Thank you for visiting the Office of Career Advancement (formerly the Career Management Center) center’s website.

The Office of Career Advancement (OCA) is here to help students explore their talents and interests, consider major and career possibilities, develop job search strategies and establish goals. We offer a range of programs and resources that assist students in achieving their academic and career goals.

We welcome you to browse our webpage and become familiar with our services and resources.

Tips for Parents

• Support your student’s career exploration if he/she is undecided; many students change their majors.
• Be open to conversations about your own career experience.
• Be willing to give feedback (if asked!) about your student’s skills and abilities.
• Encourage your student to participate in an internship during their college experience to develop work skills and explore options.
• Remind your student that the Office of Career Advancement can help with major choice, resume preparation, and job and internship search. Our online career management system PROFS JOBS affords students the opportunity to have their resume critiqued and research full-time, part-time, summer, and internship positions.
• If your student does not participate in an internship during their college experience, encourage him or her to seek other ways to acquire skills and experience in their field of interest through summer jobs and volunteer work.
• Strongly encourage your student to invest in a business suit and appropriate dress shoes for interviewing and to attend career related events. Business suit colors should consist of black, dark brown, navy blue or dark gray. Dress shoes - Men: conservative shoes with leather bottoms; Women: shoes with two inch heels and refrain from wearing shoes with open open toes and straps.
• Encourage your student to attend Office of Career Advancement events on campus such as the Rowan University Career Fair, the Career Exploration & Graduate School Fair, the Federal Government & Non-Profit Organizations Career Fair and the Ask-An-Alum program to obtain information on various careers and the world of work.
• Assist your student with networking, a lifelong process that is influential in finding a job. Suggest any connections you can - friends of the family, family of friends, anyone can lead to a lead.
• Encourage your student to conduct a self-assessment themselves and explore areas that interest them. Studies have shown that career decisions are best made when one has a thorough understanding of themselves - who they are, what they like, what they are good at and what is important to them. The Office of Career Advancement has an online self-assessment program FOCUS-2 that provides guidance and information to help students make important career and educational decisions.
• Share your own career experiences. Your own career stories will help your student begin to see careers in concrete terms. Later, they will try out their own ideas through internships and summer jobs. Your stories can be particularly helpful if you have been through a career change or worked during challenging economic times.
• Be a networking contact. In addition to your own story, who do you know that might also share their story with your son or daughter? Informational interviews and job shadowing are two of the best ways for students to gain real world insights before making career decisions.
• Be aware that the world of work has changed. The world of work has changed and continues to do so at an accelerated pace. While your own experiences are of great value, be aware that the processes for gaining employment are not the same. Everything - job descriptions, employment listings, job requirements, resumes, interviewing, and advancement tracks has changed for most occupations.
• Encourage your student to take charge of his/her career and if necessary refer them to the Office of Career Advancement's Four Year Planning Guide as a resource. If your son or daughter asks you questions that relate to their future major or career choices, refer them to the Office of Career Advancement.