The professional world can be difficult for students and alumni to navigate, but the Career and Professional Development Center is here to help with all professional needs, such as help acquiring professional attire and assistance with interviews and resumes.
They are open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. in room 205 of the University Student Center.
The Career and Professional Development Center is a center that provides support to students. Some employees of this center include Nang Thao, a Career Coach, and Evelyn Ramos, the Associate Director.
The Career and Professional Development Center offers a range of different services, including resume help, interview practice, searching jobs for internships, exploring a major or career and researching graduate schools.
They also host career fairs, employer events, and workshops such as Resume 101 and Interview 101.
Evelyn Ramos has 20+ years of experience in higher education. She started off as a career counselor at Stan State and later landed the position as Associate Director of the Career and Professional Development Center. She values the success of her department and feedback from students.
“Something we use to measure success is employers coming back, coming back to different job fairs because employers have to pay to be on campus to recruit,” says Ramos.
Ramos collaborates with departments to meet the needs of diverse student populations like the Disability Resource Center and Project Rebound, a program that offers support to formerly incarcerated individuals. She also worked with others to put together the Success as a First Gen Professional workshop.
Nang Thao has been working for the center since March 2020. She learned she wanted to work in this field during her time in workforce development.
She says she wants to be a part of someone’s journey and help people move from one step of their life to the next.
“I hope that students, when they visit our center and when they exit the university or leave our center, that they are able to find a course of clarity,” Thao says.
In her role as a Career Coach, Thao holds one-on-one appointments to help students and alumni with their professional development, primarily resume help. She also holds course presentations such as Senior Seminar, Resume Writing and Career Services.
Resume help can be offered in different ways. You can email your resume to a career coach for revision, book an appointment or attend a Resume 101 workshop. To get help on your own, their website has PDFs for guides, outlines and sample resumes available to pull information from.
Thao mentions that HireStanState is the primary site they use to keep up with new job postings and internships. You can access this site as a student and as alumni to find relevant jobs and build experience. Every student already has an account, you just have to activate it through your CSU Stanislaus email and set a password.
They also have the Warrior Closet, where students can find professional clothing for interviews, job fairs, new jobs and even class presentations. At no cost, you try on the clothes and find up to 3 great pieces for you to keep. They also accept donations Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Melissa Pacheco (Alumni. Liberal Studies), a CSU Stanislaus graduate, described her experience with the Career and Professional Development Center as very welcoming and positive. She went in to polish her resume and used their tips on an interview that made her confident in the job she applied to.
This center also has a YouTube page where they upload previous workshops so they are accessible to students at all times. They can also be found on Tiktok, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.
The Career and Professional Development Center is a great way for students and alumni to explore career options, develop research skills, and connect with employers.
You can book a virtual or in-person one on one appointment with a career coach through HireStanState or call (209) 667-3661, they are available Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.