Vandy in Exploration

• What Can I Do With This Major?: Features 100 major profiles with information on common career paths, types of employers that hire in the field, and strategies to maximize opportunities. Scroll to the bottom of each profile for links to professional associations, occupational outlook information, and job search resources.
• SteppingBlocks: An online career exploration platform that allows you to personalize an industry-focused resource feed, take the Myers-Briggs personality assessment to learn about careers that fit your personality type, and learn more about Vanderbilt-specific outcomes. You also have the opportunity to discover different career pathways that real people in your major have gone down or learn what major will benefit you in your desired career path.
• CareerOneStop: Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor, CareerOneStop allows you to explore your skills, interests, and desired work values using quick, easy-to-use self-assessment tools. They also feature hundreds of videos that go into detail about the ins & outs (tasks, work settings, education needed) of different occupations. CareerOneStop also features several articles on how to plan your job search, the importance of networking, interview etiquette, and more!
• Vault: A career exploration platform designed around informing students about what different careers entail as well as how to put your best foot forward to secure your dream internship/job. Vault also publishes rankings of the best opportunities/companies within different industries. Provided by the Jean and Alexander Heard Libraries, you will need to create an account using your Vanderbilt credentials to access this resource.
  • Vault Intern Resource Center: Vault is excited to provide undergrad and grad students with a resource that helps them apply to, interview with, and select the right internship programs for them. This resource includes the best of Vault's internship advice, rankings, reviews, and research—all in one place. It includes rankings and reviews of the best internship programs by role and industry, resume and cover letter tips, and expert advice for networking, interviewing, and turning internships into full-time offers. Vault's new Intern Resource Center has everything students need to ensure their success throughout the internship process.
  • Vault Career Rankings: Interested in learning who the top companies are for your industry? Check out some of the listings on Vault’s Career Ranking page. There are also rankings for best internships/jobs based on employee wellbeing, diversity, and professional growth.
  • Vault Career Guides: Vault’s career guides offer industry insights into what it takes to land your dream job in your chosen profession. If you’re still exploring your options and you want to know what different industries look like, this is a great opportunity for you!
• CareerShift: Helps job seekers access the 70% of jobs that are never published on public job boards. Recognizing that who you know is critical and many job seekers have limited networks, CareerShift’s mission is to level the job playing field and provide equitable access to job opportunities. CareerShift breaks the cycle of waiting for employers to contact you and puts you in control of your job search. CareerShift provides a powerful set of job search, organization, and management tools to enable job seekers to find the companies, jobs, and contacts that will advance their careers. When creating an account, you will need to put Vanderbilt into the Group or School Identifier box to get access to this resource for free!

Your resume is an expression of how you want to present yourself to employers, therefore, it can look however you would like it. With that being said, however, keep the industry that you are applying for in mind as you are developing your resume (you can have more creative liberty in an arts & media-related resume versus a business resume). Listed below are some example resumes that follow a more traditional format.

• Foundational & Student Exploring Resume Example (PDFs)
• Basic Resume Template (Downloadable Word Document)

A cover letter is another professional document that typically accompanies a resume when applying for internships/jobs. This is another way to showcase your skills and share how they will benefit you in the role you are applying for. These will need to be tailored for each position that you are applying for.

• Cover Letter Example (PDF)
• Cover Letter Template (Downloadable Word Document): For this template, you will need to replace/answer the sections in red. There are example answers for how to go about answering these attached as comments to each question.