Courtesy of Vanderbilt University Career Center

By Ron Ye

Every year, college students are in a scramble to find an internship, job, or any semblance of direction in life. As a current junior, I experienced this desperation when trying to find my own internship. One of the resources that helped me a lot?

The Vanderbilt Career Center.

The details of my resume, the cover letter for the internship I got accepted to, and helping me  get my bearings in the job market were all thanks to them. So – how exactly does the Career Center help, what resources does it offer, and how can you utilize it? For this, I interviewed Alayna Hayes, Ed.D., the Career Center’s Senior Director and Assistant Provost, to uncover how the Career Center serves as a pivotal resource for students navigating their career paths. 

What does the Vanderbilt Career Center offer?

For freshmen and others who may still be exploring Vanderbilt student resources on campus: the Career Center focuses on both careers and post-undergraduate education for undergraduate students, graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and alumni up to two years post-graduation. According to their website, the Career Center offers a comprehensive array of services. These include assistance with networking, exploring careers and majors, advising on graduate and professional school applications, interview preparation, and aiding in the search for jobs and internships. They also offer support in crafting resumes and cover letters, developing online portfolios, navigating job offer negotiations, and identifying scholarship opportunities.

“[The Career Center can be] just that space to help students to pause … [and] gain a little bit of perspective.”

Alayna Hayes, Vanderbilt University Career Center Senior Director and Assistant Provost

However, Hayes emphasized that the Career Center goes beyond just these resources and does “even more than I think students recognize.” She elaborated on how the Career Center can play a vital part in a student’s journey and that the Career Center can help with “gaining clarity around what they want to do, where they want to go, [and] how to get there.” The Career Center can be “just that space to help students to pause … [and] gain a little bit of perspective.” The Career Center offers more than just a means to search for a career, as it can be a guide to students and alumni in forging a fulfilling future that aligns with their personal and professional aspirations. 

What do Vanderbilt students think of the Career Center?

“[I] had an online appointment with the Career Center about law school stuff. The guy talking with me was very knowledgeable.”

Arthur Hahn, Vanderbilt University Class of 2024

On their website’s “About Us” page, the Career Center boasts that it has a 99% satisfaction rate based on the Coaching Satisfaction Survey that is sent to all students who visit the Career Center for 1-on-1 coaching and advising appointments, as well as drop-in sessions. Comments from Vanderbilt students on campus reflect this sentiment.

Senior Arthur Hahn praised the Career Center by saying that he “had an online appointment with the Career Center about law school stuff. The guy talking with me was very knowledgeable.” 

However, there were also criticisms that the Career Center is unable to fully tailor advice to students. Junior Harrison Zhang said that the Career Center “is useless, all the advice offered is generic and likely worse than what you can find online.”

Some students believe that the Career Center may be ill-equipped to support students pursuing less-standardized career paths. Sophomore Noah Jenkins said that “since I’m going into politics, the Career Center won’t be able to help me.” 

When asked about such criticisms, Hayes said she believes that some of these criticisms may be based on assumptions and hearsay. She challenged these critiques by suggesting that students should “really look to disprove [their] assumptions … and come see [and] check out what we have to offer.”

Are Vanderbilt students utilizing the Career Center?

When asked about the limitations of what the Career Center can offer, Hayes emphasized the fact that utilization starts with students, saying that “we can’t force anyone to come here.”

According to Hayes, 49% of Vanderbilt students have engaged with the Career Center either through appointments, event attendance, or drop-ins since July 1, 2023, the start of the 2024 fiscal year. 25% have engaged with the Career Center 2 — 5 times so far this fiscal year and 8% have engaged with the Career Center more than five times.

Although 49% is an improvement compared to the same time period during the last fiscal year, in which under 40% of Vanderbilt students engaged with the Career Center, Hayes felt that engagement could definitely be higher. The Career Center is currently aiming to increase engagement by “doing things that are more scalable and allow more students to come.” Such efforts may include partnering with other on-campus organizations and making drop-ins more available. 

New Initiatives of the Career Center

As upperclassmen will attest, there have been many recent changes and initiatives that the Career Center has introduced in the past few years.

Two years ago, a self-service, professional photo booth was installed on the first floor of the Student Life Center since students needed headshots for Linkedin and Zoom profiles. There was also a transition from Doreways to Handshake due to the fact that Handshake is able to capture more data on student engagement and is a platform that most employers are active on. Another recent Career Center-led initiative is called “Treks,” in which students are taken on trips and tours to the offices of employers around the country. In fact, Hayes referred to an upcoming Trek to Houston with a focus on the energy and technologies sectors as an example of accessible career enrichment experiences for students.. The Career Center is also building out additional Trek experiences to more places. 

One of the new initiatives introduced this year is “VandyPASS,” which is a digital badging and skills platform. Hayes explains that Vandy Pass “allows students to pull all [their] experiences together, earn points for them, and then have a digital badge” for online platforms like Linkedin. 

How do I utilize the Career Center more effectively?

“[Setting up your Handshake profile] allows us to be able to share with you directly things that align to your interests.”

Alayna Hayes, Vanderbilt University Career Center Senior Director and Assistant Provost

Hayes recommends that students begin by completing their Handshake profile, as Handshake is a crucial tool. She said that students should take the following steps in order to do so. 

• Click on the upper right-hand corner to get to your own profile
• Answer questions about the industries that you’re interested in
• Answer questions about any opportunities that you might be looking for
• Answer questions about locations you want to go to
• Make sure your resume is uploaded

Hayes explained that setting up a Handshake profile “allows us to be able to share with you directly things that align to your interests.” Hayes provided an example of a student interested in accounting. If said student adds that interest into their profile, the Career Center can update them via direct email on available opportunities. Hayes compared Handshake with Spotify. By completing your Handshake profile, “what pops up in your feed are things that are relative to your interests.” This allows you to personalize Handshake so that it matches your unique aspirations. 

In addition, Hayes explained that the Career Center “[has] programming regularly, every day, all the time, about different topics, different things.” There are 30 minute workshops every day on different topics or opportunities. Moreover, beyond the career fair, “employers are actually coming and hosting things on smaller scales on a regular basis throughout the year.” Hayes advised students to keep an eye on programming that may interest them, explore new areas, and go meet employers that interest them. 

Your path with the Career Center 

The Career Center is equipped to tailor its resources to the individual needs of each student, whether it’s through refining a resume, preparing for interviews, or connecting with potential employers via Handshake.

The Vanderbilt Career Center is more than just a place that offers students resources. It is a guide for students and alumni navigating the tumultuous waters of career planning and job searching. As Hayes explained, the Career Center is equipped to tailor its resources to the individual needs of each student, whether it’s through refining a resume, preparing for interviews, or connecting with potential employers via Handshake. 

The Career Center is committed to adapt and evolve in order to seek ways to better serve the Vanderbilt community. Take the initiative to explore what the Career Center has to offer. It might just be the beacon of clarity and opportunity you’ve been searching for in the vast sea of career possibilities. Forging a path to your future can be nerve-racking, confusing, and hard. But Vanderbilt offers resources like the Career Center that are ready to guide you every step of the way.

So, why not dive in?