SNC Offers Students a Wealth of Career-Prep Opportunities

More than 90 percent of St. Norbert grads routinely report being employed, in graduate school or doing service work within nine months of graduation. One of the reasons behind this impressive statistic is that the college offers students a wealth of career preparation opportunities.

One signature piece: a four-year, themed plan for career readiness, created by the Academic Advising & Career Development Center. Here’s what it entails.

Freshman year: Explore
During a student’s first year on campus, they should take time to explore the world of work to try and determine what they really want to study and do.

“This is when they start getting to know themselves, their skills, their personality and more,” says Kristen Schiedermayer, a career counselor.


If they’re not sure of their career path, the office offers assessments like the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator.



Schiedermayer and her colleagues will also help students get set up on HandShake, the college’s recruiting platform, create a LinkedIn account, and convert their high school resumes into ones suited for their eventual job hunt.  

Sophomore year: Prepare
This is the time for students to start researching internship possibilities, although they don’t necessarily need to obtain one. It’s also a good idea to try an on-campus job or do volunteer work.

“Students should continue building their resume in some way, both on and off campus,” Schiedermayer says. 



Students also need to begin some occupational research, which will inform them of the types of jobs that exist in their field and whether they’ll need to go to graduate school. 

Junior year: Execute
Things start to get more serious by a student’s third year in college. Students should attend the Career, Internship and Graduate School Fair, then pursue their favored internship (internships for credit are available at the college, too).

The school also offers an Etiquette Dinner to teach proper dining etiquette. While the dinner is open to everyone on campus, students should make sure to attend by their junior year. It's also a good idea for students to work towards a leadership role in their preferred club or activity.



Senior year: Achieve
Senior year is the time to take part in mock job interviews. Students should also invest in professional clothing, select references for their resume and start applying for jobs as early as the fall semester.

“This is also the year they network with a real purpose,” says Meghan Walsh, executive director of academic and career advising and development, noting students should continue to attend career fairs so they can meet with employers and better understand the various industries and job opportunities.

The single best way students can position themselves for success, though, is to meet with a career counselor every semester during their entire time on campus.

“That’s our number one message to parents,” Walsh says. “Make sure your students are meeting with us once a semester and develop a relationship with us. And keep asking them, ‘What’s your plan? What do you want to be doing after graduation?’ Because if they wait until a week after graduation to start thinking about it, it’s much more difficult to help.”

Updated March 2025