Information & Services
"College 2 Career" - Designing Your Plan
The Career Development Center will lead the effort to create a College 2 Career culture at ODU - where students are holistically supported to explore their passions, discover their purpose, and start to design their life plan.
About Us
Vision
Ohio Dominican University’s Career Development Center strives to create and deliver impactful programs and services that encourage students and alumni to proactively engage in their unique career journey, seeing career development as an integral part of their holistic college education.
Purpose
To achieve this vision, our purpose in the Career Development Center is to support and equip students and alumni from all walks of life to explore career and academic options and to identify career goals, empowering them to take hold of, develop and shape their personal and professional journey while also providing them with applicable and beneficial skills, resources and opportunities in pursuit of those goals.
Values
- Diversity & Inclusivity: The CDC celebrates the diverse nature of the ODU community and strives to create an inviting, welcoming and inclusive environment for ODU students and alumni.
- Uniqueness & Authenticity: The CDC recognizes and values that each student and alum is different in their makeup and in their personal and academic journeys, and we encourage students to be authentic to themselves and CDC staff to be authentic and honest with the students and alumni with whom we work.
- Participation & Engagement: The CDC encourages each student to be more than just a participant in their career development process, but to be the impetus for change, taking ownership and leadership of the process.
- Community & Collaboration: The CDC values the ODU community, as well as the professional community and industries with which we work, and we strive to work together with students, faculty, staff, community partners and employers to strengthen the value and impact of our services, offerings and advice.
- Growth & Learning: The CDC values a love of learning, encouraging not only students but CDC staff as well to adopt a curious and contemplative spirit, promoting an environment in which successes are celebrated and mistakes, obstacles and setbacks are not feared but viewed as stepping stones toward growth.
- Practical Experience: The CDC believes that the experiences, skills and connections students gain through internships, cooperative education, research opportunities and other practical experiences are invaluable. By combining real-world experience with classroom study, education becomes more relevant and engaging, and students are better able to make informed career decisions and are better prepared for the job market.
You can schedule an appointment with a member of the Career Development team through Handshake.
- If you're not already logged in, you will be prompted to login to Handshake.
No-Show Policy for Career Advising Appointments & Programming
We understand that unexpected academic obligations, work commitments, and illnesses
can affect your schedule. However, please inform the Career Development Center of
any change as early as possible, as there is a high demand for appointments. Your
cancellation will allow us to offer your time slot to another student. Be sure to
check your schedule carefully in order to avoid multiple appointment cancellations.
Read Full No-Show & Cancellation Policy
Download our Career Development Center flyer for more information!
Download PDF
What is Career Readiness?
Career readiness is a foundation from which to demonstrate requisite core competencies that broadly prepare the college educated for success in the workplace and lifelong career management.
Career & Self Development
Proactively develop oneself and one’s career through continual personal and professional
learning, awareness of one’s strengths and weaknesses, navigation of career opportunities,
and networking to build relationships within and without one’s organization.
Communication
Clearly and effectively exchange information, ideas, facts, and perspectives with
persons inside and outside of an organization.
Critical Thinking
Identify and respond to needs based upon an understanding of situational context and
logical analysis of relevant information.
Equity & Inclusion
Demonstrate the awareness, attitude, knowledge, and skills required to equitably engage
and include people from different local and global cultures. Engage in anti-racist
practices that actively challenge the systems, structures, and policies of racism.
Leadership
Recognize and capitalize on personal and team strengths to achieve organizational
goals.
Professionalism
Knowing work environments differ greatly, understand and demonstrate effective work
habits, and act in the interest of the larger community and workplace.
Teamwork
Build and maintain collaborative relationships to work effectively toward common goals,
while appreciating diverse viewpoints and shared responsibilities.
Technology
Understand and leverage technologies ethically to enhance efficiencies, complete tasks,
and accomplish goals.
Featured Events & Programs
Each Fall the Career Development Center hosts a week-long series of programs and workshops leading up to and surrounding the Collegiate Career Fair so students are more prepared for the fair and for identifying and obtaining job, internship and other career opportunities. These programs include, among other things, career panels, special resume critique sessions, career fair prep and interviewing workshops.
Each Fall dozens of employers and recruiters come on campus for this event to meet and interact with students across many academic programs and majors. Students are given the opportunity to explore career opportunities, to meet prospective employers and graduate school programs and to practice professional behavior. The Collegiate Career Fair is a great venue for productive interactions between students and recruiters, and is often the first step leading to a formal interview.
Every Fall Education Majors participate in a speed dating style event to network with 10+ area school districts. Principals and HR representatives share information about district hiring policies, resume and application tips, interviewing strategies, and help students learn more about the district culture and student population.
For more than three decades Ohio Dominican University has helped our Education majors get a foot in the door with local school districts during our spring Education Interview Day. During this event Education majors can conduct a screening interview with multiple school districts and many quickly move on to the on-site interview phase.
At Ohio Dominican University we know that our student athletes are busy and often struggle to participate in career and professional development programs. The Career Development Center partners with the Student Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC) to bring employers and alums on campus for a mini career fair, panel discussion and networking night.
The Career Development Center strives to integrate intentional career conversations into the curriculum. Partnering with Division and Department Chairs, as well as faculty, we facilitate workshops designed to support freshmen through seniors with information tailored to their year in school and major. We also facilitate customized workshops for Athletics and other student organizations.
Many employers and organizations in the Central Ohio region want to #hireodu. Typically dozens of employers are on campus through the year staffing information tables outside the Career Development in Erskine Hall or in the Griffin Student Center from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. recruiting students for part-time, full-time, seasonal and internship positions.
ODU has strong reputation in the Central Ohio region for producing “Career Ready” graduates. Employers are encouraged to facilitate on campus interviews to connect with our talented motivated students during the fall and spring semester.
The best place to reach our students is in the classroom – helping students connect what they are learning in the classroom with current employer, organization and industry best practices. The best people to communicate this message are the employers themselves – especially ODU alumni! We welcome many employers and alumni on campus to facilitate classroom information sessions and workshops. These sessions give students a better opportunity to learn about current employment and industry trends, understand how what they are learning in the classroom is put into practice, plus learn about #adulting and making a successful college 2 career transition.