Families - FAQ

• What services does the Career Center provide?
• How can I as a family member assist my student with his/her career choices and concerns?
• When can my student begin to use the Career Center?
• Does my student’s ability to access the Career Center end when he or she graduates?
• How would a personality or career test benefit my son or daughter?
• What are the best fields or careers for my student to get into?
• What is an internship?
• What types of internship opportunities are there for my student?
• Why does my student need to register for class credit for his/her internship?
• What companies recruit at USC?
• How can I assist USC students with their careers?

What services does the Career Center provide?

The Career Center offers guidance on all aspects of career planning and job searching. We provide individual advisement through scheduled appointments and “walk-ins” (where students can come without an appointment to get quick questions asked and answered).

We administer a database of employment opportunities ranging from internships to full-time post graduate positions and assist students in preparation for their job search through assistance with resumes, cover letters and interviewing strategies.

We manage a network of alumni who are available to talk with undergraduate students and other alumni regarding their career fields and industries. Additionally, we maintain an exceptional Career Library with over 100 books, magazines and newspapers providing up-to-date resources on career fields as well as an online Career Access Resource Library with thousands of websites organized by career field.

We direct an incredibly active On-Campus Recruiting program through which employers come to USC to present their organizations to our students as well as perform first round interviews with students for internships and permanent full-time positions.

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How can I as a family member assist my student with his/her career choices and concerns?

Families can play an important role in supporting their student with their career issues in the following ways:

• Encourage and support your student as he/she explores different career options through research at the Career Center, internships, part-time jobs, extracurricular and volunteer activities and informational interviews
• Suggest he/she use the resources available at USC, especially the Career Center
• Serve as a source of career and job information
• Ask questions about their career interests and job search activities and show interest in their ideas and strategies
• Encourage your student to meet with people in fields that interest them (the Trojan Network)
• Be open-minded rather than telling your student what major, career field or job he/she ought to pursue
• Provide positive feedback when asked your opinion about career ideas, interests and strategies

When can my student begin to use the Career Center?

He/She can access the website at any time at http://careers.usc.edu to get familiar with what is contained throughout the site. Newly enrolled freshmen and graduate students can access connectSC online job listings as soon as they get their USC e-mail account.

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Does my student’s ability to access the Career Center end when he or she graduates?

No. Once a student has become part of the Trojan Family, their ability to access the Career Center website and use its services continues for life. Recent graduates are eligible to use the Career Center services for free for a year after they graduate and receive one complimentary appointment after that year is over. The Career Center does offer three discounted career packages for alumni tailored to suit their specific career needs. For more information on these packages, please see the Career Center website at http://careers.usc.edu/alumni/.

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How would a personality or career assessment benefit my student?

The Career Center doesn’t administer “tests”, but it does offer assessments for students to open up new ideas for consideration including the Strong Interest Inventory (SII) which measures general interests, as well as the activities and work that matches those interests and lastly, the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) which is a widely used personality assessment used to help students understand individual differences and uncover new ways to work and interact with others as well as helping to assess possible career fields as they relate to the student’s MBTI type.

No career assessment is sophisticated enough to define the “perfect or ideal” job for a student or tell them what careers they should pursue. Typically the assessments describe patterns of personality preference and interests that correspond to those patterns commonly found among people who are satisfied in various occupations to help in the exploration of the world of work.

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What are the best fields or careers for my student to get into?

The best fields/careers are those that afford graduates the opportunity to use their skills, knowledge and experiences to achieve their personal and professional goals. One student may be excited to begin working in the government sector that may lead to positions in national or international policy while another student may have a dream job of working for the National Football League in a sports management position. What the Career Center offers are the resources for students to pursue a wide array of career opportunities. What would be the best job? It definitely depends on the student.

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What is an internship?

An internship is an on-site pre-professional experience that provides students with the opportunity to gain practical work experience and exposure in actual career fields. Interns typically work with designated managers and are provided with feedback as to their projects and activities.

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What types of internship opportunities are there for my student?

Internship opportunities, both paid and non-paid, in a variety of industries can be found through the Career Center website on connectSC.

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Why does my student need to register for class credit for his/her internship?

Federal labor law requires that students participating in an internship must either A) be paid by the employer or, B) be enrolled in an internship for-credit course (see our Courses for Internships handout). For more information about the law, click here. For other questions, consult the Internship FAQ.

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What companies recruit at USC?

See a list of companies who participated in On-Campus Recruiting (OCR) during the 2010-2011 academic year.

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How can I assist USC students with their careers?

We would be delighted if you or your organization posted job and internship opportunities for USC students and alumni. To post a position, click on the “Employers” tab on the main page where you will be instructed to register on connectSC and post your job. There is no charge to post a job on connectSC which is accessible only by USC undergraduate and graduate students as well as alumni.

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