Career Services for Students
Each Path to Career Success Is Unique. Let's Find Yours.
From helping you explore careers to supporting you through the job search process, Career Services is here for you — from your first semester on campus through graduation and beyond. We offer online resources, in-person workshops, and one-on-one counseling to help you:
- Pinpoint a career path
- Gain professional experience while you’re a student
- Build your network
- Prepare a résumé and cover letter
- Ace internship and job interviews
- Search for targeted roles
- Prepare for graduate school
- Secure employment
Thinking about GCU before you enroll? You don't have to wait until you're a Lion to start engaging with Career Services — reach out early to understand how we can support your career from day one.
Career Exploration: Your Four-Year Framework
Everybody's path to their career is different. GCU offers a framework built around a four-year plan, which can be adapted to fit your personal needs or the length of your program — our team is here to help you make it work for you.
Year 1: Explore This is the time to discover more about yourself, GCU, and the wide range of opportunities in front of you. Investigate your skills and interests by joining a campus club or organization, volunteering abroad or in the community, or working on campus. To learn more about your field of study, use the What Can I Do With This Major? site, meet with your academic advisor, and take the Focus 2 Career assessment (access code: Lions).
Year 2: Experience Your second year is an ideal time to gain some real experience in the career world — building skills, gaining insight into your career aspirations, and exposing yourself to new interests. Keep meeting with your academic advisor and Career Services about your strengths and field of interest. Become aware of career options in your field, gain further insight through higher-level courses, and start working toward GCU's requirement of two experiential-learning experiences (see below). Look into expanding your involvement in clubs and activities, attend a career workshop, and start (or update) your LinkedIn profile and résumé.
Year 3: Focus Expand your learning in your field and get more focused about career planning — narrowing your direction by building on the strengths and experience you've gained. If you're planning graduate or professional school, this is when applications begin: pursue any required admissions testing, build a timeline for application deadlines, and start gathering letters of reference. Confirm your degree requirements with your advisor to make sure you're on track to graduate. Expand your professional qualifications and finish any remaining experiential-learning requirements — an internship, service-learning opportunity, global studies program, or faculty-led research. Build your networking and interview skills at campus employer events, and practice with Big Interview. Update your LinkedIn and CareerLink profiles, and consider taking on a leadership role in a club or activity — not just for the résumé, but for skills you'll use for the rest of your life.
Year 4: Achieve Senior year — time to finish strong. Keep up with coursework and leadership roles; they're a valuable foundation for your network and résumé. Join a professional association (student membership is often discounted or free). Conduct informational interviews with people in your field. Line up at least three references: one faculty member who's had you in class, one coach/advisor/employer who knows you well, and one additional person who can speak to your professional qualifications. Fine-tune your job search — update your résumé and have a Career Services team member review it, and sharpen your interview skills with mock interviews through Big Interview.
Experiential Learning
Experiential learning helps you gain knowledge, develop skills, and clarify your values through direct experience and focused reflection. By exploring your interests through service learning, internships, faculty-led research, or study abroad, you'll make a more informed choice about your career path — and you'll be more competitive in today's job market.
GCU requires undergraduates to complete two experiential-learning experiences to graduate, which can include any combination of:
- Service learning — Complete a minimum of 10 hours of service work at a community organization (which may include GCU itself), under the guidance of a GCU instructor. Look for course sections identified as offering a service-learning option, or check the Registrar’s course schedule.
- Internships — Credit-bearing or noncredit internships both satisfy this requirement. Consider taking CAR200 (Internship Prep & Career Development) or BU350 (Internship & Career Preparation) before you start your search. Once you’ve completed your internship, submit the Internship Completion Form through the Experiential Learning section of CareerLink — it requires sign-off from your site supervisor and the Director of Career Services, and you’ll get email confirmation once it’s finalized.
- Faculty-led research — A strong option if you’re considering graduate study or want deeper exposure to your field. Contact faculty in your area of interest to find out what’s available, then register for the relevant research course; successful completion documents this requirement.
- Study/travel abroad — Study, intern, or serve abroad through the Office of Global Education Programs.
Job Search Tools & Strategies
Whether you're building your first résumé or prepping for a final-round interview, we're here to help you:
- Write résumés and cover letters that get noticed
- Build a professional network
- Search strategically for roles that fit your goals
- Prepare for interviews with confidence
Practice on your own time with Big Interview, our AI-powered mock interview tool, or explore fit with Focus 2 Career (access code: Lions) and What Can I Do With This Major?
Campus Student Employment
Each year, Georgian Court hires more than 150 students to work across campus — keeping the university running while giving students a chance to build professional skills and earn money without leaving campus. To protect your academic success, student employment is capped at 15 hours per week.
Most on-campus positions are reserved for students receiving Federal Work-Study as part of their financial aid award — funds are paid out via paycheck based on hours worked, not as a lump sum. Some grant-funded positions are also open to any student who meets the specific requirements, Work-Study or not.
All student workers are hired through the Office of Career Services. New hires will need to complete a W-4 form — if you're not sure how, talk to your parents, another trusted adult, or a Career Services team member — plus an I-9 form, which requires actual original documents (not copies, faxes, or photos). Earnings are issued by direct deposit or debit card.
Job postings open each August, when departments and offices list their available student positions on CareerLink — apply promptly, since GCU departments prefer to hire as soon as possible. Once you're selected or rehired, you'll complete a Student Worker Agreement Form with your supervisor, and first-time hires need to meet with Career Services to be enrolled in the payroll system.
Schedule an Appointment
Book time with a Career Services team member through GCU CareerLink:
- Log in to CareerLink with your GCU User ID and CareerLink password
- Select Appointments from the action menu on the left
- Choose a time that works for you
First time using CareerLink? See our account activation steps on the main Career Services page.
Career Services Staff
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William Hill 732-987-2431
Title: Career Counselor
- [email protected]
- Library (1st floor)
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Cheryl Rivers 732-987-2415
Title: Director of Career Services
- [email protected]
- Library (1st floor)
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Maureen Ruotolo 732-987-2292
Title: Assistant Director of Career Services & Student Employment
- [email protected]
- Library (1st floor)
