Career Center
The AU Career Center provides undergraduate and graduate students with career, internship, graduate school, and merit awards advising; self-assessment tools; networking, resume, cover letter, and interview coaching; workshops and programs; online internship and job listings; recruitment events and on-campus interviews; a career resource library; online interactive tools; and instructional blogs and videos.
The Career Center serves all undergraduate and graduate students in the College of Arts and Sciences, School of Communication, School of International Service, and School of Public Affairs. Kogod School of Business and Washington College of Law students are served by their respective centers. The Career Center is located on the fifth floor of Butler Pavilion. For more information, contact the Career Center at 202-885-1804 or visit www.american.edu/careercenter.
Career education is a lifelong process and the Career Center is the place to begin. The Career Center offers a sequence of services designed to accompany and enhance students’ academic studies. These integrated, comprehensive career services are available for American University students and alumni.
Students are encouraged to use the Career Center’s services to develop career awareness as early as possible. The center’s advisors help students to obtain internship experience related to their academic and career goals. Advisors also provide students and alumni with career decision-making assistance, job-search coaching, graduate school advising, and the latest information on employment trends and instructional technologies. The Outreach and Marketing team helps to connect students with alumni and employers through networking events, job and internship fairs and listings, on-campus interviews, and employer presentations. Additionally, the Office of Merit Awards helps undergraduate and graduate students to identify, prepare, and apply for a variety of nationally competitive, merit-based scholarships and fellowships (primarily for use after graduation).
All Career Center services may be pursued concurrently with classroom learning throughout students’ academic programs. The following is a summary of career decision-making steps for each year of academic study:
Freshman: Explore academic majors and career options through a process of self-assessment. Use tools such as the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and Strong Interest Inventory to identify interests, skills, personality traits, and work values in relation to possible career paths.
Sophomore: Declare academic majors/minors, continue to explore long-term career options, develop resumes and cover letters, gain hands-on experience through internships, and explore options for nationally competitive, merit-based scholarships.
Junior/Graduate Student: Focus on particular career fields of interest and gain relevant experience through internships. Network and conduct informational interviews with alumni and strengthen skills through mock interviews. Explore options for further study through graduate school or nationally competitive scholarships.
Senior/Graduating Master’s Student: Determine and pursue post-graduate goals for employment, post-graduate study, or other intentional plans.
Advising Services
Self-Assessment and Career Exploration
Students may utilize self-assessment tools to identify their career interests, skills, personality traits, and work values, and then meet with a career advisor to interpret and apply the results. Popular assessments include the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, Strong Interest Inventory™, Self-Directed Search, Career Values Test, and My Next Move. Students may also explore the connection between their academic and career interests with career guides, developed specifically for AU students.
Jobs and Internships
Students may meet with a career advisor, student peer advisor, or alumni guest advisor to discuss a wide range of topics pertaining to their job or internship search. Advisors provide expert guidance on search strategies, resume and cover letter writing, online branding, networking, interviewing, negotiating offers, and other related topics. Scheduled appointments are available in person or via phone or Skype. Advisors are also available on a drop-in basis at various locations around campus.
Graduate/Professional School
Students may work with a career advisor every step of the way, from exploring and researching graduate/professional schools to applying and preparing for interviews. Advisors coach students through individual appointments, specialized workshops, and mock interviews.
Career Resources
Career Resource Library
An extensive collection of books, periodicals, handouts, and career directories is available to aid students in their career exploration, internship and job search, and graduate school preparation. Career Center peer advisors are on hand to help students navigate the library resources. One computer is equipped with software providing access for visually impaired students.
Online Tools
Students may access numerous online resources anytime, anywhere. Interactive tools such as a video mock interview program enable students to prepare for more in-depth advising appointments and strengthen necessary job-search skills. Instructional blogs and videos offer insight from fellow students, and resources such as Going Global provide extensive information about international careers and opportunities.
Employment Services
Job and Internship Listings
Students may learn about and apply for thousands of jobs and internships posted by employers in AU CareerWeb.
Job and Internship Fairs
Each fall and spring, students are invited to meet with representatives from more than 130 public, private, and nonprofit organizations at the fair in Bender Arena.
AU Resume Book
Students may choose to be featured in the AU Resume Book, which employers search to quickly identify candidates with certain skills and experiences.
On-Campus Recruiting
Students who maintain active profiles in AU CareerWeb may apply for a variety of internships and jobs, and ultimately interview with recruiters who visit campus each semester.
Employer Information Sessions
Students may attend on-campus presentations and learn about numerous organizations, career fields, interview processes, and hiring trends within a variety of industries.
Alumni Networking
Students may connect with AU alumni for career advice and job or internship leads through AU’s online community, LinkedIn, and numerous on-campus networking events throughout the year.
Public Service Work Study Program
Students granted Federal Work Study as part of their financial aid packages may earn their awards and gain relevant professional experience through part-time employment with select nonprofit organizations and government agencies.
Internships
In order to integrate the academic curriculum with professional experience, American University’s academic internships enable students to earn credit for field experience related to their education and career goals. Students may choose to intern for credit but are not required to do so. Most credit bearing internships are part-time. Some positions are paid. Opportunities exist with private businesses; local, state, and federal governments; and nonprofit, social service, and international organizations.
Faculty from all university departments guide and evaluate students’ experiential learning through academic internships. These experiences enable students to explore academic and career options, make career decisions, and prepare for entry into an advanced degree program or the professional job market. Personal development, acquisition of independent learning skills, and a balanced education are other significant benefits to students participating in internships.
Eligibility and Degree Credit for Academic Internships
Opportunities are open to qualified degree-seeking undergraduate and graduate students. Applicants must be in good academic standing and must obtain approval from appropriate academic advisors. Undergraduate students must have completed at least the freshman year (30 credit hours) or a full semester as transfer students (12 credit hours) and have earned a minimum 2.0 GPA. Schools or departments may stipulate additional eligibility criteria.
Hundreds of academic and non-academic internships are listed in AU CareerWeb each term, and students may propose internships of their own design. Working with a career advisor, qualified candidates apply directly to employers. There is no guarantee of selection, nor is a student obligated to accept an offer of employment. However, once hired under the auspices of the university’s internship program, a student is expected to complete all employment and academic obligations agreed to at the time of registration.
Once selected for a position, a student works with an academic advisor or faculty supervisor, who reviews and approves the credit bearing internship, including compliance with undergraduate and graduate academic regulations involving work hours per credit.
Students are required to demonstrate what they have learned through written journals, papers, reports, portfolios, conferences, seminars, or other assignments. Specific requirements are set by internship faculty in their syllabi. All credit-bearing internships are for a minimum of 14 consecutive weeks per term and should include no more than 15 percent of administrative work.
International Internships
Credit-based internship opportunities are available abroad. Students should have a demonstrated knowledge of the language of the country in which they expect to work as well as previous work experience. Several months’ lead time is essential to work toward securing an international internship. For more information, visit www.american.edu/careercenter/International-Internships.cfm or schedule an appointment with a career advisor.
Office of Merit Awards
The Office of Merit Awards helps enrolled students prepare applications for highly competitive, merit-based scholarships and fellowships such as the Boren Undergraduate Scholarship and Graduate Fellowship, Harry S. Truman Scholarship, Fulbright Grant, and Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowships. In 2013-2014, more than 100 AU students and alumni were recognized as winners, alternates, or national finalists in prestigious national competitions and enjoyed opportunities to pursue challenging internships, research or work abroad, and advanced degrees.
Students work with merit awards advisors to identify appropriate awards and prepare competitive proposals. Students should begin thinking about awards as early as their sophomore year and may be invited to participate in the Early Identification Program (EIP) if they have achieved a high degree of academic success during their freshman year.
The Office of Merit Awards is located in Letts Lower Level, Suite Six. For more information, visit www.american.edu/careercenter/meritawards.
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