Career Timeline
The Russell G. Weigand Center for Professional Excellence (WCPE) will guide and support you through your time at Elmhurst as you explore career possibilities and launch internship and job searches.
Take advantage of our career education programs as early as your first year on campus. Here’s a year-by-year overview of the process.
- Develop an academic plan with guidance from a faculty advisor. Schedule an appointment with a career coach who can help you explore careers and identify your skills and strengths.
- Register and create a profile on PathwayU to discover how your personality, values, interests, and workplace preferences guide you to potential careers. This also connects to our own Handshake platform as well as Indeed for when you are ready to apply to internships and jobs.
- Register for CPP 299 Professional Foundations of Career Development.
- Attend a Career Fair to network and gain insights into careers of interest.
- Participate in the First Leap program.
- Create a LinkedIn profile.
- Spend a day on the job with a professional. Sign up for our mentoring program. Sign up for informational interviews and/or job shadowing. Forms can be found on our Mentoring page. Speak with family, friends and professionals about their careers.
- Attend WCPE events on topics including career exploration, résumé writing, cover letters and interviewing strategies. Meet with a staff member to create a résumé.
- Update your online profile on Handshake.
- Attend College Career Consortium of Illinois CareerFest and Elmhurst University Career Fair.
- Participate in the Sophomore Success Workshop.
- Seek an internship that gives you professional work experience, contacts and potential for future employment.
- Attend campus-sponsored networking events to meet professionals and attend professional development workshops.
- Participate in the mock interviewing event to develop essential interviewing skills.
- Begin gathering information on undergraduate and postgraduate scholarships.
- Create/update your LinkedIn profile.
- Update your résumé.
- Sign up for the Mentoring Program if you haven’t already.
- Apply for the College Career Consortium of Illinois Fall Interview Day for internships and full-time employment.
- Attend the College Career Consortium of Illinois CareerFest and Elmhurst University Career Fair, and check out other job fairs for internship and full-time job opportunities.
- Enroll in CPP 399 Professional Career Preparation to earn academic credit and learn valuable career skills.
- Pursue internship opportunities by meeting with CPE professionals or meeting with faculty, family, friends and associates. Arrange informational interviews to learn more about career fields. We can assist you in locating professionals working fields that interest you.
- Update your online profile and search for internships at Handshake.
- Explore graduate or professional school by attending seminars. Begin prep work for graduate school exams.
- Participate in a mock interviewing event or one-on-one with a career coach, to develop essential interviewing skills.
- Attend WCPE programs on professional development.
- Create/update your LinkedIn profile.
- Begin a targeted job search campaign and keep a log of job search activity. If you haven’t done so, meet with a staff member to develop an employment search strategy.
- Attend on-campus information sessions and interview opportunities at Elmhurst and nearby colleges.
- Update your résumé and online profile at Handshake.
- If you haven’t yet had an internship, check one out. If you have, consider a second internship.
- Enroll in CPP 399 Professional Career Preparation (if you haven’t already) to earn academic credit and learn valuable career skills.
- If you haven’t signed up for the Mentoring Program, it’s not too late.
- Attend WCPE programs on professional development.
- Apply for the College Career Consortium of Illinois Fall Interview Day for internships and full-time employment.
- Attend the College Career Consortium of Illinois CareerFest and Elmhurst University Career Fair, and check out other job fairs for internship and full-time job opportunities.
- Take any necessary graduate school admission tests you haven’t already taken such as the GRE, LSAT or GMAT. Apply to graduate programs.
- Participate in a mock interviewing event or one-on-one with a career coach, to develop interviewing skills.
- Create/update your LinkedIn profile.
Questions? Contact the WCPE. We look forward to helping you reach your goals.