Who am I? What do I want to do? Where do I want to do it? Why do I want to do it? If you have asked yourself any or all of the above questions, the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and the Strong Interest Inventory Testing Software will help you find the "right" answers and your "calling." In conjunction with Counseling Services, the Vocatio Center offers the MBTI and Strong Testing Instruments to assist you with career exploration/planning and with understanding your unique personality traits. Additionally, the MBTI and Strong will help you relate those traits to a variety of majors and careers. Contact the Vocatio Center (x5421) or Counseling Services (x5322) to make an appointment. This service is offered to current Union students only.
Individual appointments are available to students needing to discuss personal career concerns. We can support you in exploring opportunities, expanding options, and developing an understanding of your skills, workstyle, and values that will provide a "unique" career plan as you make choices about your worklife.
To get started, stop by the Career Resource Library to pick up a "Resume Guideline" or follow the links below to access the appropriate Résumé Guideline for your discipline. You can then formulate a résumé that focuses specific attention on your education, skills and other aspects of your background. You may attend any of the résumé workshops offered throughout the semester or you may make an appointment with the Vocatio Center director or assistant director to assist you with the content and the formatting of your résumé. The following information packets have been developed to help you with your document development. Please review the information in one of the following appropriate packets before you begin typing your first draft.
Additionally, the Vocatio Center office has designed and implemented a new online résumé database whereby you can submit your résumé for upload to our web site. Select employers have access to the site and will be able to review your credentials. This new service serves as our résumé referral medium. If you are a current student or alum of Union University and would like to utilize this service, simply contact our office by e-mail or phone. We will be happy to meet with you for an intake interview and to help you finalize your résumé for upload to our web site. To access the "Student Login" page to upload your résumé, contact the Vocatio Center for your unique student password. Your résumé must be approved by the Vocatio Center before you receive a password.
Career Development WorkshopsWe offer a wide variety of workshops focused on career development. Workshops focused on preparing a résumé; interviewing skills; salary negotiations; discipline-specific topics for business, athletic training, education, and English majors; as well as presentations on goal setting, Vocatio Center overview, graduate school preparation, business etiquette, etc. are included in the event schedule on an annual basis. Pre-registration is required to attend. Review our Calendar of Events for details, then simply call or stop by the the Vocatio Center to register. All students and alumni are welcome to participate.
Do you want to learn more about what prospective employers look for in candidates at all levels and the questions you can expect to be asked? Discover how preparation, appearance, communication skills, and follow-up strategies can turn an interview into a job offer. You may attend a workshop offered on interview skills, or make an appointment with one of the career counselors for tips as well as schedule a mock interview. Interviewing Tips (.pdf: Last Updated: 31-Jan-12)
The Career Resource Library houses an up-to-date collection of books, videotapes, periodicals, employers and company profiles, school district information and graduate information from other institutions. In addition, the Career Resource Library houses three (3) PCs that allow students to research companies, type and edit their résumés, as well as search for full- and part-time jobs as well as internships.
Internships are career-related work experiences that provide you with the opportunity to apply the skills and knowledge acquired in the classroom to 'real world' work situations. They provide you with an opportunity to test out a career field of interest by gaining first-hand knowledge and exposure to the career field and its related industry. You can obtain academic credit for internships. Internships differ according to individual department policy. Please see your department advisor for more details.
Many employers come to campus to interview candidates. To participate in these interviews, you must have a Referral Authorization Form (.pdf) and an updated résumé on file with the Vocatio Center. Interview schedules are prepared which list the employers, their interview date(s), their majors of interest, company requirements and specific instructions for signing up for interviews. Interview notices are posted campus-wide as well as on the Vocatio Center web site under Calendar of Events. Interviewing Tips (.pdf: Last Updated: 31-Jan-12)
NOTICE: Because a significant amount of time goes into scheduling employers for on-campus interviewing, reviewing résumés, interviewing preparation, etc., an interviewee's cancellation of an on-campus interview without proper notice (at least one week in advance of the interview) and without legitimate reason (i.e. illness) will result in the interviewee's forfeiture of all on-campus interviewing privileges.
Career UCareer U is an innovative, but academic approach to career planning and preparation focused on life calling. Career U consists of a series of hands-on workshops/sessions aimed at converting the average student into a savvy, successful career professional. Explaining the "hows" and "whys" of many exciting career-related subjects, these workshops provide the first steps to obtaining that dream job. Also, Career U includes a mini career fair and information sharing opportunities to discuss career goals and to enhance networking. Dynamic presenters from around the region come to share their expertise and career know-how. Career U is offered during the month of October annually and is FREE to all students. LEARN MORE
Career FairsThe Vocatio Center hosts and/or participates in four major Career fairs during the year-Career "U"niversity hosted by Union University's Vocatio Center; the Job Market, hosted on a three-year rotating schedule by Union, Lambuth, and Freed-Hardeman Universities; the Graduate and University Fair, hosted by Lambuth University; and the Teacher Expo, scheduled for late spring of each year and hosted by Union University's Vocatio Center. All students, seniors and juniors especially, are encouraged to participate in all career fairs because unlimited opportunities for professional internships, and part-time/full-time employment are available. An annual gathering of various employers and the biggest recruiting event of the year, the Job Market (tJM) is sponsored by a consortium of four local universities and colleges. Visit the Job Market web site to find out more!
In order to participate in on-campus interviews, or have your résumé emailed or faxed to corporations, you must complete a Referral Authorization Form (.pdf) and return it to us with an updated resume.
The Vocatio Center can provide you with assistance in finding and applying to graduate and professional schools. We can also help you in writing essays for your applications. To register for the MAT, contact Union University's Testing Office at 731.661.5309. To register for the GRE, GMAT, or MCAT, contact the Testing Office at Lambuth University at 731.425.3297. For all other tests, please visit the appropriate links on the Internet Resources page.
To register for the MAT, contact Union University's Testing Office at 731.661.5309. For all other tests, please visit the appropriate links on the Internet Resources page.
The Servant Leadership Award (SLA), formerly the Union Service Grant (USG), is a financial gift awarded to students with demonstrated academic and/or leadership potential. This award enables students to serve alongside faculty and staff in university offices and departments in order to establish career development opportunities.
"The mission of the Servant Leadership Award is to create servant leaders (Matthew 20:26-28) by helping students understand more clearly who God has made them to be and to assist them in discovering the opportunities in this world to live out their uniqueness. Our goal is to help students achieve this through: (1) practical (real-world) service, (2) career service, and/or (3) community service."
What Can I Do With This MAJOR?
A convenient website that helps you connect majors with careers. For each major that interests you, choose "either the PDF or HTML version" to find an outline of common career areas, typical employers, and strategies designed to maximize career opportunities. Choose "Links" to find a list of websites that provide information about listed majors and related careers.
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