On Wednesday, U Career Success celebrated its grand re-opening. The center celebrated moving to its new office space, as well as expanded growth in the services it offers. The re-opening was accompanied by an open house event held in their new offices, located in the Robert H. and Katharine B. Garff Building, Suite 1300, which included tours of the new space.
U Career Success was previously known as the Career and Professional Development Center. The center was moved into the Garff Building as a response to the growth they saw.
“Uniting the strengths of what was formerly known as the Career and Professional Development Center along with Business Career Services in the David Eccles School of Business, we have emerged as a new department,” their website said.
U Career Success offers many resources including partnering with local employers to link students looking for opportunities with jobs and internships. It’s available to all students at the University of Utah. One of the fastest-growing resources is the Career Closet, which offers free professional clothing students can check out for job interviews, presentations or whatever else they may need it for.
Diana Woodbury is the senior director for marketing and communications. She mentioned how the career closet began in a small room in the suite but with all the growth, it has now been upgraded to a much larger space, complete with two changing rooms for students to use.
The old room now serves as a headshot space where students can get professional headshots and photos taken. Some students even use the career closet and headshot space back-to-back, by getting the clothing they need and then taking a picture. Students can borrow the professional clothing, and once they bring it back, it is dry-cleaned for the next student to use.
Woodbury said the headshot resource is growing in popularity, and the center now has six student photographers who take headshots for students in need.
Other resources that the center highlighted include one-on-one career coaching, video interview studios and resume reviewing.
Career coaching is a personalized resource that U Career Success offers. With plans to expand more, career coaches are available for students in the College of Fine Arts, College of Humanities, College of Science, College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, David Eccles School of Business, Departments of Political Science, Sociology, and Criminology, Department of Chemical Engineering and the School for Cultural and Social Transformation. Students can meet with their coach to learn more about finding jobs after college, interview help and prepare them to enter the workforce.
The website also offers different career skill pages, such as salary negotiation, interview prep and how to write cover letters.
Katie Hoffman Abby is the assistant dean for U Career Success, as well as a special advisor to President Taylor Randall.
The virtual interview studio space came after Abby saw students making do with what they had at home, but knew they could do better.
“We started seeing a lot of students doing these interviews or creating videos in their dorm room on an unmade bed and you can hear people in the background … it’s not gonna work,” Abby said. “So we added a nice backdrop and lighting — professional lighting, professional sound, and the quality then goes way up.”
With the grand re-opening underway, Woodbury said, “We’re thrilled to have people explore our space and learn more about the resources we have to offer every student on campus.”
Abby said one thing she wishes students would know is they are available to all students, despite being located within a business school.
“And we just really want to make sure that students know we’re here for every student on this campus. And that we really do want to see them use the resources.”
