Thoughts about the Career Development Centre

Find out how our Career Coaches have helped your peers in their journey to joining the workforce.

Ang Kang Xian

Engineering Systems and Design Junior (Class of 2022)

The CDC is an excellent first step to understand more about yourself and your career aspirations. After going through the MAPP assessment and consultations with the career coach, Jessica, I had a better knowledge of what motivated me and what I am uncomfortable with. This enabled me to know which potential industries and jobs I should explore. I also had Faith critique my resume, and it was really helpful to have a fresh pair of eyes evaluate it, as it made me more aware of the little things that help to make the resume look more attractive to employers.

Amrish Dev Sandhu

Computer Science and Design Junior (Class of 2022)

The CDC provides comprehensive services that assisted me greatly while searching for a summer internship. Prior to it, I consulted Faith regularly to not only seek advice but to also update her on my progress. From the regular consultations I had, I benefitted greatly in many ways, from resume vetting, sharing opportunities and interview preparations.

I advise my juniors to utilise the various avenues offered to you – do up your LinkedIn, look up on job portals and attend the various sharing sessions organised by CDC! And I firmly believe that you should keep trying – you miss 100% of the opportunities you do not take, after all. Keep applying and reach out to others, from seniors to industry professionals to learn as much as you can and figure out what it is you want to achieve!

Chen Yijia

Freshmore (Class of 2024)

In Term 1, when I was uncertain about my future career prospects, Faith provided me with a detailed and clear overview of the industry I was interested in and introduced me to sectors I could consider exploring. Under her coaching, I was able to better understand the industry’s requirements, and how to make use of the opportunities available in SUTD to hone my skills.

I also sought a resume critique session with Faith, who suggested helpful comments on what relatable experiences to put in and even subtle aspects, like proper word choices, giving me more confidence in tailoring my resume to emphasise on different skill sets. She also followed up with me on my summer term experiences to help me reflect on what I have learned and empower me to discover my future potential. I am genuinely grateful for the professional and supportive coaching team from CDC, who helped me prepare for job-hunting and develop a clearer sense of direction to plan my journey in SUTD.

Colin Teoh

Engineering Systems and Design Freshmore (Class of 2024)

Desmond Foo helped me articulate my experience and capabilities to employers via virtual resume coaching. The session was extremely informative and provided concrete advice that I could use to directly improve the competitiveness of my resume for the current internship and scholarship market.

As a first year student, I did not have much prior experience with resumes, nor attended any UPOPs on resume building. As such, CDC’s resume critique allowed me to gain vital insights into resume crafting.

Jacob Wijaya

Computer Science and Design Senior (Class of 2021)

Finding your first job is not an easy task. Luckily, CDC is always available to assist and guide us in our search. As an international student, it is a challenging task to land a job in Singapore, more so with the current Covid-19 situation going on. However, I am very grateful for SUTD CDC’s help despite the trouble they have to go through to reach me.

I want to thank Desmond for assisting and teaching me the tips and advice on various insights that would help me with my career, as well as being a great listener. He shared with me numerous key points to look out for in an interview and how to improve and grow as a working individual. So, talk to your career coach and make the most of the experience. They are there to help and guide you through these tough times, and always keep your chin up in life!

Kanashima Hatsumi

Computer Science and Design Junior (Class of 2022)

Lee Jet Xuen

Computer Science and Design Junior (Class of 2022)

After completing my internship, I was seeking advice on how to improve my resume, as well as insight on my future career path. My senior suggested that I book an appointment at the CDC, so I emailed Desmond on how to construct an effective resume. He was able to provide me with professional suggestions and shared with me tips on how to write an appealing resume that would help me land a job. I highly recommend my juniors to get a coaching session, as it is really helpful in terms of providing professional career advice!

Matthew Lau Zhi Yuan

Engineering Systems and Design Junior (Class of 2021)

I am very grateful to the CDC coaches, especially Faith, for guiding me and helping me land a job that I am not only skilled at, but also passionate about and aligns with my values. My journey towards self-discovery and understanding what I wanted was not easy, but the support and insight provided by CDC helped a lot, and I was able to secure a job that I could feel absolutely excited for everyday. I especially liked the UTOP workshops, where they gamify planning our career path, helping me better plan the future for my professional life.

I also discovered, through trial and error, that your calling in life, whether academically or professionally, intersects between your passion, skills, value and talents. CDC may not give you all the answers, but it will definitely help make your career-planning clearer.

I am interested in machine learning and computer vision, and wanted to find a job in the Artificial Intelligence field. Having recently completed my summer internship with Panasonic, I needed help with making my resume stand out by highlighting my strengths and experiences. I signed up for the Resume Critique session and it was nothing but a positive experience. My Career Coach, Jessica, was well articulated and knowledgeable. She patiently went through all the points in my resume and gave insightful, specific advice to improve my resume. The skills I learned during the session made me more confident in my transition into the professional world.

My advice to my fellow SUTD peers is to take advantage of what the CDC has to offer. It has plenty of resources and services that can provide you with a wealth of information and keep you updated of the latest market trends.

Sim Jia Ren

Computer Science and Design Junior (Class of 2022)

The CDC provides many services that help students with career advice and professional development support. In my three years in SUTD so far, I have often reached out to the career coaches to not only have them critique my resume, but also to undergo career coaching. They are well-informed in various industries and have an extensive network of industry professionals.

When I decided to switch degrees in my freshmore year, my coach, Faith, was very patient when listening to my concerns. She provided me with valuable insight on what the industry was looking for and allowed me to independently explore my options. I continued to keep in touch with her as my trusted advisor whenever I needed career help. Another coach, Jessica, also proactively checked in on me throughout my internship, and helped me bring up any issues I had about the company when I confided in her about them, something that I am really grateful for.

Tan Min

Engineering Systems and Design Junior (Class of 2022)

I first discovered CDC in my Freshmore year when I attended my first CIF in 2019, which I have been attending yearly since. Before my first round of internships, I scheduled a Career Coaching appointment with the CDC to review my resume. It was a fruitful session and I walked away with a clearer idea of the industry I would like to enter and how I can effectively present myself through a resume.

I was also part of the pilot for the SUTD Mentorship Program, where I was able to connect with an industry mentor. They shared with me their insights on my interested industry and career, as well as learn and prepare myself for upcoming applications for graduate roles. The CDC has plenty of other opportunities, so I advise the junior batches to explore them.

Vincent Leonardo

Engineering Systems and Design Junior (Class of 2022)

I sought out the CDC due to my indecision and anxiety about finding internships and a path forward to my career in the future. Thankfully, the Career Coaches not only assured me about my future, but also helped me lay down concrete plans and actions to take to reach my goals.

With the CDC, I learned about how those with more experience and knowledge view things and how to better myself. They can also identify any blind spots to work on as well. For example, while I was focusing on doing projects and methods to get into my ideal industry, the coaches pointed out that I had been missing out on actually learning about the field itself, such as its people and the current trends. Ultimately, the CDC’s services helped me superbly, and I am sure that you will benefit from it too!

Wu Rong

Engineering Systems and Design Senior (Class of 2021)

I was an international student who had yet to start looking for a job, but coach Desmond kindly reached out to me and provided me with constructive suggestions on how to start. During the two consultations, resume critique and interview inquiry, he shared with me the STAR method – an effective methodology for both resume-writing and answering questions during interviews.

I gained a lot of insight from those sessions and was able to create a purposeful resume for jobs I was interested in and got a lot more opportunities for interviews in return. If you are unsure of your plans for your future, I would definitely recommend that you approach the CDC for guidance and support!