Being part of a student organization is one of the best ways to build skills, make connections, and prepare for your future career.
This resource page is here to help you and your organization make the most of your involvement. Whether you’re looking to plan career-related events, connect with alumni and employers, or learn how to highlight your experience on a resume, you’ll find tools and ideas to support you and your members.
Quick Links
Student Orgs Toolkit: Developing Leadership and Building Skills
This toolkit includes helpful resources you can explore anytime to keep building leadership skills and career-ready experience. Share these with your members, use them to guide meetings and workshops, or add them to your own career development plan.
These guides, articles, and videos cover a wide range of topics from exploring career options to preparing for the workplace. They’re a good starting point if you want to learn more about what employers look for and how to translate your student org experience into real-world skills.
E-Board: Use these to plan workshops, share tips during meetings, or help your members see how their involvement connects to their career goals.
Members: Use these to learn more about career paths, polish your resume, or find advice you can apply right away.
Fleishman resources:
External resources:
Good mentors can help you grow, open doors, and guide you through challenges. Student organization involvement is a great way to find mentorship — whether you make connections with upperclassmen or alumni. This section includes advice on finding mentors, being a great mentee, and building connections through formal and informal mentorship.
E-Board: Share these tips with your members, encourage them to build mentoring relationships, or bring in guest speakers to talk about their own mentors.
Members: Use these to look for mentors who can help you with classes, career plans, or leadership roles — and learn how to get the most out of those connections.
Fleishman resources
External Resources
Certifications and online courses can help you learn new skills and show employers you’re serious about your development. This section points you to affordable (or free) programs you can complete at your own pace. They’re a great way to supplement what you’re already learning through your student organization.
E-Board: Recommend these to your members to help them expand their skills or build credibility in areas that relate to your organization’s mission.
Members: Use these to grow your skill set, add credentials to your resume, and show employers what you know.
Fleishman resources:
External resources:
These podcasts cover leadership, career growth, and life skills from different perspectives. Listen on your own or recommend an episode to your members as a conversation starter. They’re an easy way to pick up insights and ideas on the go.
E-Board: Use episodes as icebreakers, discussion topics, or ways to spark conversation during meetings.
Members: Listen for fresh ideas and practical advice you can use now and as you plan for the future.
Resources To Get You Started
Navigating your career journey can feel overwhelming, especially if you’re not sure where to begin. This section is designed to help you take that first step with confidence. Whether you’re exploring career options, searching for internships or jobs, or thinking about graduate school, we’ve gathered some key resources to support you.
The Fleishman Center has developed The Path to Career Confidence and Clarity to help students identify what stage of the career journey they’re in. It’s a simple four-step journey all about helping you go from understanding yourself to making confident career decisions. We’ve designed it to help you explore your options with purpose and reflect on what you learn along the way. If you’re unsure which stage you’re in or need help developing a plan, make an appointment with the Fleishman Center! It can be helpful to talk to a career consultant in person or on Zoom!
This is the first and most important step in figuring out your career path. Before you can connect with different jobs, you need to understand who you are. This means thinking about your interests, what’s important to you (your values), what you’re good at (your skills), and what drives you.
Ask yourself:
- What truly gets you excited?
- When do you feel like you’re doing your best work?
- How do your personal values guide your choices?
- What challenges might you face, and how can you overcome them?
Now that you know more about yourself, it’s time to connect that knowledge with different career paths. This will help you find careers that bring you confidence and clarity. Our goal is to help you narrow down your interests to a few areas by doing some focused research.
Ask yourself:
- What do I already know about different job opportunities?
- Have I explored a variety of options, or just a few?
- Am I ready to do some research to find facts that will help me make good decisions?
If you’re at this stage, you’re ready to explore and take action! Getting hands-on experience is key. Take the career areas you’re interested in and find ways to get involved.
Here are some ideas:
- Internships
- Job shadowing (following someone at their job for a day)
- Volunteering in your community
- Getting involved with campus clubs or activities
- Studying abroad
- Doing research
Think about: What kind of experience makes the most sense for the area you want to explore?
You’ve gained valuable experience and are closer to feeling confident and clear about your career! Now it’s time to get more experience, improve your skills, and grow your network.
Think about:
- What events or opportunities can help you connect with more people in your field?
- What experiences or skills are you missing?
Getting involved in a student organization is a great way to explore your interests, build career-ready skills, and grow your confidence. No matter where you are in your career journey, your involvement can help you take meaningful steps forward. Here’s how to make the most of student orgs at each stage of your path to career clarity and confidence.
- Explore what energizes you: Try different types of orgs, such as identity-based, academic, service, creative, or professional, to see what sparks your interest.
- Pay attention to what matters most: Reflect on what feels meaningful. Do you love helping others, solving problems, creating things, or advocating for change?
- Notice what you’re good at: Are you naturally the organizer, the communicator, the doer, or the idea-generator? Your role in a group can reveal a lot about your strengths.
- Use involvement to get unstuck: If you’re unsure what you like, showing up and trying something new is a great first step.
- Join orgs tied to potential career areas: Interested in law, public health, education, or business? Find clubs that align and observe what those fields look like in action.
- Attend career-focused events: Look for panels, workshops, or networking nights hosted by your org; these help you learn about roles, industries, and pathways.
- Talk to others about their paths: Chat with upperclassmen, advisors, alumni, or guest speakers. Ask how they chose their major or landed internships. These informal conversations are the start of your professional network.
- Reflect on what fits (and what doesn’t): Not everything will click, and that’s okay. Use this stage to narrow your focus.
- Step into a leadership or committee role: This gives you hands-on experience with planning, collaboration, problem-solving, and communication.
- Lead or support a project: Take on something that stretches your skills, such as organizing a fundraiser, managing an event, or running social media.
- Track your growth: Keep a simple journal or note in your phone listing what you’re doing, what you’re learning, and what skills you’re gaining.
- Test out your interests: Unsure about a career in marketing? Try promoting your club’s events. Thinking about education? Tutor through a volunteer org.
- Stay connected with others: The people you work with and meet through your involvement such as fellow students, guest speakers, and alumni, can become part of your growing professional network.
- Run for an executive board position: This builds high-level leadership experience and gives you stronger stories for resumes and interviews.
- Partner with other orgs or offices: Collaborating with the Fleishman Career Center, academic departments, or outside organizations expands your impact and your professional connections.
- Lead a career-focused initiative: Host a speaker series, plan a professional development workshop, or organize a site visit.
- Use your network intentionally: Reach out to connections from your org, including alumni or campus partners, for advice, informational interviews, or mentorship.
- Use what you’ve learned to go further: Apply for internships, research opportunities, or part-time jobs that build on your experiences and skills.
Whether you’re an individual student looking to grow your skills or a student leader hoping to support your entire organization, the Fleishman Career Center is here to help.
If you’re involved in a student organization and want to make the most of your experience, we can help you:
- Identify transferable skills from your involvement and show you how to highlight them on your resume or in interviews.
- Explore career paths connected to your organization’s focus or your personal interests.
- Build confidence as a leader by helping you reflect on your strengths and develop key career competencies.
- Get connected to internships, jobs, alumni, or on-campus opportunities that align with your goals.
- Practice your professional skills through mock interviews, LinkedIn profile reviews, or personalized career advising.
Interested in meeting with a career consultant to discuss your goals 1:1? Schedule an appointment on hireBING or visit The Fleishman Career Center for drop-in hours Monday-Friday 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. during the fall and spring semesters.
If you’re leading or supporting a student organization, the Fleishman Career Center can collaborate with you to:
- Facilitate workshops on topics like resume building, networking, finding internships, career exploration, and more.
- Co-host events that bring in alumni, employers, or faculty who can speak to career paths related to your org’s mission.
- Support executive board development by offering leadership-focused programming or resources to help your board grow professionally.
- Connect your members to resources that support job searches, graduate school planning, or skill-building opportunities.
Interested in collaborating with the Fleishman Career Center? Request a presentation/program or apply for our Student Organization Partnership Initiative (SOPI).
