Main Responsibilities of a Career Counselor at Cal Poly SLO
A career counselor at California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo's main responsibilities involve collaborative, one-on-one support for students seeking career guidance, focusing on "exploration," internship opportunities, resume/cover letter development, interview preparation, and graduate school applications. The role uniquely blends career advising with counseling, encouraging self-reflection through questions about "what they value and what are their interests and what are they good at" to personalize support.
Career Exploration, Job Search Strategies, Resume and Cover Letter Writing, Interview Preparation, Graduate School Application Support
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
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Traits
Travis Raynaud
Career Counselor
California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo
California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo
Masters in Counseling and Guidance for Higher Education
Psychology
Coaching, Speaking & Writing, Education
Education
Pell Grant Recipient, Worked 20+ Hours in School, Transfer Student, First Generation College Student
Video Highlights
1. Career counselors work collaboratively with students to achieve their career goals, focusing on exploration of career paths and internship opportunities.
2. A significant part of the role involves helping students develop essential job search tools like resumes, cover letters, and interview skills through mock interviews.
3. The role extends beyond job searching to include guidance on further education such as master's or PhD programs, offering support with applications and personal statements.
Transcript
Q2: Main responsibilities
What are your main responsibilities within your current role as a career counselor?
What's really cool about being a career counselor is that students don't have to come to me. At a university, many roles require you to make an appointment with your financial aid advisor or counselor to get your financial aid package or whatever. Those are great, but I really like that as a career counselor, students choose to meet with me because they want career support.
This makes it a much more collaborative relationship between myself and the student, as we work together to achieve their career goals. The main things that tend to come up are exploration: what career paths can they pursue with their given major? It's also about what types of internships they can pursue to help build experience.
A lot of that career support involves the tools students use, like developing their resume, practicing writing cover letters, and interview preparation. I conduct mock interviews with students. Some students also use a career counselor while in undergrad to pursue their next degree, whether that be a master's or a PhD.
This includes reviewing their personal statements or looking at their grad school applications. These are some of the things I meet with students about. But the cool part, which is still rooted in counseling, is that if a student is trying to find an internship or see what they can do with their degree, it's still a counseling relationship.
I ask questions that I expect the student to reflect upon and think about what they value, what their interests are, and what they are good at. Then I can ask those questions and get to know them better so I can customize the support I provide for them.
So, day to day, the main function of my role is working one-on-one with students. There's a lot more to it like planning events and hosting workshops, but most of what being a career counselor is, is working one-on-one with students.