visit the Student Employment Page.

Go to Handshake and pick a filter, such as on-campus jobs, full-time jobs, or part-time jobs.

Check out our Upcoming Events for employers on campus, job fairs, workshops and Etiquette Dinner dates. Information about upcoming events can also be found via our Facebook and Instagram pages, at @cmesaucareerservices.

To register for a workshop please go to Handshake Events page and find the event you wish to register for, click on it and then click register.

 

 If you need help exploring a major, go to https://www.coloradomesa.edu/career/explore/major.html and https://www.coloradomesa.edu/iris/academics-advising/explore-major.html.

To declare a major, contact the administrative assistant of the academic department you are interested in.

If you need more guidance, make an appointment with Career Services by calling 970.248.1404 or by signing up through Handshake.

This will depend on your major. For career exploration, visit our "What To Do With a Major" page and/or make an appointment with Career Services via Handshake to discuss your options. You also can meet with your academic advisor for help with career direction.

There are several resources to find the perfect internship, including CMU staff/faculty internship contacts and our student internship page, which includes how to find an internship and how to recieve academic credit. Additional resources that may be helpful include Handshake, where many employers, both local and far post their internships, job search tips, and career/research strategies.

If you are nearing graduation, you will want to gain leads on employers and start writing your cover letter and resume as soon as possible. We recommend sending out resumes/cover letters about four months prior to graduation.

Each major/minor and concentration(s) have differences; however, beginning with your advisor and other professors you’ve had is a great start. If you need to develop a strategic job searching plan, make an appointment with Career Services by calling 970.248.1404.