The Center for Career and Workforce Development (CCWD) is dedicated to providing students and alumni with the necessary tools, resources and strategies that will assist them in identifying and reaching their personal career goals.
Services include:
- One on one career advising
- Assistance with resume and cover letter writing
- Assistance with finding and applying to Federal Work Study opportunities
- Guidance on job search strategies, networking and interview techniques
- Connections to alumni for career exploration and information
- Assistance in obtaining a credit- or noncredit-bearing internships
- Support for Creativity Works, a self-initiated, entrepreneurial internship program for Visual Art and Craft majors
- Assistance with preparation for Internship Fair and Career Fair networking events
- Career and Graduate School Fairs and assistance with graduate school applications
- Lifelong access to services to assist in career transition
- Access to Handshake, a comprehensive job board for CIA students and alumni
For a full description of the CCWD’S services, go to cia.edu/careercenter.
Handshake
This comprehensive online platform provides listings of opportunities including campus work-study jobs, internships, freelance, competitions, residencies, and full-time career positions. Handshake allows students and alumni to maintain a professional profile highlighting their resume content and portfolio for potential employers to view.
Students pursuing freelance opportunities are strongly encouraged to use a contract when arranging work. Guidance on creating freelance contracts is available through the Center for Career and Workforce Development (CCWD) and can also be provided by faculty in the student's major.
The CCWD manages and promotes on-campus and approved off-campus work-study opportunities in Handshake and assists students with completing required forms prior to beginning work.
Internships
An internship is an experiential learning activity that provides students or recent graduates with an opportunity to gain professional experience and skills in a particular field. Internships can be paid or unpaid, part- or full-time, credit- or non-credit-bearing. Unpaid internships must meet the standards set out by the US Department of Labor.
The Center for Career + Workforce Development (CCWD) can assist students in their search process for an internship. It’s recommended that the search starts at least one semester before the student wants to begin the experience. International students are eligible for internships and must meet with the Designated School Official (DSO) in the Registrar’s Office to obtain work approval before beginning a job off- campus.
A credit-bearing internship must offer a learning component which advances the student’s skills in their field. It is a formal collaboration among the student and employer as the approval process is managed through the CCWD. All students must meet the eligibility requirements of academic standing, completion of credit hours, and minimum GPA requirement before they can begin an internship. Contact the Assistant Director of Career + Professional Development in the CCWD for assistance.
Particulars about how an experience can qualify for academic credit, the number of credits possible, charges for earned credit, and how to set up a credit-bearing internship are found at https://my.cia.edu/ICS/Departments/Career_Services/Internships/.
A non-credit-bearing internship is less formal, but the CCWD encourages interns and employers to follow the general credit-bearing internship guidelines to maximize the success of the experience. The Assistant Director of Career + Professional Development is available to address issues concerning the specifics of an internship.
The CCWD exercises reasonable precautions to qualify all internship opportunities and strongly advises students to research and screen potential employers carefully. Students are welcome to check with the CCWD about any employer with which they are not familiar.