Identify your requested topic from the list below or suggest a customized topic.
A typical class presentation is designed for 50 minutes but can be adjusted for a shorter/longer presentation length, as needed.**
**NOTE: All the topics are available for anyone requesting a presentation (whether that be a class, student organization, group event, etc.). Some topics, however, are designed with a particular classification/year of study in mind or are most popular with that population; if so, they will be indicated by parentheses in the title.
Overview of Career Services (First-Year Favorite)
· This presentation is designed to provide a general overview of the services and resources available to students and alumni, through all stages of their career development. Additional topics, such as building one’s first resume, locating part-time job opportunities on-campus and off-campus, and using Handshake for the first time, will be discussed.
Find Your Fit: Exploring Your Career Options (First-Year Favorite)
· This presentation outlines the career decision-making and planning processes (Explore, Connect, Launch) while providing students with an overview of helpful tools (like Focus 2, What Can I Do With This Major, etc.) to explore options for careers and majors. The relationship between academic major fit and life-long career success is also emphasized.
Developing and Showcasing Marketable Skills to Become Career Ready (First-Year Favorite)
· This presentation is designed to discuss the skills valued by employers that can be applied in a variety of work settings. These skills can be either primary or complementary to an academic major and are acquired by students through education, including curricular and extracurricular activities. Particularly, we’ll cover the Texas State University Career Competencies, such as communication, leadership, and professionalism. The Texas State online "marketable skills search" tool, specific for each major, will be discussed. This presentation is popular with student organizations and can be tailored to specific degrees at times, too.
First Job in College: The Basics for Finding a Part-Time Job (First-Year Favorite)
· This presentation, typically targeted for first-year students, is focused on providing students the basic foundations of how to navigate their first part-time job search in college. Topics such as building one’s first resume, locating job opportunities on-campus and off-campus, and using Handshake for the first time will be discussed.
Plan Ahead for Career Success: Maximizing Experiential Opportunities (First-Year Favorite)
· This presentation is designed to help students learn about available opportunities for career development/exploration like pursuing internships, student organizations, volunteer work, research, job shadows, and more. We will cover the benefits of participating in these types of experiential education as well as detail the steps involved in identifying, pursuing, and maximizing these opportunities.
The Transformative Value of Internships
· This presentation highlights the transformative value of internships, detailing how they provide practical experience, skill development, and career exploration opportunities. Through data, the presentation will underscore the critical role that internships play in long-term career success. By attending, students will discover the importance of internships as part of the overall college experience, learn strategies for securing opportunities as a student, and understand the lasting impact of internships on their post-graduation success. This presentation is best suited for first- or second-year students.
Securing an Internship as a Bobcat
· This presentation provides college students with practical strategies for finding and securing internships, emphasizing the importance of preparation, networking, and leveraging resources like career fairs and platforms such as Handshake. By attending this presentation, students will learn to identify internship opportunities aligned with their career goals, be a competitive applicant in the internship search, and develop a plan to successfully secure a meaningful internship experience. This presentation is best suited for second- or third-year students.
Creating Resumes and Cover Letters
· This presentation is designed to share best practices for writing an effective resume and cover letter, while also sharing a general overview of the purpose and importance of these two career documents. This presentation is also designed to discuss the skills valued by employers that can be applied in a variety of work settings. These skills can be either primary or complementary to an academic major and are acquired by students through education, including curricular and extracurricular activities.
Networking, Making Career Connections & The Job-Search Process
· This presentation is designed to discuss the power of networking and utilizing tools/tips to showcase one’s best self. Topics could include building and maintaining a professional network, leveraging networking in the job search process, and portraying a professional brand online and in-person. Online investigation is only one part of a smart job-search strategy, so informational interviewing (i.e. talking to the people who work in the field) and networking will also be discussed.
* Note: this is not a workshop designed to be a how-to create/setup a profile on LinkedIn.
Preparing for a Career Fair
· This presentation is designed to cover tips on what a student needs to know for in-person, as well as virtual, job fairs – from getting ready for the event, to making a great impression, then following up afterward.
Acing the Interview
· This presentation is designed to share strategies and best practices to maximize the success of a job interview, whether the interview is by phone, video, or in-person.
College to Career: Professionalism in the Workplace
· This presentation is designed to offer some best practices and skills needed to transition from college student to professional. Topics could cover a range of practices and practical guidance that will address more common experiences students and graduates encounter in early careers such as email etiquette, appropriate use of business cards, social media practices, professional greetings/handshakes, networking, and various types of dress from business casual to business formal, professional habits and work ethic, and/or how one’s college experience provides numerous opportunities to develop skills that will lead to career success. This presentation is best suited for Junior, Senior, and Graduate Level Student.
Deciding on Graduate School
· This presentation is designed to address things to consider when thinking about whether or not to attend graduate school, and if doing so, how to decide on a graduate school or program (i.e. type, size, and location of the institution, cost of attendance, quality of faculty, specializations offered, facilities, and environment of the institution), and to discuss some of the steps in the application process.
Custom Topic - enter in field below…
