Student General

  • Treated like a real interview, you must show up 15 minutes prior to your appointment, dressed in business attire. We have a No-Show Policy that you should review.

  • RIght now we do not support walk in appointments, but you can schedule with your career advisor as early as the next day. Schedule your appointment here:

    Undergraduate Students: Schedule your Appointment Graduate Students: Schedule your Appointment
  • Career (aptitude) testing is done at Counseling & Psychological Services.

  • If you're looking for a campus job at KSU,  take a look at jobs posted in Handshake.

  • The Department of Career Planning & Development has policies in place to keep you responsible for attending appointments and meetings on time. There is also a policy for students who have to miss appointments or meetings, known as the "no show" policy. Read full policies here.

  • Many websites include job postings that are considered spam or fake. Read the information here to learn more about recognizing fake and scam job postings.

 

Student Handshake

  • At the beginning of each semester, all currently–enrolled students will be automatically set up in the Handshake database. In order to complete the registration process, you should log into Handshake by entering your KSU Net ID and password, and follow the instructions to complete your profile.

    New students will be set up in the Handshake database by the first day of classes for the semester. New students who initially register for classes during the Drop/Add period will be added to the database after the last day of Drop/Add.

    Alumni who graduated from KSU or SPSU prior to 2006 must complete this form to Register for Handshake.

  • Register your account and then print the homepage (name should be visible in the upper corner). 
  • In order to apply for a job in Handshake you must have an approved Resume and other approved documents (as needed) to apply.
  • Go into your Owl Express account to copy and paste your information into a Word document. Then remove sensitive information such as your Student ID#, Age, and Payment Information. Reduce the font size and change your margin settings to make it fit on the page, save as a Word or PDF document, and then upload into the Handshake system.

  • If your resume and/or document is not approved, you will receive an email with a list of adjustments needed. Once you have made those adjustments, RESUBMIT the document and if all adjustments were made, it should be approved. If you want to discuss an unapproved document, you may schedule an appointment (online options are available inside of your Handshake account) to meet with your career advisor or utilize our walk-in hours for further assistance.

    You can also read the Document Approval Rubric.

  • You may contact the Employer Relations Team at 470-578-2724 with any questions about job postings. If an employer’s information is listed in the posting you may contact them directly, but please feel free to consult with our office beforehand.

    Please also review the information on this page about scam job postings

Internships and Co-ops

  • To register for an internship/co-op course, you must first submit an application to use an internship or co-op opportunity for academic credit. Application information can be found on your college's career page, under the heading "how do I apply for academic credit?"

    Once an internship/co-op has been approved, you will receive an email with the CRN from CPD. These emails are sent to your email account.

    *NOTE: Receiving credit for an internship/co-op is equivalent to receiving credit for a class, so you will have to pay all associated tuition and fees for these credit hours. You may contact the Registrar’s Office for specific questions about costs associated with internship/co-op courses.*

  • Once you have submitted your internship/co-op application, you can check the status online or contact your Career and Internship Advisor.
  • A: You have until the last day of registration of each semester (in which you plan to intern/co-op) to apply for credit. Applicants must allow for up to 10 days for processing. Please do not wait until the last minute. It is highly recommended that you apply for credit the semester previous to the one you plan to intern/co-op. 

  • All internship and co-op courses are tuition and fee-bearing for-credit academic courses, except for COOP 2000 and ENGR 3398. As these are non-credit/audit courses with no academic requirements or tuition costs. A breakdown of tuition and fees based on the amount of credit hours taken is linked here.
     
    Under new federal guidelines, federal aid being used to pay tuition will only be applied to those required in your course program of study. Courses that are not eligible to be paid with federal student loans will be flagged in DegreeWorks and students will be notified.

    Please read the Course Program of Study and Awarding Policy by KSU Financial Aid in full prior to registering for an internship or co-op. 
     
    At this time COOP 2000 and ENGR 3398 are flagged as ineligible for federal student aid. However, there are not tuition costs associated with either of these courses as they are not credit-bearing.

  • In the Handshake Experience form, which serves as the application for internship/co-op credit, please respond appropriately to the specific question asking if you are an international student. Then, follow up with International Student and Scholar Services by contacting  ISSS@kennesaw.edu  to learn about the CPT/OPT process.

  • Yes! Remote internships will provide a slightly different experience, but it can still be a great option to gain experience. If you’re an international student, there may be certain limitations on your participation in remote internships. Please contact the International Student Scholar Services Office to get more information on your eligibility.

  • Most employers are making great strides to keep intern and employee safety a high priority. If you’re uncomfortable being in person, professionally express your concerns with your direct supervisor at the company. If you need help determining exactly what to say, contact your Career and Internship Advisor for help.

  • Yes! Begin your search in Handshake, to assist you in finding internship opportunities.

  • If you already have a job that you feel qualifies as a co–op or internship, review the qualifications for academic credit that are specific to your major. You must submit an application to CPD in Handshake to determine if your job qualifies.
  • Possibly. Contact your Career and Internship Advisor to discuss your exact situation.
  • Internship and co-op sites are assessing the impacts of COVID-19 daily. If your employer chooses to cancel your internship or co-op, ask if the offer can be deferred until Fall to still give you the opportunity to participate in a future semester. Next, ask if there are any projects you can work on remotely. Project experience is a great line item to add to your resume. It will also show a great deal of grit and perseverance during this difficult time.
  • Check out the process for your specific major by visiting your college's page under the "College Specific Advisor Information" on the lefthand side of this page.
  • You can include the HR representative you’ve been in touch with and email your Career and Internship Advisor to update us with the supervisor as soon as you have it.
  • Communication is key! Email your Career and Internship Advisor and the faculty member assigned to your internship course as soon as possible to make them aware of your situation.

  • Congratulations! That’s a great problem to have! You’ll want to weigh the pros and cons of the offer you have and the one you’re waiting on. Does one more closely match your preferred job or location after graduation? Would one have a total compensation package that is significantly higher than the other? In terms of applying for academic credit, if you haven’t already had the job approved, move forward by completing an Experience form with your first offer. Then, email your Career and Internship Advisor and internship course faculty member to make them aware of your situation.

  • Please complete the Experience form in Handshake.

  • No (but congratulations on applying for a job/internship/co-op!). In order to get academic credit for your internship or co-op, you’ll need to fill out the Experience form in Handshake after you’ve accepted an internship/co-op offer.

  • Your internship or co-op should begin and end with the start and end dates for each semester, which can be found here. Some faculty may be more flexible on start and end dates. Therefore, reach out to them as soon as you know your dates don't align with the academic semester to get their permission.
  • Maybe, but keep in mind that KSU does not award retroactive credit. This means we cannot award academic credit for a past internship or co-op. However, if you’ve started an internship or co-op in the last 6 months and plan to continue working, check with your Career and Internship Advisor to see if you should apply for academic credit.

  • Contact the Education Abroad (educationabroad@kennesaw.edu) office before accepting an internship offer abroad. You can search for this type of internship under the "Jobs" tab in Handshake, GoAbroad.com, and GoOverseas.com. 

Resume Writing

  • A. It depends on how much relevant information you can provide in a clear and concise manner.

    The general rule is: 

    One page for recent college or post-college graduates.
    Two pages for 10+ years of professional experience in the field.
    Three pages for experienced professionals submitting a federal resume or curriculum vitae (CV). A CV is a special resume format most commonly used for academic, fine arts, medical, and legal job searches.

  •  No. The inclusion of an objective statement is optional. 

    The general rule is:

    If one is included, it should articulate the skills, abilities, and experiences you have that match the requirements needed for the position. It should not focus on the needs of the candidate, but those of the employer.

  • No. A separate document is created to list references.

    The general rule is:

    Three references are usually enough.
    References should include individuals who are familiar with your academic and/or work performance.
    Personal references (family and friends) are only used when specifically requested.
    Reference information should include: name, title, place of employment, mailing address, email address, and phone number.

  • A. No. The use of extremely large and/or flashy fonts is not recommended.

    The general rule is:

    Use one or two font sizes across the entire resume. A larger font size can be used for section headings. Standard font styles, such as Calibri (11), Arial (11), or Times New Roman (12) are recommended.

  • No. Most of the time.

    The general rule is:

    The use of personal pronouns (I, me, my, our, you, their, she, he) should be avoided.
    The use of I, me or my could be used in an objective statement.
    What is the best resume template to use?
    Resume templates are NOT recommended. Employers can immediately tell a resume template was used, and are usually not impressed.

    The general rule is:

    It is best to create a resume from scratch using a blank Microsoft Word document.
    Focus on style and format after you have written the content.

  • Usually not.

    The general rule is:

    Freshman level college students who have limited work experience may list outstanding achievements to demonstrate potential. This information should be removed once relevant skills have been gained through collegiate/work experiences.

  • There are different points of view on this issue, so it becomes a personal choice.

    Some general thoughts:

    Due to the increase of identity theft, it is acceptable to only list an email address and phone number. Others contend this information is readily available to the general public, so listing an address does not increase your risk.

  • Including a GPA is optional.

    The general rule is:

    Recent graduates should include a GPA of 3.0 or higher. If the overall GPA is not a 3.0 or higher, listing the major GPA if it is higher is an option. You must clearly distinguish whether you are reporting an overall or major GPA. It is important to be accurate because you may be asked to verify this information. GPAs are should not be rounded up. Job seekers who have related work experience and have been out of school for 3+ years do not need to include GPA.

  • Yes. Recent graduates who have completed relevant coursework or projects.

    The general rule is:

    Relevant courses and projects should be listed on the resume as a way to demonstrate academic and applied knowledge of the subject. Descriptions should highlight teamwork, writing skills, analytical abilities, etc. the employer is seeking. 

  • Yes. Employers are interested in knowing what non-acadmic experiences you have on and off campus.

    The general rule is:

    Include activities that will highlight leadership potential, interests, and the ability to manage multiple responsibilities.

Alumni

  • You will continue to have access to your student email for a year following graduation.
  • You will continue to have access to your Owl Express for a year following graduation.
  • Go to transcripts.kennesaw.edu to request an official copy of your transcript.