Timelines for Your Student

We are your son or daughter’s one-stop resource for career services on campus. Whether they are selecting a major, looking for an internship or pursuing that first professional position, the CPPC is their number one resource. The CPPC will help your student get started on the path to reaching his or her goals.

Freshman Year

Most students need some time to make the adjustment from high school to college.  Because first semester grades will affect overall GPA and the ability to meet requirements set by potential employers, students should take the first semester on campus to focus on your academics and campus life.  However, students should register on connectSC to get familiar with the CPPC website and services.  We encourage students to come to the CPPC during the second semester for a quick orientation about what we do and how we can help you.

Goals for the spring of the first year:

  1. Students should be with the Career Planning & Placement Center through connectSC at http://careers.usc.edu.
  2. Develop a first draft of a resume and see a career advisor for feedback.
  3. Attend Internship Week and Careers@4 panels.

Sophomore Year

During the sophomore year, students should explore their interests and test their perceptions of career fields. This is the year students typically declare a major and they should feel comfortable with that choice and the foundation it will provide for their first job. Your son or daughter has probably mastered the skill of research while completing class projects and will be able to use these research skills to manage “project me.”

Goals for the second year:

  1. Visit the Internship Programs office (STU B1).
  2. Make sure they are registered on connectSC.
  3. Research and apply for internships or career-related part time jobs.
  4. Register for a course to receive academic internship credit, if the internship is unpaid.
  5. Join a professional association as a student member to learn more about options.

Junior Year

During this year, your son or daughter will be exploring options for life after college. There are many decisions, some more difficult than others, that need to be made at this stage. Is graduate or professional school in the future or will it be full-time employment? Many students struggle with finding “what they really want to do.” The CPPC is able to facilitate discussion of their options to help students with the decision-making process.  

Goals for the third year:

  1. Attend career fairs – find out more about companies and who is hiring.
  2. Complete the OCR (On-Campus Recruiting) contract to be eligible to apply and interview for full-time summer internships through connectSC.
  3. Apply for an internship.
  4. Develop a list of possible full-time employers.
  5. Identify USC alumni through the Trojan Network to serve as advisors to the job search and perform informational interviews.
  6. If graduate school is on the agenda, research schools, fellowships and admissions requirements.

Senior Year

Now the questions are coming fast and furious for your student. “What are you going to do after graduation?” “Do you have a job yet?” “Have you been accepted to medical school?” Your son or daughter may be very perplexed at this point in time. Perhaps his or her friends will return from the summer with full-time job offers from an internship and he or she may begin to feel that they are out of the loop and falling behind. However, each career field has its own hiring cycle. For example, Finance, Investment Banks and Accounting do the majority of their full-time hiring in the fall.   

Goals for the fourth year:

  1. Meet with a career advisor early to focus their search.
  2. Complete OCR Contract to be eligible to apply and interview for full-time employment though connectSC.
  3. Research employers and keep up by reading trade publications. (Don’t forget web sites!)
  4. Finalize resume and review it with a career advisor and USC alumni in the career field of their choice.
  5. Schedule a mock interview.
  6. Stay healthy and focus on completing your degree requirements.

Your student’s ability to utilize the CPPC as an undergraduate doesn’t end at graduation; it stays with them as they begin their new journey as USC alumni. The staff at the CPPC is readily available to help your son or daughter discover their career options both now and in the future.