Career Center FAQs

Students can find on and off campus part-time job listings on Handshake. If your student needs a work-study job, they need to go through the Financial Aid Office to ensure they qualify. Work-study positions can be found in Handshake as well.

The Federal Work-Study Program provides jobs for undergraduate and graduate students with financial need, allowing them to earn money to help pay education expenses. The program encourages community service work and work related to your course of study.

Your Federal Work-Study wages will be at least the current federal minimum wage, but it may be higher, depending on the type of work you do and the skills required. Your total Federal Work-Study award depends on when you apply, your level of need, and the current funding level for UNCW.

To find a work study job, your student needs to go through the Financial Aid Office.

The Career Center serves all students, alumni, faculty, staff and employer partners.

We recommend that students begin working with the Career Center as early as their first semester enrolled as a student.

Yes! Your student may make an appointment with a career counselor to discuss their options or take a career assessment inventory.

The Career Center also has information about career assessments online. Your student also may want to check out our popular web page, "What Can I Do With A Major In...?"

Also, if your student is looking for a list of the majors at UNCW, check out UNCW's Program Finder!

The Career Center has something to offer all UNCW students, freshmen through graduate students. Check out the 4-year career planning guide.

Internships are an educational strategy integrating classroom studies with work-based learning related to the student's academic curriculum and/or career goals. It is based upon a working relationship between UNCW faculty, the employing organization, and the student.

At the work site students engage in a series of assignments, documented in a learning agreement, that is subsequently evaluated. There are numerous advantages to all involved, but a particular advantage of internships is that upon graduation, students have relevant experience as well as a degree.

For more information, check out our Internship Web Site.

Employers of all types and from around the state, region and nation recruit at UNCW. These employers are looking to hire students for internships and full-time jobs. At any given time, there are over 10,000 positions posted in Handshake for students to consider.

The Career Center recommends that students get started by taking the PathwayU assessment and setting up a time to discuss their results with one of our Career Development Counselors.

Students can start increasing their chances of finding a good full-time job their freshmen year. Many students get part-time jobs either on or off-campus. Part-time jobs are great for learning transferable skills (skills all employers look for such as teamwork, leadership, flexibility, time management).

Encourage your student to get involved on campus. There are several ways in which a student can do that: student organizations, student government, volunteer work, activities, Greek organizations, and more. For more information about getting involved on-campus, please check with Campus Activities and Involvement Center or check the Student Web Page for UNCW for services offered to students.

Another way to enhance their chances of finding a good full-time job is to get an internship in their area of study, or in an area of strong career interest. Other employers hire interns full-time after graduation.

Students need to utilize the Career Center. We offer workshops on resume writing, interviewing, and job searching. These workshops are online. It's also important for them to make an appointment with a career development counselor. The Career Center Web Site has a list of state and national job search engines that students can utilize 24/7.

Graduate school is not the place to postpone "real life" or decisions about a career direction. Graduate programs are intense, and demand that a student commit most of his/her time and energy to the study of a specific academic area. The student should confirm his/her interests by talking with faculty members and graduate students in the area.

Check out web sites and conferences or related professional associations. Visit professionals in different career environments to see what the work is really like. It is very important that your student gathers information from professionals in the field.

Once your student has his/her area of interest decided; then it's time to narrow down the list of potential institutions. When evaluating programs, consider admissions requirements, academic program emphasis, reputation-program quality, faculty, facilities, accreditation, cost and financial aid, location and size, and post-grad school employment. They also should attend our annual Graduate and Professional School Day.

Pay close attention to deadlines for applications and test dates. Most schools require a copy of your student's college transcript, letters of recommendation, and a personal statement of purpose or application essay. Your student will also be required to take an admission exam. These exams are offered on campus through our University Testing Services in Depaolo Hall.

If your student is interested in attending graduate school, have them make an appointment with a career development counselor or come into the Career Center to pick up our brochure "Preparing for Graduate or Professional School." They also should attend our annual Graduate and Professional School Day.

As is the case for college students and professionals seeking jobs across the nation, the majority of UNCW students find jobs by making personal contacts with professionals and employers in their career field of interest.

These contacts are supported by the Career Centers' extensive job listings on the web, on-campus recruiting events and visits by employers, career events such as our annual Career Fairs, student participation in internship experiences, and employer databases such as UNCW's Handshake portal.

Professional Career Counselors are available throughout the year to help students with their job search strategies.

In general, we have found that approximately 75% of UNCW graduates work full-time after graduation, 11% work part-time, 14% attend graduate school full-time, and 7% attend grad school part-time.