A key part of career decisions is to know more about yourself; what are your values, skills, and interests? Students who have a better understanding of who they are often make more productive career decisions. Check out the following links for help getting started!

• Focus 2 Assessment: A tool to help you explore your values, skills, and interests. This source will also generate a list of occupations that match with your assessment results. ACCESS CODE: pirates
• O*NET Interest Profiler: Another tool to help you explore your interests and match you with a list of occupations.
• 16personalities: A personality assessment to help you learn more about yourself. This tool will also provide you with careers that match your personality type
• Remember that career is a journey. It is okay to shift and change your ideas as you grow and develop as a person.
• Feel stuck or want to discuss your results? Schedule an appointment with VC's Career Coordinator. 

Once you have a general idea or interest in a career path, you will need to explore what is out there. The following list provides information about how to begin exploring a career of interest.

• What Can I Do With This Major? This resource will provide you with career areas and types of employers that hire in these fields. 
• On Campus Informational Sessions: Victoria College offers informational sessions throughout the year. Contact your program of interest to learn more about their upcoming program information sessions.
• Check out University HQ: This website offers information about different career options, the employment demand, average salary, and education requirements for various professions.  
• O*NET Online and the Occupational Outlook Handbook provide information about employment outlook, average wages, and education needed for various careers.
• Check out BestColleges: This website provides a variety of information regarding career choices and how to navigate the workforce as a professional. 
• Feeling stuck? Schedule an appointment with VC's Career Coordinator.

As you start to learn more about yourself and narrow down your interests, you will want to get into the field and start gaining experience.

• Talk to People in the Field: Find people in the field you are interested in and ask them if they will meet with you to discuss their experiences. Informational interviewing can be a great way to network and learn more about the career options available. This can include professionals in the community, or even Victoria College employees.
• Volunteer! Volunteering is a great resume builder and can expose you to various occupational settings. Volunteermatch.org compiles organizations that are looking for volunteers.
• Job Shadowing: Check with local businesses or your Career Coordinator to find shadowing opportunities. Shadowing will help you see what the day-to-day roles are for professionals in your field.
• Seek out summer internships: Internships can be found on Handshake and other job posting platforms. Check with your professors and Career Coordinator to see if they know of any internships in the area. 

Whether you are a new graduate or a current student looking for work, the following resources can help you prepare for the application and interview process.

• Resume and Cover Letter Assistance: Bring your resume and cover letter to VC's Career Coordinator for review. Just getting started? The links below may help.
  • Resume Template
  • Resume Writing Checklist
  • Cover Letter Template


• Attend a Workshop:
  • Check out the “Events” section in your Handshake account to see upcoming career services workshops. Past workshop topics have included resume building, interview tips, achieving success in the workplace, and employer Q&As.
  • Workforce Solutions Golden Crescent offers regular Resume, Interview, and Job Searching workshops. To sign up, you will need to create a WorkinTexas account.  

• Student Employment:
  • Apply for student employment at Victoria College through Handshake, if you do not already have an account you will need to to create an account to get started.
  • Check out the Handshake How to Guide for help navigating the profile creation and the Student Employment Application.
  
  
• Online Job Searching Platforms:
  • Handshake: this platform is exclusive to college students and alumni and connects you with companies hiring, give you access to apply for jobs and internships, and attend virtual career fairs.
  • USAJobs: This is a job searching platform for government jobs.
  • WorkinTexas: This platform is utilized by Workforce Solutions for searching for a career.
  • Linkdin: This platform offers the opportunity to find the right job or internship, connect and strengthen professional relationships, and learn the skills you need to succeed in your career.
  • If you have a specific company in mind that you hope to work for, try taking a look at their website. Most companies have a “Careers” or “Jobs” tab that interested applicants can use to see positions that their company is hiring for. Don’t see this option? Give them a call! Don’t be afraid to reach out with your questions.
  • Schedule a practice interview, with VC's Career Coordinator. In the note option, be sure to specify that your appointment is for a mock interview. 

Career Fair

The Career Fair is an annual event held in the spring, during which Victoria College and Texas Workforce Solutions partner up to bring dozens of companies to the Victoria College campus to meet students and the community. This Spring 2023 we will also be working with UHV to plan an even better career event for the Victoria community! We will provide updates about dates and times as plans evolve.

Nursing Career Fair

Victoria College hosts a Nursing Career Fair every fall semester to connect our talented nursing students, from various levels of nursing, with local health care agencies. This fall the fair will be held on November 28, 2022 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. We are excited to host all employer registration for this event through Handshake. Should you have any difficulties accessing the registration for the event please don’t hesitate to reach out to VC Career Services for help with the registration process. We hope to see you there! 

Vocational Nursing Employer Luncheon

Victoria College is happy to announce that we will be hosting a Vocational Nursing Employer Luncheon this fall at our Gonzales Center to help extend our reach to employers and students in the Gonzales and surrounding areas. Students and employers will be able to chat about career opportunities over lunch on November 7, 2022 from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Registration for this event will be through Handshake and is required for both students and employers to ensure that we have enough food to accommodate everyone. 

Career Services aims to serve our community employers too. We offer on-campus recruitment opportunities such as information sessions, recruitment booths on campus, an annual career fair, and a job posting platform-Handshake. Please, reach out to VC's Career Coordinator to discuss building your relationship with Victoria College.

Victoria College uses a platform called Handshake to pair qualified candidates and employers. This platform is specifically for employees who are seeking students and alumni. It is a platform that has been adopted by several colleges and universities and will not limit you to candidates in the Victoria area. It is FREE to employers.

Create a Handshake account.

We understand that navigating a new platform can be difficult. Please, contact Blake Barnhouse to schedule a Handshake support meeting as needed. We will help you set up your account and teach you how to use the platform to it’s fullest capabilities

If you would like to meet with Career Services to further discuss your business’ interests and ideas, please feel free to reach out to Blake Barnhouse VC's Career Coordinator. 

Local: (361) 573-3291 x3207
Toll Free: (877) 843-4369
Fax: (361) 582-2525
Blake.Barnhouse@VictoriaCollege.edu