So you’ve heard of the Career Development Center (CDC) on campus, but how much do you actually know about them? OCA sat down with the Assistant Director of the CDC, Jane Hsu Southwick, to learn what the CDC actually does and what resources they offer students:OCA: What are the most valuable resources the CDC has to offer? Jane Southwick(JS):

Career Counseling - Our primary service is offering individual counseling appointments to all students, all classes, all majors, and at all levels of career progress. Do not feel like you need to have a plan or goal to schedule an appointment. We are ready to support you at any stage freshmen to senior year.

On Campus Recruitment (OCR) - Every week, employers are taking time out of their busy day to visit NYU Shanghai in order to share industry insight and potentially recruit our students for full-time positions.

CDC Student Portal - CDC launched a brand new website this fall where you can get career tips at any time (Summer Experience Map, Skill Guides, Industry Guides, Job Search Tools, Grad School Guides, and more!)

CDC Events and Workshops - Career Boot Camp and Grad School Blast are just two examples of how CDC brings in speakers/panelists/resources to support students in job search and grad school applications.

OCA: What resources are the most used and what resources are not used enough? JS: Career counseling is very popular, but we’d love to see an increase in use by students. We provide a safe space for students to bring their questions and concerns. Some students have no clue where to start, so we work together over a series of appointments how to create a career action plan with realistic steps to achieve their goals. Some have very specific and urgent needs, so we prepare them for interviews, grad school applications, employer conflicts, tough decision-making...whatever the problem may be, we want to support our students.The new CDC student portal is perhaps not as well known since it’s new. Instead of OrgSync folders, we have organized all our digital resources for you!OCA: How many students regularly participate in CDC activities? Do they get more benefits from the CDC for active participation? JS: We do find that students who are more proactive in attending events starting from freshmen year and take the initiative to attend repeat counseling appointments show more confidence and direction in their career development. Their participation and feedback is also valuable for CDC so we can better improve our programs to fit student needs.OCA: What do students generally use CareerNet for? JS: Most students sign up for CareerNet so they can schedule counseling appointments or apply for internships/jobs. Even if they are not ready to apply, students can learn a lot just by reading job descriptions to get an idea of industry qualifications.Another free resource students don’t use enough is the VAULT Website. Register with your nyu email and create a password and then you can read career guides, employer profiles and rankings, discussion boards, industry blogs and news. Students don’t realize that a KEY STEP to career success is gaining a basic understanding of an industry before applying for jobs, writing your cover letter, having a successful interview or networking at a recruitment event. Reading the VAULT and following the news can provide this insight.OCA: Are there any resources by CDC you really would like to highlight? JS:GoinGlobal provides access to the leading provider of location-specific employment and career information for the US and abroad. Use the country guides to find country-specific information about industry and employment trends, cultural advice, visa information. Graduate School Guides are individual guides for grad school, law school, business school and medical school. OCA: If you had to give students some advice on how to better make use of CDC, what would you say? JS: We cannot say this enough - make the most of counselling appointments and don’t want till the last minute! This article was written by Editorial Staff. Please send an email to [email protected] to get in touch. Photo Credit: NYU Shanghai