As a valued member of the UMKC family, we are excited to have you as a partner in your student’s career development. Our goal is to build relationships with students and alumni to help them achieve career success. Please see an overview of our programs and services so you can best support your student’s career development. Interested in learning how you can support your student with their career search? Check out the resources we have for you.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
When should my student start working with the Bloch Career Center?
We would love to meet your student as soon as they arrive on campus! The earlier a student starts working with the Bloch Career Center, the better! This gives our staff a chance to understand their career goals, provide coaching necessary for a successful internship/full-time search, and connect them with employers.
Is an internship required?
Undergraduate academic programs in the Bloch School do not have a required internship. With that said, we cannot emphasize enough, the importance of an internship when it comes to career development. Not only is there a strong likelihood that it could lead to a full-time offer, it also helps the student learn what they like, and what they don’t like in a professional setting. Most companies start recruiting for internships the fall semester BEFORE the summer when the internship is offered. Attending events such as career fairs, information sessions, corporate days, and on-campus interviews are all opportunities to start the networking process for an internship.
What resources are available to my student?
One of the most valuable tools our office uses is Handshake. Handshake is a comprehensive career management platform that connects students with our office and employers. As soon as a student is enrolled at UMKC, an account is automatically created for them in Handshake in which they will activate by logging in with their username and password.
1:1 career coaching is essential for successful career development. The Bloch Career Center Team is here to help coach students through a variety of topics and to connect them with employers. Students can simply make an appointment with a member of our team via Handshake.
The academic year is filled with a robust schedule of workshops, panels, career fairs, on-campus interviews, site visits, and more!
How often should my student see the Bloch Career Center?
We understand that each year is different and the needs of each student is different. Their freshman year is full of a lot of change: Time management, for some, living away from home, learning to set their own boundaries, making new friends, and not knowing quite what they want to study or what kind of career they would like to have. This is normal! While we would love to work with your student starting day 1, we know that isn’t the case as they adjust to being in college. But, we do encourage students to be engaged and involved in classes and student organizations. These experiences will help them gain a better idea of what they would like to do.
During their sophomore year, they should be interacting with our office in some capacity. At the minimum, they should meet with a career coach to have their resume reviewed and formatted. Additionally, attending events such as workshops, employer information sessions, and even the career fair, will help them learn about different companies and gain an understanding of hiring timelines.
By the time a student is a junior, they should be in full internship-seeking mode! While an internship is not required for any of our undergraduate programs within the Bloch School, we highly encourage students to obtain an internship opportunity. Attending career events in the fall will give students the leading advantage to securing an opportunity. Many companies recruit for both internship and full-time opportunities, the fall before the position would start. With that said, there are still many opportunities being recruited for in the Spring. If we have students who don’t start at UMKC until the Spring, meeting with our office and attending career events in the Spring will be highly impactful.
Ideally, by the time senior year rolls around, students won’t have to worry about finding a full-time position because they would have received a full-time offer from their internship. However, we know that not all students have internships and not all internships convert to full-time. Not only attending career events will be critical, but meeting 1:1 with our team to coach a student through the process is essential.
