Services

Services are offered free of charge to current students. A student can generally walk-in for an appointment with his/her career counselor, however it is suggested that you set up an appointment to ensure availability. You can do this by emailing your career counselor, stopping by Egan 123, or emailing cdc@merychurst.edu.

See below for a list of our services:

Graduate & Professional School Advising

Although many Mercyhurst University students actively seek full-time employment upon graduation, specific majors promote post-graduate education and students are being accepted into a variety of prestigious graduate, law, and medical schools. The CDC offers guidance to current students and alumni who wish to do post-graduate study and has graduate catalogs, graduate directories, grants and fellowships, and post-graduate degree financial aid information. In addition, students or alumni can meet with graduate/professional school representatives at an annual Graduate/Professional School Fair.

Internships

Students attending Mercyhurst University have the opportunity to participate in internship experiences. Internships are the combination of classroom and on-the-job work organized in an educationally sound manner and coordinated so that experiences in business, industry, government and various public agencies become an integral part of a student's college education. Students who participate in the internship program usually come away from their experience more professionally and personally developed. Depending on your major, you can earn up to twelve (12) credits with departmental permission. Current students should stop by the CDC or logon to our Portal page to learn about the internship process. 

Career Exploration

Career Services offers students many tools to help explore potential career options. Here are just a few:

Career Exploration
The Career Development Center has a career resources library which is continuously updated to provide the latest information on present and future career trends.

CareerConnect
CareerConnect is our job and internship database available to current students and ‘Hurst alumni. You can search for job/internship opportunities, create job search agents, upload documents, and apply directly to job postings. Jobs are posted by local and national employers.

What Can I Do With This Major/Degree?
A convenient mini-web site that helps students connect majors with careers. Students can browse potential majors to find an outline of common career areas, typical employers, and strategies designed to maximize career opportunities.

Interview Techniques
The Career Development staff meets with students and alumni to hone their interviewing skills. Staff members are trained to detect both positive and negative abilities and to discuss them confidentially with the prospective applicant. A student may schedule a mock interview to simulate the setting in a role-playing environment.

Job Search Strategies
Whether you are an alum, a graduating senior, or a current student looking for part-time work, the Career Development staff will help with your job search. Through one-on-one sessions with career counselors, students quickly map out strategies which help them make productive job-choice planning.

Workshops
The Career Development staff offers numerous career-related workshops throughout the academic year. Resume construction, cover-letter writing, job-search strategies and interviewing techniques are a few of the seminars conducted by the professional staff.

Career Resources
The Career Development Center has an extensive resource library which is constantly maintained and updated. One of our popular printed resources is Job Choices magazine, published by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE)

HELM

Experiential Learning is the process of making meaning from direct experience. Mercyhurst believes that student participation in experiential activities has a significant impact on their professional development and is consistent with the mission of the University. As a result, the HELM Program (High Impact Experiential Learning at Mercyhurst) was established to coordinate and offer students the opportunity to learn, serve, experience, and engage beyond the classroom.

The Career Development Center coordinates the HELM program. Experiential Learning has been identified as a high impact practice of successful colleges/universities and has always been highly valued at Mercyhurst. Just as a helm steers a ship, HELM has been designed to afford Mercyhurst students the opportunity to steer their education in a direction that ensures success beyond our front gates.

Activities that are included in HELM can occur in association with and outside of coursework and are divided into six categories: Work integrated learning (internships, student teaching, clinical work, practicums, field experience, etc.), Faculty directed research (such as a senior thesis), Service Learning (community service, service trips, etc.), Study Abroad, Recognized Student Clubs and Organizations (RSCO’s), and Leadership (LCP, leadership in an RSCO, Laker Leaders, etc.). Students who participate in at least four activities covering at least four of the six categories will be recognized each year by the University.

Students who want to participate in the program can contact us at cdc@mercyhurst.edu.