Introduction

The Career Center exists to help your student navigate the sometimes murky and confusing waters of deciding on a major/career, seeking internships and employment, and applying to graduate school.  We hope the information below will help you partner with the Career Center in assisting your student.

We encourage you to spend time with your student discussing this information. 

Career Center Vision and Mission Statement

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Is there a value to a liberal arts degree, or does my student have to study something "practical?"

The advantages of a liberal arts degree are many.  A student pursuing a liberal arts major has chosen this major (hopefully) because he/she has fallen in love with the subject matter and wants to learn as much as possible about it.  As your student progresses through the courses, he/she is developing skills useful in the workplace, e.g. communication and analytical skills. The key to career success is your student's ability to articulate to an employer what his/her skills and interests are, as they relate to that particular employer.  We can assist your student in learning how to do this.

What role do parents play?
 

The most important thing you can do as a parent is to support your student's career exploration and career choices, and to encourage your student to take advantage of all Truman has to offer.  By encouraging, listening, and providing moral support, you can help your student to navigate the career development process, which can be stressful, time-consuming, and occasionally difficult.  Discussing career issues with your student and encouraging him/her to actively use the Career Center throughout the Truman experience increases the likelihood that your student will identify career options and gain valuable career-related experiences.  The result will be a smooth transition from Truman to graduate school or to the world of work.

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How can my student connect with alumni in a field he/she is considering? 

Truman's alumni mentoring program, BulldogNet, allows your student to connect with alumni in a wide variety of careers throughout the world.  A student wishing to access BulldogNet should contact the Career Center for a password to Experience, where BulldogNet is housed.

How does my student find out about the Career Center

Your student receives information about the Career Center through bulletin boards across campus, sidewalk sandwich boards, ads in the campus newspaper, class tours and presentations, referrals from faculty/staff/friends, and through the Career Center website.  In addition, the Career Center frequently goes on a Road Trips to various campus locations in an effort to increase awareness.

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What resources exist to help my student obtain an internship? 
 

We have an array of printed and on-line internship resources.  Our career library is stocked with several internship guides; on-line resources include ReferenceUSA, Internships.com, internship postings on Experience, and a database of the internship locations of recent Truman graduates.  Students can also find internship possibilities through Career Expo, networking with faculty/internship advisors in their major, and by contacting one of the alumni mentors in BulldogNet.

What on-line resources does the Career Center have to assist my student?

• Experience is the internet-based system that students can use to connect with mentors, prepare a résumé, and search for jobs.

• ReferenceUSA allows your student to search throughout the United States for potential employers.

• Internships.com

• The Career Center's website is a comprehensive site that contains information on self-assessment, job and internship searches, résumés, cover letters, portfolios, interviewing, Career Center programs and more.

Does Truman hold regular job fairs? 
 

Yes!  The Career Center sponsors two career fairs each year, one during fall semester and one in the spring.  Our Career Expos are extremely well attended by both students and employers, who tell us they love coming to Truman because of the high-quality, well-prepared candidates they meet.

Does the Career Center provide assistance for applying to graduate school?

Because approximately half of Truman graduates go immediately to graduate school, the Career Center expends a significant amount of time and resources in this area.  The flagship event for graduate school preparation is Graduate School Week, held every fall.  During this week, Donald Asher, a nationally recognized speaker, comes to campus to hold a variety a workshops and presentations, including a hands-on personal statement writing workshop.  A number of graduate programs provide information throughout the week, as well.  In addition, the Career Center offers personal statement critiquing and assistance with locating graduate programs, as well as information on graduate entrance exams. 

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Does my student have to make an appointment to use the Career Center's services?

Your student can use the following Career Center services on a walk-in basis.

• Résumé and cover letter critique

• Career library and on-line career resources

• Initial consultation with a full-time staff member during drop-in hours

Your student will need to make an appointment to access the following Career Center services:

• Personal Statement Critique for Graduate School Admissions

• Mock interviewing

• In addition, the Career Center offers regular workshops to assist students in the beginning phases of major/career decision-making and conducting a job search. 

What do I do if I have more questions?

The staff of the Career Center is always happy to talk with you and your student about how to begin the career planning process.  E-mail or call us with your questions, comments, or ideas, or have your student stop by.  (NOTE:  Due to federal privacy laws, we are unable to share information with you concerning your student's visits to the Career Center.)
 

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Four-Year Approach to Career Planning

More information about specific Career Center services

Graduate Data by Major brochures

Representative List of Truman Students Internships

• Abbott laboratories

• Adair County Children's Division

• Archer Daniels Midland

• Bellefontaine Rehabilitation Center

• Bernstein Rain Advertising

• Big Brother/Big Sisters of Kansas City

• Boeing

• Brown Smith Wallace, LLC

• Caterpillar

• Cerner Corporation

• Children's Mercy hospital

• Clay County Public Health Center

• Cushman Amberg Communications

• Deloitte

• Department of Energy

• Edgewood Children's Center

• Edward Jones

• Enterprise Rent-A-Car

• Ernst and Young

• Fulton Parks and Recreation

• Great River Shakespeare Festival

• Hallmark

• Harry S. Truman Presidential Library

• IBM

• Johnson County Environmental Health

• Kansas Neurological Institute

• Kraft Foods

• Mayo clinic

• Midwest Research Institute

• Missouri Baptist Medical Center

• Missouri Government Internship Program

• Missouri Historical Society

• Missouri Institute of Mental Health

• Missouri State Auditor's Office

• MLB.com

• Monsanto

• National Park Service—Theodore Roosevelt State Park

• National Elk Refuge

• Nebraska Center for Virology

• Nestle Purina

• NISC

• Opera Theatre of St. Louis

• Publishing Concepts

• Research Experience for Undergraduates:  Arkansas State University

• Research Experience for Undergraduates:  University of Michigan

• Spectrum Brands

• Sprint Nextel

• SSM St. Charles Medical Center

• St. Louis Zoo

• Tan-Tar-A-Resort

• Target

• Truman State University Press

• Walgreens

• US Department of Treasury

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Representative List of Employers of Truman Graduates

• Abbott laboratories

• American Bar Association

• American Red Cross

• AmeriCorps

• Anheuser Busch

• Barnes-Jewish Hospital

• Bernstein-Rein Advertising

• Boeing

• Caterpillar

• Cerner Corporation

• Deloitte and Touche

• Edward Jones

• Eli Lilly & Company

• Enterprise Rent-A-Car

• Ernst and Young

• Federal Reserve Bank

• Fellowship of Christian Athletes

• Girls Scouts of America

• IBM

• Internal Revenue Service

• Kiefer Bonfanti

• KPMG

• Kraft Foods

• Liberty Hospital

• Macy's

• Mayo clinic

• Missouri Department of Corrections

• Missouri Department of Natural Resources

• Missouri Lottery

• Missouri State Auditor's Office

• Monsanto

• Nestle Purina

• Northwestern Mutual

• Peace Corps

• Price Waterhouse Coopers

• Research Medical Center

• Save-A-Lot

• Shelter Insurance Companies

• Sherwin-Williams Company

• Sigma-Aldrich Corporation

• Six Flags

• Social Security Administration

• Sprint

• State Farm Insurance Company

• State Street

• Steak-n-Shake

• Target

• Walgreens

• Williams Keepers

Representative List of Graduate Schools attended by Truman Graduates

• Arizona State University

• A T Still University

• College of William and Mary

• Colorado State University

• Cornell University

• Creighton University

• DePaul University

• Drake University

• Fordham University

• George Washington University

• Gonzaga University

• Illinois State University

• Indiana University

• Iowa State University

• Kansas State University

• Loyola University

• Medical College of Virginia

• Michigan State University

• Missouri State University

• Ohio State University

• Penn State University

• Purdue University

• Saint Louis University

• Seton Hall University

• Sotheby's Institute of Art

• SUNY-Buffalo

• Temple University

• Texas Tech University

• Truman State University

• UCLA

• University of Alabama

• University of Arizona

• University of Arkansas

• University of Colorado

• University of Denver

• University of Hawaii

• University of Illinois

• University of Iowa

• University of Kansas

• University of Kentucky

• University of Michigan

• University of Minnesota

• University of Missouri

• University of Montana

• University of Nebraska

• University of Oklahoma

• Washington University

• Yale University