Students and Alumni
To work with HFC Career Services, students and alumni use HFC Handshake for job, informational, and research needs.
The Career Services team is here to help you in your professional development. Learn more about the tools available to help you succeed.
Explore Career Fields
- Discover career options that connect well with your chosen major
- Perform targeted industry, company, and career research
- Analyze your job outlook for Southeast Michigan, the region, or nationwide
- Find information about work-study programs while you are in college
Prepare for a Job
- Prepare résumés, cover letters, references, applications, and other job search materials
- Learn interview strategies and techniques
- Find resources for career exploration and research
- Improve and expand networking and professional development skills
Connect with Employers
- Connect directly with employers through on-campus recruiting, job fairs, career expos, and on-campus or remote interviewing
- Use Handshake, our online career services management system, as your home base for all your career needs
Explore Career Fields
Career Services recommends specific tools to help you explore the career options available for your program of study. We invite you to use these tools and then bring your results to us to discuss your options and your potential path.
Career Overview Resource
My Next Move.org: My Next Move is an interactive tool for job seekers and students to learn more about your career options. My Next Move has tasks, skills, salary information, and other resources for more than 900 careers. You can find careers through keyword search; by browsing industries that employ different types of workers; or through the O*NET Interest Profiler, a tool that offers personalized career suggestions based on your interests and work experience. This site can give you a great overview of careers that may be a fit for you.
U.S. News and World Report
U.S. News and World Report: An independent source for data on all aspects of career exploration. This publication regularly ranks jobs and careers on a variety of categories that can help you clarify and optimize your career path.
Job Shadow
Job Shadow With Job Shadow, you can read real interviews and information from people as they talk about their careers.
Deep Dive Research
The Occupational Outlook Handbook: The Occupational Outlook Handbook (OOH) is an online career guidance resource that provides information on hundreds of occupations in the United States. Updated every two years by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the OOH allows you to explore different aspects of occupations in detail.
Glassdoor: Glassdoor helps you find information from current and former employees about their employer. Get company-specific feedback on salary, interviewing, and what it is like to work at the listed companies. Glassdoor also offers job posting and company profiles. HFC students and alumni can receive free, unlimited access.
Prepare for a Job
The Career Services team can help you through these free resources:
- One-on-one meetings with experienced Career Services team members
- Workshops and career information sessions
- Career assessments and testing
- Résumé and job search document reviews
- Upload your résumé to Handshake under the Documents tab; we will send you customized feedback
- Mock interviews and interview preparation
- Computer lab and career research assistance
- Walk-in assistance
- Resource library
- Career guidance and planning
Connect with Employers
The Career Services team offers many networking opportunities and events throughout the year, including:
Fall Career Expo: Largest recruiting event of the year. The Fall Career Expo usually includes 75+ employers and offers the greatest exposure to meet with employers who are eager to hire HFC students and alumni.
Targeted Mini-Job Fairs: Fall and Winter semesters. Career Services hosts a variety of career-specific fairs including Health Careers, Nursing, Criminal Justice, Business and Computer Technology, and much more. Check the electronic displays on campus, the HFC website event listings, and the Job Leads website (announcements section) for events.
Networking and one-on-one events: Career Services works to provide opportunities for you to network with potential employers. This could be hosting a networking event or providing contacts for informational interviews. (This is different from a typical interview. An Informational Interview allows you to gather information about a position or career. See attachment below.)
Work Study
College work-study is part-time, on-campus employment for students while taking classes. You are usually limited to working 15–20 hours per week during the regular school year (fall and winter semesters) and 28 hours per week during summer sessions, provided that funds and jobs are available. Generally, you earn minimum wage for the hours you work.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I take classes while I work?
To be eligible for work-study, you must take a minimum of six credit hours per semester. If you drop below six credit hours, you will not be able to continue your work-study appointment.
Is there a minimum age to work on campus?
You must be 18 years or older to be eligible for work-study.
How do I apply for work-study funding?
When you complete your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for the coming year, indicate that you would like to receive work-study. Not everyone who requests work-study will receive it, because the College has a limited number of jobs and funds to distribute.
If you receive your award letter and work-study is awarded for a semester(s), you should proceed to looking for a specific work-study position on campus.
How can I view available work-study jobs?
Work-study positions are posted along with off-campus positions in Handshake. Only students who are eligible for work-study will be able to apply for these positions. All work-study positions will have HFC Career Services listed as your Employer. If you see a position that interests you, follow the instructions to apply.
I’ve been awarded work-study funding. How can I apply for a work-study job?
You must have work-study funding before you apply for a work-study position. Log into HFC Self-Service, and view your financial aid award letter to confirm that you received work-study funding for the semester in which you are applying. You will need the dollar amount when you fill out your application.
Some positions require a specific knowledge or skill set, and when no qualified applicants with work-study funding are identified, the position is opened to other students. All applicants must remain enrolled with a minimum of six credits per semester.
Instructions for applying to a work-study job:
- Log in to Handshake, and locate the Work-Study Application on your Student homepage screen. NOTE: You may see a dialog window or banner that requests permission to use the resource. Allow permission.
- Add text to complete your On-Campus Work-Study Application.
- When you have completed the two-page application, save the application as a document.
- Upload your saved document to your Documents tab in Handshake under the On-Campus Work-Study Student Employment Application section (similar to uploading a résumé).
Handshake allows you to customize different applications. If you only have one application, this will be the default application used each time you apply for an on-campus position. When you apply to a position, the department that posted the position will receive your application. They will contact you for an interview if they feel you might be a good match for the job. Job interviews do not guarantee that you will get the job. You are free to apply for more than one position at a time.