The Career Center has many new and continuing resources to advise students and alumni along on their career path. Whether that's finding an internship while in school, looking for your first post-graduation job or going through a career change, check out the ways we can help you!

Career Advising Appointments

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Want expert advice on how to plan and navigate your career? You can schedule a career advising appointment through Handshake. You can choose the appointment category that fits you best—First-Year, Exploring, Career Community, or Pivoting—to see the options and locations available. Appointments can take place in-person or via phone or Zoom and may be available as early as next day!

Resume & LinkedIn Review

Job resume document out from laptop

Looking for a resume or LinkedIn insight? Our Peer Career Coaches provide asynchronous resume or LinkedIn profile reviews for students and recent graduates. Submit your resume in Word or Google Doc format via the link below. A Peer Career Coach will review your resume and provide video feedback. Note: You must use a gmail account or your depaul.edu student account to access the form.

Career Chat

Have a quick question about how to make an appointment? Need help locating a resource? We're available to chat on our website Monday – Friday from 9am – 5pm.

Searching for a job or internship?

Handshake is our career platform and employers are posting there every day! 80% of students with updated profiles get contacted by recruiters.

Career Resource Library

Check out our library of over 50 handouts and videos on a wide variety of career topics, ranging from preparing for a video interview to tailoring your resume and cover letter for a specific role. Our most popular handout is Resume Basics!

Alumni Sharing Knowledge (ASK)

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Social distancing doesn't mean disconnecting! Search for and connect with over 1,500 alumni volunteers for career, academic and life advice on the DePaul ASK network.

Save the Dates

Make sure you stay up to date on the many Career Center events we have scheduled every quarter to give you meaningful tips on preparing for your future and to introduce you to professionals in your field. Save the dates of all the Career Fairs this year and check out Handshake for more events!

Be Distinctive

Right now, the job market is the hottest it's been in recent years as companies are hiring following the COVID-19 pandemic, but that also means the competition is fierce right now.

Because many 2020 graduates had to put off their job hunt while companies went through closures and lay-offs, there are even more of your peers applying for the same jobs you are right now. That means your resume, cover letter, and LinkedIn profile need to be polished and stand out.

However, for the same reason, the competition is stiff in the current job market; the popularity of remote jobs and internships also opens up the ability for you to apply to opportunities across the country—and the world!

Be Open-minded

While job postings on Handshake are at a high, not all sectors are hiring equally. The top industries looking to hire new graduates were the pandemic's big winners: tech, financial services, education, and professional services, according to Handshake data. It's essential to be flexible in your job search at a time like this and think about what skills you could bring to a role as well as what skills you could gain, even if the job isn't exactly your dream role.

Settling for what is available doesn't have to be a bad thing either! While working in your not-dream-job, you can spend that time also taking classes and getting additional certifications, attending webinars and events, and upskilling.

Be Prepared

Having classes, meetings, and hangouts over video chat platforms like Zoom has become commonplace in the past year, but it's still important to treat virtual interviews the same way you would an in-person one. Make sure to dress professionally, prepare for any questions they may ask, know how to work the features of the platform being used for the interview, and that your setup is well-lit without any distractions in the background.

Some workplaces have also started requesting pre-recorded video interviews in which you answer a list of questions they have provided. Though this type of interview is not live, there is still not much time between receiving the questions and the deadline for sending the video, so it's still important to prepare in advance.

If you're nervous, ask a friend or family member to take you through a mock interview, or schedule an advising appointment, or drop in with a peer coach!

Be Creative

You should also be ready to explain how you spent 2020, especially if your summer internship disappeared because of the pandemic and a gap in your resume. Did you do any freelance work? What about personal projects? Did you take any new classes in your free time? Did you volunteer anywhere? You can also highlight any new hobbies you picked up to show you're willing to and capable of learning new things.

You may have skills you never even thought about that you can highlight, including soft skills!

And if you are still looking for ways to add to your resume, there are plenty of ways to gain experience outside of a traditional internship.

Be Authentic

While your network is a valuable resource in job hunting, it's also a great space for building relationships with peers in your industry. Not every contact in your network will be in the position to give you a job when you need one, but it's still essential to maintain and build relationships without expecting a transaction. Professionals in your industry — especially DePaul alumni — can give you helpful advice and share their experiences.

Consider setting up an informational interview with someone in your field or bringing up the possibility of job shadowing at a company you're interested in or with someone whose role is appealing to you. Check out the ASK Network to connect with alumni.

And don't forget to give back when you can and open yourself up to meeting with students as a professional in your field, or pass on opportunities you come across to your peers if it's not something right for you!

More information:

  • Job Hunting in a Pandemic: Advice for New College Grads| BU Today
  • What You Need to Know About Job Searching in 2021
  • A job-search game plan for the class of 2021 If you're looking for your
  • The Student and New Graduate Guide To Job Search
  • Getting a job in 2021: tips for college graduates on job searches, remote work, and more
  • Job-hunting advice for 2021 graduates, from a 2020 grad
  • Lots of Jobs Await the Class of 2021. So Does Plenty of Competition.
  • Networking Makes a Comeback for the Class of 2021

Guidance Provided By: The Handshake Team

Want to quickly and easily increase your chances of finding the job you want on Handshake? Add your job interests to your profile.

When you fill in your interests, two really great things happen:

  1. Handshake sends you better, more relevant job recommendations.
  2. You're more likely to have a recruiter message you!80% of students who share their interests on Handshake receive a message from a recruiter. The more you include, the better your chances of having a recruiter find you.

That's a pretty big return on not a lot of work. And the best part is—filling out your interests is as easy as sharing your opinion with us. Who knows what you like and don't like better than you?

What are your job interests?

The "Your Interests" section of your Handshake profile includes:

  • Job type
  • Location
  • Job role

These are the most common fields that employers use to search for potential candidates—so including them in your profile is essential to getting recruited.

What are you looking for?

  • Job type: select part-time job, full-time job, or internship. Looking for a part-time job for now and an internship for next summer? You can select more than one job type, and we'll share recommendations for each.
  • Job location: choose the cities that you'd like to live and work in. There are thousands of incredible employers on Handshake from every corner of the country, so we recommend being open to exploring jobs in a few different locations.
  • Job roles: select at least three job roles that interest you. We'll give you suggestions based on your major, school and city. You can also search our job role pages to learn more about what you'd like to do.

You may be thinking "What if I don't know what I'm looking for?" That's ok. We'll give you some suggestions. And, like the rest of your profile information, you can always change your interests later.

"Handshake helped me get two jobs so far. Unlike other sites where I have to dig through and filter out jobs, Handshake has jobs organized and sorted for you. It saves time and gives me a better understanding of the job I'm looking for."

– Neha

Your Handshake profile is the key to finding jobs and internships that are right for you, and getting recruited by the employers you want to work for.

Ready to find the right job or internship for you? Log in to Handshake and fill in your interests today!

We know the world can seem like an overwhelming place at the moment. We are here to help. Schedule an appointment to meet with us virtually and check out the resources included below.

Career Advising Appointments

Worker using computer

Career advising appointments are still available and currently being held virtually via phone or Zoom. Schedule an appointment to review your resume, discuss your career pathways, prepare for an interview and more!

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Zoom Drop-In Coaching

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Mon: 9:00am -5:30pm, T/W/Th: 9:00am-7:00pm,
F: 9:00am-5:00pm, Sun: 12:00-4:00pm
Our Peer Career Coaches are now offering drop-in coaching sessions for DePaul students and alumni. Peers can review your resume or cover letter, provide general career guidance, and answer questions about Handshake, LinkedIn and other Career Center resources.

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Searching for a job or internship?

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Handshake is our career platform and employers are posting there every day! 80% of students with updated profiles get contacted by recruiters.

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Career Resource Library
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Check out our library of over 50 handouts on a wide variety of career topics, ranging from preparing for a video interview to tailoring your resume and cover letter for a specific role. Our most popular handout is Resume Basics!

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Website Chat
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Have a quick question about how to make an appointment? Need help locating a resource? We're available to chat on our website Monday – Friday from 9am – 5pm.

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Alumni Sharing Knowledge (ASK)

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Social distancing doesn't mean disconnecting! Search for and connect with over 1,500 alumni volunteers for career, academic and life advice on the DePaul ASK network.

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Updated 7/2/2020

Given the rapid changes associated with the pandemic, we will be regularly sharing reporting trends in hiring sectors across the Chicagoland area in the Media, Communication, Arts, and Entertainment career community. This week, we're focusing on trends in Advertising & Public Relations.

This week's Key Take-aways

  • Public Relations, Digital Marketing, & Strategic Planning are the top hard skills to showcase in your resume with the frequency of these skills showing up in job postings 15% of the time for Public Relations, 12% for digital marketing, and 12% for strategic planning.
  • Communications, Management, & Sales are the top soft skills to showcase in your resume with the frequency of these skills showing up 64% of the time for communications, 39% for management, and 36% for sales
  • 21% of postings require 0-1 years of experience.
  • Oracle, Abbvie, & MarketCrossing are the top companies posting.

According to EMSI, the number of active job postings for Advertising & PR have declined by nearly 31% from June 2020. The decline in roles has been consistent for the last week. Public Relations, Digital Marketing, & Strategic Planning are the top hard skills to showcase in your resume with the frequency of these skills showing up in job postings 15% of the time for Public Relations, 12% for digital marketing, and 12% for strategic planning. Communications, Management, & Sales are the top soft skills to showcase in your resume with the frequency of these skills showing up 64% of the time for communications, 39% for management, and 36% for sales. 21% of postings require 0-1 years of experience. Oracle, Abbvie, & Marketcrossing are the top companies posting.

The DePaul Career Center is here to help you reach your career goals. Check out our Summer 2020 Programming Calendar to get information on programs to help your job search during a pandemic, upskill, and more! Meet with your Media, Arts, Communications, & Entertainment Career Advisor to make sure you are showcasing the skills and experiences employers are looking for.

Updated 6/24/2020

Given the rapid changes associated with the pandemic, we will be regularly sharing reporting trends in hiring sectors across the Chicagoland area in the Media, Communication, Arts, and Entertainment career community. This week, we're focusing on trends in Journalism, Entertainment, & Production .

This week's Key Takeaways

  • Journalism, Copywriting, & Adobe Photoshop are the top hard skills to showcase in your resume with the frequency of these skills showing up in job postings 30% of  the time for Journalism, 28% for copywriting, and 14% for Adobe Photoshop.
  • Opportunities for Copywriters include 1,369 opportunities, 290 for videographers, and 167 for sales photographers.
  • Communications, Writing, & Editing are the top soft skills to showcase in your resume with the frequency of these skills showing up 61% of the time for communications, 38% for writing, and 32% for editing.

According to EMSI, the number of active job postings for Journalism, Entertainment, & Production declined by nearly 31% from May 2019 to May 2020. While postings have declined,  It is encouraging to note that 33% of openings in Journalism, Entertainment, & Production only require 0-1 years of experience. Similarly, 18% of openings are listed as entry-level positions, with no experience listed. Journalism, Copywriting, & Adobe Photoshop are the top hard skills to showcase in your resume with the frequency of these skills showing up in job postings 30% of  the time for Journalism, 28% for copywriting, and 14% for Adobe Photoshop.

When it comes to recruiting at DePaul specifically, remember the importance of completing your Handshake profile so employers can proactively reach out to you! Check out this article for tips on how to woo recruiters. We've  also recently launched a Career Community Linkedin Group to stay connected! We'd love to have you join! Meet with your Media, Communication, Arts, and Entertainment Advisor to talk about career opportunities!


Given the rapid changes associated with the pandemic, we will be regularly sharing reporting trends in hiring sectors across the Chicagoland area in the Media, Communication, Arts, and Entertainment career community. This week, we're focusing on trends in Advertising & Public Relations .

Key Takeaways:

  • Public Relations, Digital Marketing & Strategic Planning are the top hard skills to showcase in your resume with the frequency of these skills showing up in job postings around 12-15% of the time.
  • Opportunities for Research Analysts (Life, Physical, and Social Science), Marketing Coordinators, and Marketing Managers lead the pack at 19,831 positions in the Chicagoland area.
  • Employers, such as Vizion Group , Welcome Wagon , and Tribune Media Company are proactively connecting with DePaul students on Handshake. Make an appointment with your Media, Communication, Arts, and Entertainment Advisor or Ambassador today to make sure your profile stands out to top employers!
  • Nexxt , Illinois.gov ,, Employmentcrossing , and Learn4good are reported by Emsi to be the top posting sources.

According to EMSI, across the domains of Advertising & Public Relations, the number of active job postings declined by nearly 31% from May 2019 to May 2020. While postings have declined,  It is encouraging to note that 21% of openings in Advertising & PR only require 0-1 years of experience, which is great news for 2020 grads. Similarly, 20% of openings are listed as entry-level positions, with no experience listed. Public Relations, Digital Marketing & Strategic Planning are the top hard skills to showcase in your resume with the frequency of these skills showing up in job postings around 12-15%.

  • When it comes to recruiting at DePaul specifically, remember the importance of completing your Handshake profile so employers can proactively reach out to you!
  • On Handshake there are nearly 1,500 employers in the Advertising, PR, and Marketing Industry. These are a part of the over 900 employers with active postings who are looking to hire DePaul students right now!
  • Meet with your Media, Communication, Arts, and Entertainment Advisor or Ambassador to make sure you are showcasing the skills and experiences employers are looking for.

Updated 7/2/2020

Given the rapid changes associated with the pandemic, we will be regularly sharing reporting trends in hiring sectors across the Chicagoland area in the Technology & Design career community. This week's trends will focus on Software & Web Development.

 This week's Key Take-aways

    • Software & Web Development opportunities have dipped 22% compared to June 2019. We've seen a consistent decline in unique postings over the last week compared to last year.
    • Java, Software Engineering, & SQL are the top hard skills shown in postings with these skills appearing 38% of the time in postings for Java & Software Engineering and 33% for SQL
    • Communications, Problem Solving, and Leadership are the top soft skills shown in postings with communication skills showing up 38% of the time, Problem Solving showing up 22% of the time, and leadership showing up 19% of the time in postings.
    • Software Engineers, Java Developers, Front-End Developers are the top positions posted.
    • Make an appointment with your Technology & Design Career Advisor today to make sure your profile stands out to top employers!

Software & Web Development opportunities have dipped 22% compared to June 2019. We've seen a consistent decline in unique postings over the last week compared to last year. Java, Software Engineering, & SQL are the top hard skills shown in postings with these skills appearing 38% of the time in postings for Java & Software Engineering and 33% for SQL. Communications, Problem Solving, and Leadership are the top soft skills shown in postings with communication skills showing up 38% of the time, Problem Solving showing up 22% of the time, and leadership showing up 19% of the time in postings.

The DePaul Career Center is here to help you reach your career goals. Check out our Summer 2020 Programming Calendar to get information on programs to help your job search during a pandemic, upskill, and more! Meet with your Technology & Design Career Advisor to make sure you are showcasing the skills and experiences employers are looking for.

Updated 6/24/2020

Given the rapid changes associated with the pandemic, we will be regularly sharing reporting trends in hiring sectors across the Chicagoland area in the Technology & Design career community. This week's trends will focus on Graphic Design, Web Design, & Game Design.

 Main Takeaways

  • Graphic Design, Web Design, & Game Design opportunities have dipped 26% compared to May 2019, however, the trends are changing daily and show sporadic decreases and increases.
  • Graphic Design, Adobe Photoshop, & Adobe Illustrator are the top hard skills shown in postings with these skills appearing 58% of the time in postings for Graphic Design, 53% for adobe photoshop, and 49% for Adobe Illustrator.
  • Communications, Presentations, and Detail Oriented are the top soft skills shown in postings with communication skills showing up 56% of the time, presentations showing up 41% of the time, and detail orientation showing up 31% of the time in postings.
  • Graphic Designers (Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media),  Visual Designers, & Designers have the most opportunities with 4,246 total open positions in the Chicagoland area.
  • Make an appointment with your Technology & Design Career Advisor today to make sure your profile stands out to top employers!

Opportunities in Graphic Design, Web Design, & Game Design have dipped by 26% from May 2019- June 2020, however the trends are changing daily and show sporadic decreases and increases. Opportunities for Graphic Designers (Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media) are at 3,341; Visual Designers are 392, and designers are 513 for a total of 4,246 total open positions in the Chicagoland area. 27% of openings in Graphic Design, Web Design, & Game Design require 0-1 years of experience. Communications, Presentations, and Detail Oriented are the top soft skills shown in postings with communication skills showing up 56% of the time, presentations showing up 41% of the time, and detail orientation showing up 31% of the time in postings.

When it comes to recruiting at DePaul specifically, remember the importance of completing your Handshake profile so employers can proactively reach out to you!. Check out this article on ways to woo a recruiter. Meet with your Technology & Design Career Advisor to make sure you are showcasing the skills and experiences employers are looking for.

Updated: 6/12/2020

Given the rapid changes associated with the pandemic, we will be regularly sharing reporting trends in hiring sectors across the Chicagoland area in the Technology & Design career community. This week's trends will focus on Database Administration & Network Support .

Main Takeaways

  • Database Administration & Network Support opportunities have dipped 11.4% compared to May 2019, however, the trends are changing daily and show sporadic decreases and increases. For example, on May 31, 2020  trends show a 0.3% decrease in postings compared to May 31, 2019, however, on June 1, 2020 trends show a 5% increase in postings compared to June 1, 2019.
  • Opportunities for Systems Administrators, Network Engineers, Database Administrators have the most opportunities with 16,741 total open positions in the Chicagoland area.
  • Employers, such as Dell Technologies , Fast Enterprises LLC , and Cisco are examples of top employers who reached out to DePaul students on Handshake within the last month. Make an appointment with your Technology & Design Career Advisor today to make sure your profile stands out to top employers!

According to EMSI, across the domain of Database Administration & Network Support, the number of active job postings dipped slightly from May 2019 to May 2020, however the trends are changing daily and show sporadic decreases and increases. Systems Administrator, Network Engineer, and Database Administrator roles lead the pack in the number of opportunities available. In sheer volume, the number of opportunities for System Administrators was 6,108 total positions in the Chicagoland area, followed by Network Engineers with 6,012 and Database Administrators with 4,621. It is also encouraging to note that 17% of openings in Database Administration & Network Support require 0-1 years of experience, which is great news for 2020 grads.

When it comes to recruiting at DePaul specifically, remember the importance of completing your Handshake profile so employers can proactively reach out to you!

  • Dell Technologies , Fast Enterprises LLC , and Cisco are examples of top employers who reached out to DePaul students on Handshake within the last month.
  • Additionally, there are over 900 employers with active postings who are looking to hire DePaul students right now!
  • Meet with your Technology & Design Career Advisor to make sure you are showcasing the skills and experiences employers are looking for.