Griff Center Student Support

Our focus in The Griff Center for Student Success is to help you to discern the career path that is right for you by building on your strengths and interests.  
 

• The Strong Interest Inventory is a tool to help organize your interests around six themes.  It is ideal for helping you link your interests to majors and careers.  

Contact the Griff Center career team for more information about how these tools can help you. You may call 716.888.2174 or stop in to Horan O'Donnell 014. 

Professional Headshot Studio

Students can elevate their LinkedIn or Handshake profile by using our Professional Headshot Studio. The studio is open from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. No appointment is necessary. 

Click on the buttons below to access our application material development guides.

Resume Guide

Learn what it takes to write a resume from sctrach! This guide highlights important sections to include, showcases templates, and focuses on articulating your strengths through action-oriented statements.

Curriculum Vitae Guide

A CV is commonly used in the sciences, academia, as well as for applying to opportunities abroad. This document tends to be lengthier than a resume, due to the differences in structure and detail.

Professional Correspondence Guide

Learn how to write a cover letter, a propecting letter, and a thank you note that will increase your chances of being called for an interview and/or being hired.

What can I do with a major in...? 

Undecided? Looking to switch your major? Check out this University of Tennessee guide to exploring majors and what you can do post-grad. 

Handshake

Connect with employers that want to #hireagriff! Complete your Career Interests to personalize the platform. Check out hundreds of internships, part-time jobs and full-time jobs right through MyCanisius. Register for on- and off-campus information sessions, workshops, networking events and career fairs. 

Internships offer students an opportunity to work within an organization and to gain hands on experience. Internships offer students a means to explore career fields and to gain a variety of work related, lifetime skills.
Canisius supports professional internship programs that focus on quality, engagement, and professionalism. We work as a liaison for employers to help them connect to our students and recruit top talent for their organizations.
Here are some important facts that you need to know:

• All majors can participate
• The Griff Center for Student Success advertises internship opportunities for all students through Handshake 
• Credit approval and requirements vary by major or concentration and some academic departments work with organizations directly to help place students in specific internships, if they qualify
• Sponsors include profit and non-profit organizations in diverse industries, and can be done for credit or non-credit and can be paid or unpaid

PAID INTERNSHIPS are an agreement between the intern and employer for a specified period of time. Best practices for paid internships include:

•    Providing real work assignments
•    Training & orientation programs
•    Team involvement
•    Opportunities for project work & presentations
•    Engagement with a variety of management levels 
•    Productive feedback and evaluation

Compensation and length of paid internships vary. In general, most paid internships run 8-12 weeks and offer compensation at or above minimum wage.

UNPAID INTERNSHIPS must comply with the U.S. Department of Labor's Fair Labor Standards Act on Internship Programs. Unpaid internships must meet ALL of the following criteria:

1. The internship, even though it includes actual operation of the facilities of the employer, is similar to training which would be given in an educational environment;
2. The internship experience is for the benefit of the intern;
3. The intern does not displace regular employees, but works under close supervision of existing staff;
4. The employer that provides the training derives no immediate advantage from the activities of the intern; and on occasion its operations may actually be impeded;
5. The intern is not necessarily entitled to a job at the conclusion of the internship; and
6. The employer and the intern understand that the intern is not entitled to wages for the time spent in the internship.

INTERNSHIPS FOR COLLEGE CREDIT may be pursued by students completing an unpaid internship. The academic departments manage internships receiving academic credit. If you are interested in receiving academic credit for an internship, eligibility requirements and program prerequisites, determined by your academic department, will need to be met.

Credit requirements and procedures for credit approval of internships vary by academic department.

• Arts and Sciences students should first consult the department chair in their major, or academic advisor for credit eligibility requirements, and department guidelines and procedures.
• Business students can first contact Laura McEwen, at @email. 

If you know you are eligible to earn credit and you have the option to search for opportunities listed outside your department, the Griff Center for Student Success can assist you through the search process. However, the internship selection will need to be approved by your academic department in order to register for credit. All credit internships are completed under the supervision of a faculty member and require that a learning agreement be completed.

Ready to start your internship search? 

Search Handshake! Handshake is the College's platform for posting all internship opportunities, in addition to full-time and part-time jobs. You can also use Handshake to sign up for on-campus interviews, and register for information sessions, career fairs, and more! 

Come see a member of the Griff Center so we can help you develop the best action place for your search. Come see us in Old Main 013, or call (716) 888-2170 to schedule an appointment.

Are you looking to advance your career? The Griff Center for Student Success can provide advice on applying to graduate or professional school in a variety of ways including: helping you evaluate whether to go now or later, identify graduate programs that suit your career goals, assist with your application, review your application essay, and conduct a practice interview. Below is an ideal graduate school search timetable if you are planning on pursuing graduate school immediately after receiving your undergraduate degree:

JUNIOR YEAR, FALL AND SPRING
•    Research areas of interest, institutions, and programs
•    Talk to advisers about application requirements
•    Register and prepare for appropriate graduate admission tests
•    Investigate national scholarships
•    If appropriate, obtain letters of recommendation

JUNIOR YEAR, SUMMER
•    Take required graduate admission tests
•    Write for application materials
•    Visit institutions of interest, if possible
•    Write your application essay
•    Check on application deadlines and rolling admissions policies

SENIOR YEAR, FALL
•    Obtain letters of recommendation
•    Take graduate admission tests if you haven't already
•    Send in completed applications

SENIOR YEAR, SPRING
•    Complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), if required
•    Check with all institutions before the deadline to make sure your file is complete
•    Visit institutions that accept you
•    Send a deposit to your institution of choice
•    Notify other colleges and universities that accepted you of your decision so that they may admit students on their waiting list
•    Send thank-you notes to people who wrote your recommendation letters, informing them of your success

KEY POINTS
•    Apply between October and December even if the deadline isn't until January or even if the program offers rolling admission.  Most admissions offices make decisions as the applications come in. 
•    Take your entrance exam in your junior year, if possible. Get the admissions committee to look at your folder before the crush of applicants. 

Stop in and meet with a member of The Griff Center for Student Success team in Old Main 013 or call 716-888-2170 to schedule an appointment to discuss your graduate school plans.