Purpose
The Career Center exists to empower career choice and action.
Values
We invest in relationships. Recognizing that we cannot do it alone, we collaborate with a genuine desire and willingness to connect and pursue partnerships to widen our reach and enhance our impact. We keep an open mind, listen to each other, facilitate connections, and seek mutual benefit.
We embrace knowledge and expertise. We learn from the past, seek insight from each other, and actively engage in inquiry to motivate and shape the future. We leverage expertise, data, resources, and stories to guide our decision making. Career and student development theories are strong foundations for our practice, and we engage in continuous learning.
We are purposefully creative. We embrace innovation and foster a sense of curiosity to be exceptional and relevant to the ever-changing landscape and student experience. Our creativity is powerful when it is connected to our purpose and informed by all of our experiences.
We believe leadership is an action. We are all leaders. The unique perspective and contribution of each individual is essential. We invest in the success of others and the team through open communication, building trust, and mutual respect. We advocate for career services and influence the field on campus and beyond.
Mission
We coach and support Illinois students, while connecting them to opportunities, as they make career decisions and learn lifelong career management skills. We serve as leaders of the University of Illinois career services community. We intentionally pursue leadership opportunities that move our work and the field forward.
Success Pillars
We are successful when we:
- Keep students at the center of our work
- Do the routine extraordinarily well
- Provide relevant services and resources that are grounded in career and student development theory and informed by data
- Build and support our team while leveraging each person’s diverse talents, skills, and perspectives.
Who We Serve
Those eligible for The Career Center's services are:
- Students enrolled in residential degree programs and alumni from those programs for one year following graduation.
- Alumni who are more than one year from graduation are eligible for one thirty-minute career coaching session, on-site use of the Career Resource Center, and access to Handshake.
- Alumni interested in health professions are eligible for pre-health advising at any time.
- Students enrolled in online degree programs are ineligible for The Career Center services.
- Students who attended, but did not receive a degree, are ineligible for The Career Center services.
Partnership with Career Services Offices
The Career Center serves all students. In addition career services staff in many colleges and departments serve students enrolled in their programs and majors. This network of Career Services offices actively collaborates to provide the best possible services to all University of Illinois students.