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Division of Student Affairs

Career Services

Career Services provides students and alumni with services, resources, and connections to enhance their career development and career readiness. As Illinois State University complied with the national and state COVID-19 directives, Career Services continued to assist Redbirds to thrive in their careers. Highlights from the 2020-2021 academic year include:

  • Career advising appointments were conducted with career advisors by phone, email, and virtually with over 2,325 appointments held virtually, and 65 held in person.
  • Virtual sessions were conducted with student career ambassadors to review resumes, cover letters and LinkedIn profiles. Over 1,480 sessions were drop-in hours, and over 100 sessions were Late-night Resume Reviews.
  • Virtual presentations were conducted on career-related topics to classes and student organizations by request to over 190 classes, and 15 student organizations.
  • With the increase of virtual options, the number of programs and career fairs offered for academic departments and students increased, with 54 programs (5 more than last year), and 15 career fairs (9 more than last year).
  • Virtual meetings were conducted to identify student and employer needs, develop alternative recruiting strategies, initatives, and best practices during the pandemic. Participants included 39 employers, 12 faculty, and 9 career advisors and staff.
  • Through the Cultural Career Network, a variety of virtual programs on global careeer readiness contribued to the University’s commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion. Areas of focus included international students, LGBTQ+, and women.
  • While many employers continued to offer internships during the pandemic, most were virtual internships. Over 27% of internships posted in Hire-A-Redbird were offered virtually.
  • Hire-A-Redbird is utilized to seach and apply for internships and full-time positions, connect with employers, and view upcoming career and networking events. The number of students who utilized Hire-A-Redbird was 6,745, and the number of alumni was 314.
  • Over 1,100 students utilized FOCUS 2, an online self-guided career and educational planning tool used to select major progams and career fields, compatible with one’s personal interests, skills and goals.
  • Over 735 students and 15 alumni utilized InterviewStream, an online video tool utilized to practice interviewing.
  • Over 320 students accessed GoinGlobal, an online career toolkit providing information to asssit international job seekers.
  • In January 2021, Career Services moved to the second floor concourse of the Bone Student Center to provide more robust career services and resources to Redbird students, alumni, and constituents. The new space is designed to connect Redbirds to career advisors, employers, and other connections.
  • In addition to Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube, Career Services opened a LinkedIn account (CareerServices at Illinois State) to share valuable career-related content and engage with Illinois State alumni, employers, and other consitituencies.