CaReER CeNTeR CaReER CeNTeR

THE CAREER CENTER is the hub for all things career-related at USC. For undergraduate and graduate students, alumni, faculty and employers who need some guidance, the Career Center can lend a helping hand.

Students can reserve a time to meet with peers or the professional coaching staff to discuss topics like job searching strategies, how to format resumes and cover letters or how to network with employers. There are also opportunities for students to get free headshots and access to professional clothing. Director Helen Powers wants students to know that the Career Center is willing to help everyone with all questions and of any experience level.

“What we’re really trying to do is make sure that students understand there’s no reason you should know how to write a resume or would know what LinkedIn is,” Powers said. “For us, it’s ‘Come here, come learn. Let us help you walk through the journey.’”

Leah Letterhos is a USC student and Career Center peer educator. She describes her experience as incredibly rewarding and beneficial, especially compared to other jobs like retail.

“[Working retail is] not going to help me with the skills that I’ve developed here,” Letterhos said, explaining how working as a peer educator has helped her develop important skills like public speaking and critical thinking.

The Career Center also works with employers to help students network and connect them with job opportunities. Employers can contact the Career Center for help recruiting USC students for internship opportunities and employment through things like job fairs and on-campus interviews.

By Sophia Wurster

Gamecock GradStats is a way for Career Center users to view the salaries, career paths and jobs acquired by over 175,000 USC graduates. With this, students can network with former Gamecocks, consider education pathways, look at top employers of USC graduates and more.

Powers said the new tool will “help students understand all the career possibilities that exist” and give them a greater insight into what they can do with their major.

Alumni who are still exploring their options or considering changing career paths can use the Career Center for free for up to one year after graduation. That includes accessing assessment tools, coaching services, career fairs and on-campus interviews. After that year, services cost $40 per hour.

Faculty and staff members can use the Career Center to learn how to help students by providing high-quality, effective letters of reference or employee referrals. Faculty can also have Career Center staff present to classes and groups to discuss all the services it offers.

Powers describes the environment of the Career Center as a caring place built to help students be the best they can be, and she encourages all students to see what it offers.

“I think people here genuinely want to help students,” Powers said. “And that’s why you should come to us because we actually care. We want you to be successful.”

To learn more about the Career Center, students can schedule an appointment with the Career Studio on Handshake or drop into the