Carly Bonaventura, M.S.
Carly Bonaventura, M.S.
Director, Center for Career Readiness
(315) 792-3409
Overview of Services
Our Goal: Students will develop self-awareness and actively engage in the career and professional development process, empowering them to make informed career decisions and preparing them to achieve career goals.
We encourage our students to:
Be an explorer.
Self-discovery sets students on a path that connects their interests, personality, skills, and values with possible majors and careers. We encourage them to:
- Complete AWATO to assess career-relevant personal qualities and learn about career fields that are compatible with the results.
- Take personality and career assessments, like 16 Personalities or the MBTI, to understand personality type and make connections with occupations and workplace environments that are a best fit.
- Refer to other resources like What Can I Do with This Major and the Occupational Outlook Handbook.
- Get early exposure to career fields through volunteerism, speaking with mentors from the Utica Alumni Council, and connecting with other staff and faculty advisors.
- Explore the possibility of becoming a student employee on campus to build your network, skillset, and résumé.
Plan (and plan some more).
Set short and long-term goals and develop an action plan that serves to build students’ résumés, gain workplace skills, and expand their network. To stay on track, students should:
- Join, and eventually lead, student organizations, secure a part-time position that builds transferable skills, shadow professionals in the field, engage in research, and complete at least one internship.
- Learn how to brand professional identity and market experiences, skills, and accomplishments on the resume and cover letter, during interviews, and on the LinkedIn profile.
- Create and maintain positive relationships with supervisors, colleagues, classmates, faculty/staff, alumni, and other professionals in the field. Meet people during the Volunteer Fair,
- Networking Nights, Job and Internship Fair, and other networking events.
- Be flexible and adaptable. Plans are meant to be revised and modified as interests change and develop.
Celebrate success.
Transition from Utica University to next professional steps, including employment, graduate school, service roles, and more. Don’t forget to:
- Finalize employment, graduate school, and other applications.
- Take advantage of resources to complete company and graduate school research, document critiques, and mock interviews.
- Think about who is in your network that you could ask to serve as a reference. Faculty, staff, and employment/internship supervisors are good options.
- Apply knowledge of professional etiquette and communication when considering employment offers and graduate school acceptances. Students represent not only themselves but Utica University/, too.
- Share your success stories, stay connected with the University after graduation, and return to campus to mentor the next generation of students!
Contact Us
Handshake at Utica University
Handshake is the Center’s career management system and is designed to create connections between students/alumni, employers, and the Center’s staff.
Handshake LoginI would like to see logins and resources for:
For a general list of frequently used logins, you can also visit our logins page.