Career Coaching

Career coaching is free for current undergraduate students, graduate students, and alumni of the University of Cincinnati.

Career coaching is available in two formats: walk-in hours with a peer career coach, or an in-depth, scheduled appointment with a professional career coach.

Career coaching is:

• Focused on you. We’re here for you and what’s important to you. We can help you with a wide range of things from career exploration to planning for your job search.
• Participatory. We need you to be an active participant. We can advise you on action steps, but you must do the work.
• A source of resources, tactics and strategies.

Career coaching is not:

• A quick solution to your problems. We cannot provide you with a list of employers, graduate school programs or jobs that will fit you, but we can point you to resources so you can develop your own unique list.
• Academic advising. Your department or college advisor is the person to advise you about courses or completing your degree.
• A job placement service. Instead, we will encourage you to look for jobs through the Handshake job board, career fairs, employer information sessions and on-campus interviews.
• A resume writing service. Instead, we teach you how to write and revise your own resume and cover letters.

Career coaches are not academic advisors and so cannot provide insight on course requirements, class schedules or departmental procedures.

Career coaches do not place students in jobs.

A career coach is a coach: He or she will teach you strategies and point you to resources so you can make informed decisions and take actions for yourself.

Consider your goals for the coaching session. Many people have several concerns and hope they will all be resolved in one appointment, but career coaching is a process that takes time and requires patience. Select the appointment type that best reflects what you need most at this time. You can always schedule another appointment later as your needs change.

If you are more than ten minutes late, the coach will not be able to meet with you, and you will need to reschedule your appointment. Find out where the appointment will take place, and even visit the location beforehand so you know where you are going and how to get there.

The first appointment is just the beginning. Career coaches can offer relevant support for every phase of your professional life in college and beyond. Your goals, interests and needs are likely to evolve over time, raising new questions and concerns. A return visit with your coach can help you accomplish your goals and keep moving toward a satisfying career.