Future Planning

Take steps towards your unique calling.

No matter where you are now or where you are going, the Office of Vocation and Calling is available to support you. Let us help you explore your career path, build your LinkedIn profile, network, find a job or internship, review cover letters and resumes, practice your interview skills in a mock interview, and more.

Schedule a Session with a Coach

Internships

Many majors at Houghton University recognize a field placement experience as an integral component of professional preparation. Internships are considered quality experiential learning opportunities, generally in off-campus, nonacademic settings. They are intended as highly structured, professionally supervised experiences and usually occur during the junior or senior year.

No matter what kind of experience you are looking for, the Office of Vocation and Calling can help you find an internship that aligns with your major, interests, and career goals.

  • Internships.com
    One of the best internship search engines for any industry and location within the United States. It has many excellent resources for getting the internship you want and getting the most out of it.
  • InternMatch
    Connects prospective interns with thousands of companies around the world and provides a consolidated platform where you can share your experience, develop your resume, and track your applications.
  • GoOverseas’s
    A unique search engine connects you with internships around the world that provide relevant work experience and global insight.
  • LinkedIn
    Not just for white collar professionals; it’s also great for students! Use the power of LinkedIn to take the first step in your professional career with the internship finder.

If you are seeking academic credit for your internship, the Office of Vocation and Calling can support you through that process. In the Career Center in Handshake, go to your Experiences, then Request an Experience. Be sure to communicate with your academic advisor about the course code, required or recommended credit hours, and other details. If you have any questions, please contact the Office of Vocation and Calling.

Job Search Resources

The job search process can be frightening but it doesn't have to be. The most important thing to remember is to start early. A typical job search for new graduates can take six months or longer, so don't wait until the last minute. Take advantage of the help that the Office of Vocation and Calling can offer.

How To Be Successful in Your Job Search:

  • Preparation - Create an effective resume, learn to write a cover letter, do a mock interview to sharpen your interviewing skills.
  • Networking - Get in touch with people in your field of work. Utilize the Alumni Office and LinkedIn for assistance in finding professionals in areas of career interest. Talk with people you know. A very small percentage of open jobs are actually posted publicly. Use the LinkedIn University page to learn how to create a great profile and how to start networking effectively online.
  • Research - When you have found an employer you are interested in, learn as much about them as you can.  This helps you to formulate questions to ask during the interview, as well as present yourself as a prepared candidate.

Handshake

Complete your profile and begin to explore Handshake. Handshake is Houghton's online center for vocational development. Browse jobs and internships based on your career interests, find helpful resources, discover what professional engagement events are happening on campus, connect with alumni, and log experiential learning opportunities.

On & Off-Campus Career Events

The Office of Vocation and Calling hosts on-campus career-related workshops and events, as well provides transportation to off-campus job fairs and similar events. Workshops are held throughout the school year on topics such as resume writing, networking, and transitioning out of college.  Annual events we host include a Grad School Fair in October and a Career and Internship Fair in February. Log on to Handshake to find upcoming professional engagement events.

LinkedIn

  • LinkedIn Job Search Engine: Leverage the world’s largest professional network to connect with opportunity. Use LinkedIn Jobs to harness the power of your network and get hired. LinkedIn Jobs surfaces insights such as whom you know at a company, providing you an edge in your job search.
  • LinkedIn Salary Discover your earning potential with LinkedIn Salary. Explore salaries by job title and location. See how years of experience, industry, location and more can impact your salary.
  • LinkedIn Internships Use the power of LinkedIn to take the first step in your professional career with the internship finder.
  • LinkedIn ProFinder - LinkedIn's new professional services marketplace that helps to connect entrepreneurs and freelancers with real business projects.

Job Search Sites

  • Find links related to your specific employment field here.
  • CareerJet is an employment search engine for the United States.  It allows you to search a growing selection of jobs listed on company sites and jobsites at one time - no more visiting each site individually.
  • Current Jobs For Graduates is a job bulletin service in the following areas:  Liberal Arts Graduates; Writing, Editing & Communications; Management & Business; Education; International; Art; and Performing Arts, classified by region.
  • Indeed.com provides access to millions of jobs and internships from sources such as Monster, HotJobs, CareerBuilder, the New York Times and Fortune 500 corporate websites. It draws from thousands of other sources as well, including small industry-specific job boards, local newspapers and associations.
  • Juju is a site that searches jobs from job boards and corporate career pages to make a job search easier and more effective.
  • College Grad Hunter is the largest open access web site dedicated to college students and recent graduates.  Has database of 4500 companies with entry level job postings, plus numerous helps on resumes, interviews, job preparation, etc.
  • Internships.com bills itself as the world’s largest internship marketplace where employers can post internships and get access to its internship database for free.
  • Idealist Jobs that make a Difference.
  • Talent.com Talent.com aggregates all jobs from employers career's website in order for candidates to find all jobs available in their preferred regions.
  • Christian Jobs
  • Recruiter pulls over 1 million jobs directly from top employers and looks at each one for you. Recruiter emails you only the jobs that you care about. You will also receive daily career tips from your peers and from the experts at Recruiter.
  • ZipRecruiter

Specialized Job Search Sites