The CDC recognizes that one of the single largest influences on a student is the faculty. A number of resources are available to faculty through the CDC. Through written publications and individual consultations, we can help you become familiar with career development information, issues, and theories as they relate to your students and the material. 

If an employer contacts you, please refer them to our office at 814-898-6164, recruitbehrend@psu.edu. Or, if they'd like to post a job/internship, please feel free to refer them to Nittany Lion Recruiting.

Student Referrals
Class Visits/Presentations
Resources
Student Services
Internships, Experiential Education, and Co-ops
On-Campus Recruiting
Salaries and Placement Rates
A Faculty Guide to Ethical and Legal Standards in Student Hiring
What Can a Faculty Member Say or Write?
Suggested Guidelines for Reference Givers
Reference Tips
Letters of Reference

Referring Students to the CDC 

Below are some of the most common questions posed to faculty members. Many of these questions can be answered directly through the CDC Student Services page, and all of the following questions can be answered by a CDC staff member. Please feel free to refer any of your students that might ask these or similar career-related questions. 

• What can I do with a job in...? 

• How can I find an internship? 

• Where do I go to find a full-time job?

• How do I register with the Career Development Center? 

• How do I interview with the companies that come to Behrend? or to University Park? or to Harrisburg (Capital College)?

• What can I say to employers when they ask me about John Doe's abilities?

• What types of employment agencies are there and what do they do? 

• Students who are not sure about their career path/major should be referred to Mary Beth McCarthy.  Students who are exploring internships and job posting should be referred to Andrew Watters.

Class Visits and Presentations

We welcome the opportunity to come into your classes to offer instruction on various career planning and job search topics. If you plan to cancel a class, call the CDC. We may be able to do a presentation and take attendance for you instead!  We ask that you contact the Career Development Center to schedule these presentations two weeks prior to the preferred visit. 

Topics may include, but are not limited to, Career and Life Planning Process, Resumes/Cover Letters, Internships and Experiential Education, Job and Graduate School Search, and What Employers Want. Faculty have also utilized our services including finding occupational information, attending an employer presentation or scheduling a mock interview, to serve as optional assignments. If you have an interest in this opportunity as an option for your students please contact the CDC to confirm these arrangements.

Resources

Books, videos, CD ROMs, and reference materials regarding occupations, potential employers, geographic regions, career planning strategies, interviewing, and portfolios are available in the CDC.  Many resources are available for a one-week borrowing period for students AND faculty.  The CDC also has a work-station to use the materials in the office.

Faculty may want to use CDC handouts and manual as part of their courses. While we are willing to share our materials with faculty and students, we are not in a position to provide large quantities of these handouts. We can provide a master copy of individual handouts for reproduction through your department.

We appreciate updates to our career/job-related links. Also, visit our link to jobs/internships in major companies and organizations. 

CDC Student Services 

The CDC offers a variety of career-related services to the students of Penn State Erie, from career exploration and planning to internships and job and graduate school preparation. Any currently enrolled, full-time student has access to the following services free-of-charge. Even alumni of Penn State Erie are offered these services free-of-charge for one year following graduation. All others are charged an hourly fee of $25 per hour for one-on-one counselor time. Access to job listings are provided to all Penn State Erie alumni at no cost. Faculty are often also e-mailed copies of job and internship postings postings. If you wish to receive e-mails and have not, (or vice versa) please e-mail recruitbehrend@psu.edul. The web-based on-campus recruiting system requires a registration fee.  Alumni should contact the CDC for current details. A list of these services is available on the CDC Student Services page. Please refer students and alumni to Andrew Watters for job search preparation.

Internships

At Penn State Behrend, an internship is a professional, career-related experience in an organizational setting for which the student may receive academic credit. The amount of time spent by the student at the internship location is approximately 10-12 hours during the academic year and 10-40 hours during the summer. However, alternative schedules are possible and would depend on the needs and expectations of the parties involved. 

The parties involved would include the student intern, a faculty adviser, and the intern supervisor from the sponsoring organization. The CDC will not place students in internships, but enable the student to obtain an internship by providing contacts and postings. Many internships in non-technical fields (and some in technical fields) are not paid. Employers expect students to have experience before they begin their job search, therefore the career-related experience is valuable. Also, we welcome discussion regarding internships with various companies, suggestions on companies to contact, and faculty discussion with current or potential intern employers.

Please visit the Internship page for more information. Also, visit our link to jobs/internships in major companies and organizations. If you have a company that you'd like us to add, please e-mail at the address below.

Faculty are often e-mailed copies of internship postings. If you wish to receive these e-mails and have not, (or vice versa) please e-mail recruitbehrend@psu.edu. Please refer students to Andrew Watters for internship search preparation.

Career-related Experience (Non-credit Internship)

The CDC can also assist students with finding career-related experiences, often called non-credit internships. Many employers may provide varied levels of financial compensation, or no financial compensation for these experiences. We can also assist students with their summer job search. LionLink, a service coordinated through University Park, is also a great way for students to get career advice and network with Alumni.

Co-ops

Co-ops are not the same as internships. Although many colleges and employers define co-ops differently, a co-op at Behrend is coordinated is often over two or more semesters. Many co-ops are often taken outside of the Penn State Erie area and may lengthen the student's college career by a semester or a year. The CDC staff can assist with locating possible co-op sites, but does not coordinate the individual programs.

Reference Guidelines

How many times have you been asked to write a letter of recommendation for a student? It can be a time consuming process. Here are some tips:

• Write a generic letter of recommendation that would apply to any student from a particular major. 

•  Address your letter to "Dear Employer" to avoid writing multiple copies of the same letter.

• Discuss the content with the student to then create a focused letter for a job or graduate school that is appropriate.

• What can I say?: There are many legal pitfalls with letters of recommendation. It is sometimes very difficult to walk the line between saying something about a potential candidate's abilities and what can be labeled as slander. 

On-Campus Recruiting 

The on-campus recruiting program operates from mid-September until early December for the fall semester and from mid-January until late April for the spring semester. Click here for the schedule. Each year employers from all over the United States visit Penn State Erie to acquire well-trained, highly motivated students for careers with their organizations. Our on-campus recruitment system allows pre-screening of candidates prior to the visit. Students can also access the University Park and Harrisburg recruiters though this system.

Each year our office sends letters to employers asking whether they are interested in coming to Behrend to recruit current graduates. To add an organization to our list, please call us at 814-898-6164. Requests for an on-campus recruiting visit can be taken over the phone. However, we would prefer at least two weeks of lead time to advertise job openings and schedule visits. Interested employers can call 814- 898-6164..