Job Search | Career Center

Welcome

The Career Center has important tools that you can utilize to get started on a job search that is geared towards your values, goals, and education. What do you see yourself doing? How much do you know about yourself? Beginning to explore who you are, can be the first step in finding the job you want.

Job Search: A Comprehensive Guide

The CSUSB Career Center offers a robust framework to guide students through a successful job search, emphasizing self-discovery, thorough research, and strategic application.

● Phase 1: Self-Identification and Exploration

○ Understanding Your Core: The initial and crucial step involves deep self-reflection. Students are encouraged to identify their unique skills, core values, and genuine interests. This foundational understanding is vital for aligning personal attributes with suitable career paths and job opportunities.

○ Leveraging Past Experiences: Reflect on previous work, internship, or volunteer experiences. Analyze what aspects stood out, what skills were utilized, and what environments were most engaging. This helps in pinpointing preferences and strengths.

● Phase 2: Targeted Research and Industry Insight

○ Diverse Research Methods: Explore a variety of online and in-person avenues to gather comprehensive information about potential jobs, industries, and specific companies.

○ Company Websites: Directly visit company career pages for detailed job descriptions, company culture insights, and application portals.

○ Job Fairs and Events: Actively participate in career fairs, employer information sessions, and other networking events hosted by the university or external organizations. These events offer direct interaction with recruiters and industry professionals.

○ Informational Interviews: Conduct one-on-one conversations with professionals in desired fields. These interviews provide invaluable firsthand insights into daily responsibilities, industry trends, and career trajectories, helping students make informed decisions.

● Phase 3: Building Professional Connections

○ The Coyote Network: Utilize the university's dedicated alumni and student networking platform to connect with CSUSB graduates who can offer mentorship, advice, and potential leads.

○ LinkedIn: Leverage this professional social networking site to build an online professional presence, connect with industry leaders, join relevant groups, and discover job opportunities.

○ Student Mentoring Program: Participate in structured mentoring programs that pair students with experienced professionals, offering personalized guidance and support throughout their career development.

● Phase 4: Polished Application and Interview Preparation

○ Crafting a Powerful Introduction: Develop a concise, confident, and attention-grabbing introduction (often called an "elevator pitch") that includes your name, major, and a compelling statement about your career goals. Practice this for networking events and interviews.

○ Professional Headshots: Ensure you have a high-quality, professional headshot, which is often a requirement for online profiles (like LinkedIn) and some application materials. The Career Center may offer resources for this.

○ Effective Follow-Up: After career events or interviews, send personalized thank-you emails or handwritten notes within 24-48 hours. Briefly reiterate your interest in the position or organization and mention specific details discussed to show attentiveness and genuine interest.

Key Job Search Platforms & Resources

The Career Center actively promotes and provides access to numerous online platforms, including but not limited to:

○ USA Jobs: For federal government opportunities.

○ LinkedIn: For professional networking and job listings.

○ Indeed: A vast job search engine.

○ CalJOBS.cs.gov: California state opportunities available here

○ Company Websites: Reviewing career or employment opportunities on any company website you desire to apply to.

○ GoinGlobal: Helps new and experienced job seekers find opportunities both at home and abroad

○ Coyote Careers powered by Handshake: The primary platform for CSUSB students to find jobs, internships, and connect with employers specifically recruiting from the university.

Coyote Careers powered by Handshake

Coyote Careers powered by Handshake lets universities and employers connect with a single click, leading to more diverse, high-quality networking opportunities for students and employers.

Parker Dewey Micro-Internships

USA Jobs

USAJobs is the United States Government's website for listing civil service job opportunities with federal agencies.

LinkedIn is an American business and employment-oriented service that operates via websites and mobile apps. It is mainly used for professional networking, including employers posting jobs and job seekers posting their CVs.

Indeed

Indeed is an American worldwide employment-related search engine for job listings launched in November 2004.

GovernmentJobs.com

Create an account, upload your resume, and start applying for jobs. GovernmentJobs.com is the largest public sector job board in the country with thousands of open positions looking for qualified candidates like you.

HigherEdJobs

HigherEdJobs is the leading source for jobs and career information in academia. More colleges and universities trust HigherEdJobs to recruit faculty and administrators than any other source.

Simply Hired

Simply Hired is an employment website and mobile application and an online recruitment advertising network based in Sunnyvale, California. The company aggregates job listings from thousands of websites and job boards.

Chegg Internships

Find internships and employment opportunities in the largest internship marketplace. Search paid internships and part-time jobs to help start your career.

Idealist

Idealist is all about connecting idealists – people who want to do good – with opportunities for action and collaboration.

With more than 120,000 organizations and 1.4 million monthly visitors to our English, and Spanish (idealistas.org) sites, Idealist helps people move from intention to action all over the world.

ZipRecruiter

ZipRecruiter is an American employment marketplace for job seekers and employers.

Robert Half

Robert Half International, or commonly referred as, Robert Half, is a global human resource consulting firm based in Menlo Park, California founded in 1948. It is a member of the S&P 500, and is credited as being the world's first and largest accounting and finance staffing firm, with over 345 locations worldwide.

LinkUp

LinkUp is a job search engine that uses a unique method of uncovering jobs that are often hidden from other search engines. It may seem simplistic, but LinkUp accomplishes this by simply listing current job postings on company websites from around the country.

LinkUp.com is the fastest growing job search engine on the web today indexing jobs exclusively from company websites.

Handshake

Handshake is the exclusive CSUSB Career Services management tool, offering students and alumni access to jobs, internships, and employers. You can also connect with employers, alumni, and other students using this platform.

LinkedIn is the #1 online job search and networking platform. Connect with career professionals, employers, coworkers, classmates, CSUSB Alumni, and find job and internship opportunities.

Student Mentoring Program

First and second year students looking to connect with a peer mentor. Request one here.