Job and Internship Search Preparation
Career Services is here to help you with developing your resume and cover letter, coming up with a job search plan, understanding the interviewing processess, employer relations, networking, and more.
Job Search
Saint Louis University Career Services has many resources for you to use during your job search process, both online and in person.
Handshake is your comprehensive resource for all things related to SLU Career Services. Tailored for college students, Handshake provides a variety of tools and a user-friendly online career database. To learn more, visit our Handshake Career Database page, or log in below.
A resume summarizes your qualifications for employment and is often required when you apply for a job. It typically outlines the type of position you are seeking and highlights your education, experience, skills, and other relevant information. A cover letter introduces prospective employers to you and how your skills, education, and experience fit their open position. Check out our cover letter and resume resources below:
- First-Year Resume
- General Resume
- Master's Resume
- Curriculum Vitae (CV)
- Cover Letter
- References Guide
- Interview Guide
- Thank-You Letter
For document review appointments, please email your documents to your career counselor before meeting. Career Services staff can also review resumes, cover letters, and other professional documents virtually. Feedback may take up to 72 business hours. Allow extra time for review if you submit a resume before a University holiday or the weekend. Receive feedback by:
- Uploading your document to Handshake (you will receive feedback via Handshake messages)
- Attending virtual drop-ins
- Uploading your resume to BigResume to have your resume reviewed and critiqued by personalized AI software (after logging
in, look to the top left, switch to BigResume, and upload your files)
Did you know that only 20% of jobs are ever advertised? The remaining 80% represent the "hidden job market." This is where networking comes in. Usually, companies will look to people within the organization or to individuals who come recommended to them by people within the organization. This type of recruitment is very cost-efficient for companies.
Networking is important for everyone, regardless of occupation or career path, and involves establishing, building, and maintaining professional relationships. To learn more, check out our Networking Guide.
Career Counseling
Career counselors are available for virtual and in-person appointments covering any career-related topic. This includes mock interviews, resume and cover letter reviews, career counseling, career planning, job or internship searches, and much more.
Schedule an appointment with a counselor via Navigate360, or visit during the Spring and Fall semester drop-in hours. (Monday through Friday, 3:30 to 4:30 p.m., on days when classes are in session). Current students can schedule with one of the following modalities:
- In-person: Griesedieck Hall, lower level, Suite 130
- Phone appointment: Provide the 10-digit phone number you will be using
- Teams meeting (Voice or Video): Your career counselor will email you with a link to the Teams meeting
- Alumni can request an appointment through Handshake.
For alumni Handshake account requests, please email handshake@slu.edu and include your full name, graduation year, and program of study in your message.
Assessments
Career assessments can help you learn about yourself so that you can make more informed career decisions. The results of your assessment will not make the decision for you or tell you what career is right for you, but can provide additional guidance. All assessments will be interpreted by your career counselor during your appointment, and results will be based on your individual situation.
SLU Career Services offers the following assessments:
- Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI): This personality assessment can help you understand your individual personality type and can point you in some possible career directions
- Strong Interest Survey: This assessment can help you identify interest areas to see how they align with individuals working in various career fields
- StrengthsQuest: This assessment can help you discover, understand, and maximize your strengths
Other Tools
Career Services also utilizes Focus2, an online career exploration platform that guides you through assessments and results in possible matches for occupations and fields of study. Focus2 can provide you with tools to develop a career plan as well as gain insight into your skills, values, and interests.
You can create your free account at focus2career.com. (Use the access code: "billikens") Returning users should access their accounts via the Focus2Career login for existing users.
Once you complete your assessments and start considering what majors allign with your skills and interests, you may utilize the website What Can I Do With This Major?, which outlines common career areas, employers, and strategies designed to maximize career opportunities.
Career Services is now offering professional headshots for current students. These headshots can be used on LinkedIn and/or on student portfolios. We have sessions available at either 9:30 a.m. or 2 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Fridays.
Registration will be conducted through Navigate360, the platform used for scheduling counseling sessions. If no options are available, this indicates that all time slots for the upcoming month have been reserved. We encourage you to check periodically for new openings.
Interview Guide
Successful job applicants take time to research a desired position, practice answering different types of questions, plan an appropriate wardrobe, and are prepared to follow up quickly with a thank you note. To prepare for your next interview, check out our Interview Guide.
BigInterview
BigInterview is an online mock interview tool that prepares students for job interviews. It's not enough to only read advice — you need to put that advice into practice! That's why Big Interview isn't just a training course. You'll also get hands-on practice with mock interviews tailored to your specific industry, job, and experience level. Create your account using your @slu.edu email address.
For help, view the Big Interview student user guide.
Job Search Academy is a free, virtual career-development program created through our partnership with Indeed to help students and alumni excel in their job searches. It presents all of Indeed's resources and educational programs in one place, helping make the job search more accessible.
The Workforce Recruitment Program for College Students with Disabilities (WRP), coordinated by the U.S. Department of Labor and the U.S. Department of Defense, is a recruitment and referral program that connects federal and select private-sector employers with highly motivated college students, graduate students, and recent graduates with disabilities who are eager to demonstrate their abilities in the workplace through summer or permanent jobs.
If you are interested in applying to the program and interviewing with a representative from WRP, please visit WRP.gov to get started. Please use a computer or tablet and not a mobile device.
Eligible students must:
- Have a disability and be eligible under the Schedule A hiring authority
- Be a United States citizen or national
- Be currently enrolled in a degree program on a substantially full-time basis OR have graduated with a degree on or after April 1, 2019
Send any general questions that you may have to career_services@slu.edu.
For assistance with documents, please email our Marketing Coordinator, Noah Jones, at noah.jones.1@slu.edu.
Internship Search
As you explore your various career options, an internship can help you:
- Apply knowledge you've learned in the classroom in a professional setting
- Find out if a career field is right for you (or not)
- Make connections with people doing the kind of work you want to do
- Get real-world experience that will impress employers more than just your major or GPA
The Handshake experience request goes to your faculty sponsor for review. This ensures that everyone is on the same page for the internship and learning objectives.
Once the faculty sponsor has approved, you will receive a Learning Contract and Liability Waiver via DocuSign, our fully electronic document management system. Not sure which class you’ll be registering for? Check with your instructor or review the full list of classes already set up for the internship experience.
The Internship Search Strategies course, SLU's experiential learning preparation course, is designed to support students from any academic program who are interested in participating in an experiential learning activity. Students will complete online modules that will walk them through the progression of preparing for and conducting an experiential learning activity search, making the most of their learning experience, and reflecting and telling the story of their experience.
Students considering the following types of learning activities may benefit from participating in this course:
- Internship
- Co-op
- Practicum
- Clinical
- Undergraduate research
- Field placement
To register for the course, complete the form below:
Scholarly Undergraduate Research Grants and Experiences (SURGE)
This program is meant to provide a path to connect students with faculty who are conducting research, creative endeavors, and other scholarly projects at SLU.
You can apply to opportunities posted in Handshake under the SURGE employer profile (search ‘SLU SURGE’). You must provide a resume and a statement of purpose (cover letter) explaining why you want to be involved with this project.
The applications will go to the faculty member overseeing the project, and they will choose whom they wish to hire.
If you are ready to report an experiential learning opportunity, you can do so on the Handshake platform. Please see the PDF guide provided below to complete this process:
Employer Connections
Employers and other organizations visit campus throughout the academic year. The most common ways employers connect with students on campus are through career fairs and events, on-campus interviewing, and at information tables and sessions. Check Handshake for more information on our career fairs and when employers are on campus.
Organizations representing a diverse range of career opportunities schedule on-campus interviews at SLU. Students will have an opportunity to schedule an on-campus interview for full-time, internship, and summer opportunities. Off-campus interviews for jobs and internships may be scheduled at any time throughout the year.
All on-campus interviews are held at the SLU Career Services office in Griesedieck Hall, Lower Level, Suite 130, unless otherwise noted. You must register in Handshake to take part.
Contact Career Services at 314-977-2828 or career_services@slu.edu if you have any questions.
If a student is unable to attend a scheduled interview or meeting for a virtual fair, they must use Handshake to "cancel meeting," "decline interview," "cancel sign-up," or "withdraw application," or notify Career Services at least 24 hours prior to the scheduled time as to why they cannot attend. If they do not take these steps, they will be considered a "No Show" and will immediately be suspended from on-campus interviewing and blocked from the Handshake database. The student must write a letter of apology to the company and submit a copy to Career Services. Once confirmation is received that the letter has been sent, the suspension will be lifted and the block removed.
Students who are invited for an interview and do not sign up or elect to decline the interview through Handshake will follow the above protocol.
Should a second offense occur, students must meet with the director of Career Services. Disciplinary action will be discussed at that time.
In an effort for Career Services to maintain good standing with our employers, once a student has accepted an internship or full-time job offer, they may not interview for other positions through Handshake.
A violation of this policy may result in immediate suspension from on-campus interviewing and the use of Handshake.
If informed by an employer that a student has reneged on an accepted offer, the student will immediately be suspended from on-campus interviewing and blocked from the Handshake database. The student must meet with a Career Services staff person to discuss the rationale and consequences of their decision. If deemed necessary, the student must write a letter of apology to the company and submit a copy to Career Services. Once confirmation is received that the letter has been sent, the suspension will be lifted and block removed.
Should a second offense take place, the student will be permanently blocked from participating in on-campus interviewing and permanently blocked from use of Handshake.
Career Treks
Career Services has hosted career trek opportunities for students to travel to new cities and network with alumni and professionals in the area. Students get to experience first-hand what work and life is like in a different city. There is one career trek opportunity per semester.
To learn more about upcoming opportunities, contact Karl Aldrich at karl.aldrich@slu.edu or contact our department. Check out previous career treks below.
Career Services and 14 students arrived in Houston for the Spring 2025 Career Trek on March 9, 2025. During this trip, students met with NASA, KBR, Engie, and BP. They also attended a Houston Rockets game at Toyota Center and met with SLU grads and other professionals at an alumni dinner.
Career Services and 14 students traveled to Indianapolis for the 2024 Career Trek on Oct. 23, 2024. Students met with Eli Lilly, Indiana Sports Corp, National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), and Eskenazi Hospital, operated by the Health & Hospital Corporation of Marion County. Students also attended a networking event with alumni in the area.
The Saint Louis University Career Services Department provided a Washington D.C. Career Trek for 10 students March 10-15, 2024. Students met with many organizations, including the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Brookings Institution, Capital One, Smithsonian Institution, Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Dream.Org, and U.S. Senate Staff. Students also attended an alumni dinner to help them network further.
Saint Louis University Career Services provided a Chicago Career Trek for 17 students beginning on Oct. 26, 2023. The students met with Aon, Deloitte, Accenture, and LinkedIn. Students also attended a SLU alumni dinner with professionals in the area.
Reciprocity Assistance
If you are looking for an internship or job outside of St. Louis, you may be eligible
to use the career-related services of other colleges and universities through the
reciprocity assistance program.
For example, if you are job hunting in Chicago, you can request reciprocity with a
university that is closer to Chicago. In turn, SLU Career Services can assist students
from that university who may be job hunting in St. Louis.
Services offered through other schools may be limited, as institutions offer different levels of reciprocity and access. SLU Career Services cannot guarantee assistance from any other school.
The following services may be available through SLU if you are a current undergraduate or graduate student at a Jesuit university, or it has been less than three years since you graduated from one.
- Three months of full access to our job/internship database, Handshake, with the exception of on-campus recruiting activities
- Resume critique service
- Drop-in hours from 3:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. Central, Monday through Friday, when classes are in session
- Access to career fairs at no charge
- Complimentary 30- to 45-minute counseling/job search session. Subsequent sessions at a charge of $75 for career counseling and $25 per career assessment (includes appointment for interpretation)
Non-SLU students who would like access to SLU Career Services, contact us through email at career_services@slu.edu. In the email, include the name of your university's career center director.
Reciprocal Jesuit Institutions:
- Boston College
- Canisius College
- College of the Holy Cross
- Creighton University
- Fairfield University
- Fordham University
- Georgetown University
- Gonzaga University
- John Carroll University
- Le Moyne College
- Loyola Marymount University
- Loyola University Chicago
- Loyola University Maryland
- Loyola University New Orleans
- Marquette University
- Regis University
- Rockhurst University
- Saint Joseph's University
- Saint Peter's University
- Santa Clara University
- Seattle University
- Spring Hill College
- University of Detroit Mercy
- University of San Francisco
- University of Scranton
- Xavier University
SLU students can request reciprocity with other Jesuit institutions' career services departments by completing the form below.