In a corner of the first floor of the student center is the Career Development Center, or CDC, an office that many students walk past daily without being fully aware of the resources it offers. Saint Anselm’s website identifies the goal of the CDC as “to teach students, through coaching and support, how to identify their passion, develop professionally, acquire experience and become active participants in their own lifelong career development.” With such a broad overall purpose, what specific resources does the Center offer students?

According to Lauren Burrows, the Associate Director of Career Advising at the Center, the “most important part about our office is that we support students in every single major and class year, including recent alums.” From business majors to nursing majors to history majors, current students or alums, the CDC offers resources for all. 

Burrows noted that some of the most commonly requested services include “enhancing application documents (e.g. resumes, cover letters, etc.), internship/job search strategies and implementation, major and career exploration, networking, and interview preparation.” She described as well the availability of “individual career advising” to assist students in developing a career path that fits their needs, a range of activities and events oriented to preparing students’ skills and knowledge for the workforce, “a dedicated staff with the right combination of professional knowledge and understanding of the job market to assist you in every step of the process.”

The Saint Anselm website encourages students “to utilize our office’s services beginning in your first year in order to fully develop and understand your skills, interests, and values in relation to employment and graduate school opportunities.” Burrows said that students should engage “early and often” with the CDC in order to maximize its impact on their futures.  

It’s common knowledge that, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the country is facing a labor shortage. Does this potentially have an impact on the job prospects of students of classes 2020, 2021, and 2022?    

According to Burrows, one of the best things that the class of 2022 can do for their career prospects is “Working on your application documents early!” She said that “If you don’t feel confident in your resume, definitely make an appointment to speak with someone in the CDC.” Given that video interviews are so prevalent in the wake of COVID-19 lockdown, she added that “refining and enhancing your interview skills… is a great way to feel prepared for interviews of all kinds.” 

Another important thing that current Saint A’s seniors (as well as students of any class!) can focus on doing is “gaining experience that’s related to what you are interested in pursuing post-grad.” Burrows lists internships, clubs, on-campus jobs, and research and leadership positions as opportunities that may become relevant to a student’s post-grad life. The CDC is available as well to provide guidance and support with additional experience opportunities – such as internship positions posted to Handshake, the career management system in which every Saint Anselm student has an account.  

According to Burrows, “Each year, the Office of Institutional Research in conjunction with the Career Development Center, prepares a First Destination Report to learn what our students are doing after graduation.” While the First Destination Survey will not be provided to members of the Class of 2021 until November, the CDC was able to collect data for the class of 2020.   

Burrows stated, “We learned that 95% of identified alumni were either employed, pursuing further education or volunteering, and that 85% of employed graduates who responded to the First Destination Survey had a job within six months.”

Ultimately, the CDC wants students to “understand the value of the liberal arts in relation to the world of work,” as stated on the Saint Anselm website, as well as to “to promote academic involvement in the career development process through collaboration.” According to Burrows, an impressive 95% of the class of 2020 were either employed or otherwise pursuing their futures within six months of receiving their diplomas. If this was true for the class that graduated in the middle of a pandemic, how much more of an impact can the CDC have on future classes as they pursue post-grad success?