For Faculty

The CDC looks forward to working with you to address the career development needs of all Kutztown University students!

Your role as a faculty member is an important one.  Your support and encouragement will continue to be important as students commit to their chosen majors, explore career options through externships (job shadowing) and internships, make decisions about graduate/professional school and begin the job search process.

How You Can Help:

      • Emphasize the importance of career planning and development beginning in the first year.
      • Help students connect with the CDC through participation in scheduled events and classroom presentations.
      • Emphasize the importance of 1) good grades and 2) related experience (part-time job, volunteer work, job shadowing, research experience and internship) 3) taking advantage of CDC resources, services, and special events.  See Schedule of Events.
      • Refer students who express concerns about choice of major or career to the CDC for assistance.
      • Partner with the CDC when working with employers to provide students with access to available internship and job opportunities in accordance with The National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), Principles for Professional Practice. 
      • Incorporate one of the Career Readiness certificates into your course curriculum. Below is a video of how one KU professor uses our certificates.
5 Great Ways the KU Faculty and the Career Center can work together to help KU students with their career development: 1. Watch videos of professionals with Candid Career 2. Search for employers on Handshake 3. Learn to review applicants from the employer's POV in the Who would you hire exercise 4. Practice and get feedback on interview skills through Big Interview and Mock interview mania 5. Attend career workshops and make yourself stand out with the Career Certificate, employer panels and career fairs
  • Student Referrals to the CDC

    Individual Career Counseling/Coaching
    Individual career counseling/coaching is available to help students choose their major, complete career assessments, research career options and define a career path, begin a job search, target employers in a specific industry or pursue graduate education.  Students can schedule appointments through Handshake: www.kutztown.edu/handshake

    Resume Review Appointments
    Students can schedule an appointment M-F from 2-4pm for an in person resume review. Student schedule these through Handshake.

  • Workshops, Events & Presentations

    Each semester, the CDC offers more than 60 workshops and events on topics such as employer panels, job shadowing, interviewing, job search strategies, and graduate school preparation.  Click here for the Schedule of Events.

        • Certificate as a class assignment We offer two "class year appropriate" career certificates that can be incorporated into your class. Students complete career-related activities and attend workshops that work on their career development. Please contact us: careerhelp@kutztown.edu to talk about how this can work in your specific class.
        • Class/Extra Credit Assignments
          We encourage you to send your class(es) to scheduled workshops and events or to offer credit/extra credit for attendance. We are able to provide attendance verification to you. Please call the CDC in advance to make arrangements.
        • Classroom Presentations
          We welcome the opportunity to come into your classroom or have your class meet in the CDC to discuss topics relevant to the career development of students in your course.  Please contact the CDC at least 4 weeks in advance to schedule.  Priority for in-class presentations are given to homogenous groups such as freshmen learning communities, junior and senior seminars and other courses restricted to specific majors. Classroom presentations may be limited to one per semester/section. Topics include: Major & Career Choice, Internships, Job Search Strategies, Interviewing, Soft Skills and Graduate/Professional School
      • Other CDC Resources

        Review Service
        The CDC reviews more than 3,000 documents each year including resumes, cover letters and personal statements/application essays.  If your students create a resume and/or cover letter as part of your course requirements, you may work with us to submit these documents for review by the CDC staff.  Please call the CDC at 610-683-4067 to make arrangements.  Please keep in mind that the turnaround time for this service may take up to 14 days depending on current volume. 

        Interview Preparation
        Making a good first impression is essential for a strong and successful interview.  The CDC provides the opportunity for students to practice for job interviews via face-to-face and online means:

            • Face-to-Face Interview Practice
              Each semester the CDC sponsors Mock Interview Mania Week for juniors and seniors to practice interviewing face-to-face with an employer.  Students are interviewed for approximately 20 minutes and then spend another 10 minutes receiving tips and feedback for improvement.  If you are interested in having your class participate in Mock Interview Mania, you must inform the CDC prior to the semester. Students are required to sign-up for a Mock Interview through Handshake.  Space is limited and students must sign-up early. 
            • Online Interview Practice via Big Interview
              Students can practice interviewing online, record their practice interview and submit it to the Career Development Center for review and feedback.  Please keep in mind that the turnaround time for this service varies depending on current volume.

        Career Development Publications
        The Online Career Library has many helpful publications and resources including the Guidebook Series and Major Discovery Series.   Feel free to visit this page and copy these links to your D2L or syllabus.  

      • Employer Relations and Internship/Job Postings

        The Career Development Center has contact with many local and regional employers interested in not only recruiting KU students, but also providing opportunities that may enhance and enrich a student's college experience. The CDC can:

            • Share employer and alumni contacts specific to your department
            • Coordinate meetings between faculty members and employers interested in recruiting your department's students
            • Distribute internship listings specific to your department

        If you know of industry professionals interested in sponsoring an internship or posting a job opportunity for KU students and alumni, please refer them to the CDC.  The Career Development Center recognizes and adheres to The National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), Principles for Professional Practice.  These principles guide our practices for career planning and recruitment and include:

            • Maintaining an open and free selection of employment and experiential learning opportunities in an atmosphere conducive to objective thought, where job candidates can choose to optimize their talents and meet their personal objectives;
            • Maintaining a recruitment process that is fair and equitable;
            • Supporting informed and responsible decision-making by candidates.

        Internship and Job Postings
        Handshake is KU's job posting system.   Any positions received are posted on this site.

        Letters of Recommendation
        As a faculty member, you may be asked to provide letters of recommendation for students applying for internships, professional positions or graduate/professional school. The following tips from the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) may help you provide an effective and fair assessment for your students.

        Sample Reference Letter for Faculty

      If you're interested in Handshake and how students use it, please check out the below video from our Assistant Director, Chad Ganley, on Handshake.

      If you would then like to set up a test account to experience the value and help spread the word about Handshake to your students...

      1. Register a student account on https://kutztown.joinhandshake.com/register - Edit the name of the account so it is clear to employers this is a staff account (ex. "Albus (University Staff) Dumbledore")
      2. Complete your profile- Keep your representative student population in mind to see the most relevant postings. Handshake will start to recommend jobs and data for any student account based on their profile details (major, etc.)

      A team member from our office will then approve your registration request- from there you can then explore thousands of opportunities that are tailored to your students' interests!