Career Peer Advisor Program
The Career Peer Advisor Program is a year-long internship experience for undergraduates to work as paraprofessionals in the office of Career Services.
Program Mission Statement
To provide an opportunity for students to develop professional skills, to gain self awareness, and to increase confidence in applying knowledge of the career development process to their own life/career decisions while simultaneously supporting the University at Buffalo community through quality peer-to-peer interaction.
Career Peer Advisors' Contributions
- Give Career Services presentations to freshman experience courses and the campus community.
- Work individually with students in the Career Resource Library.
- Provide resume and cover letter critiques, job/internship search assistance, and information on major and career exploration during Express Career Consult hours.
- Participate in career events, workshops, and job fairs.
- Outreach to students regarding office events and programs.
- Much more!
Career Peer Advisors Gain
- 3 internship credits during the fall semester; the potential for a paid position during the spring semester.
- Resume writing/critiquing skills.
- Presentation skills.
- Helping, interpersonal and communication skills.
- Opportunity to become involved in special interest areas.
- Development of a personal career plan.
- Individualized career mentoring and coaching from dedicated career counselors and program administrators.
Eligibility and Application Process
This is a great experience for students interested in careers in higher education, counseling, teaching and communication, but if you are looking to get involved, develop public speaking skills, and help your fellow students, then this also might be a great experience for you. Students have participated from a range of majors including business, urban planning, communication, psychology, social sciences interdisciplinary, sociology and others.
- To be eligible, you must be able to dedicate a full academic year (fall and spring semester) to the program.
- You must be an undergraduate student. Preference is typically given to upperclassmen but star sophomores are certainly encouraged to apply!
- Candidates must possess excellent written and oral communication skills and the ability to work closely with others.
- A GPA of 3.0 or higher is preferred.
Meet our 2012-2013 Career Peer Advisors!
Emily Dart
I am currently a junior from Bellmore, NY pursuing a major in Linguistics with a minor in Sociology. In addition to working at Career Services I am also the president of Delta Phi Epsilon sorority.
I sought out this internship to get a better understanding of the career decision making process and become acclimated to a professional office setting. My advice is to not be afraid of the unknown. It's okay to change your mind and do what you like. Use your college years to get involved and learn about yourself!
Working in Career Services has been the best experience I could have asked for. The Career Peer Advisor Program is more than just a resume builder and networking opportunity; it has given me transferrable skills that I can apply to many facets of my life. I love the people I work with and I've gained so much confidence in terms of my reading, writing, interpersonal, and public speaking abilities.
Claire Kerstein
I am currently a senior from Rochester NY double majoring in Communication and Community and Mental Health.
My advice about the decision making process is always weigh out all of the options and look at the big picture. Do what is right for you, and do not just base your decisions solely upon one factor. It is okay to change your mind.
What I enjoy about the peer program is that I love interacting with other students and being involved with the campus community. By critiquing resumes and cover letters, I am learning valuable skills for my future. The UBE101 presentations are helping me increase my confidence level and are helping me really grow and develop as a person.
Ali Schwartz
I'm from Brooklyn, NY and I am currently a Junior enrolled in UB's School of Management.
The steps to finding out what career you want to pursue is a decision making process. My advice is this process is not one that happens in the blink of an eye, it requires time and dedication. As a result, you will find yourself immersed on a path where ultimate happiness will follow. Don't rush this process! Appreciate it.
The Career Peer Advisor Program has taught me so much it's hard to verbalize! I have not only been able to strengthen my public speaking and professional skills, but it has given me this strong understanding of the career development process. Initially, I took the opportunity for an experience and a resume builder. Yet, the program has led to constant interactions with diverse groups of people and in addition, the program continues to create lifelong friendships that I am grateful for.
Andrew Tan
As a senior Business student from Singapore in the School of Management pursuing Finance and International Business double concentrations as well as an Economics Minor, I am an aspiring Finance or International Relations professional with a strong passion for philanthropy.
It is never too early to embark on your professional pursuits. Even when you are still undecided, be it a major or a career path, in my opinion that is the best time to come into Career Services and get advice from our counselors or explore more options through our resources.
My role as a Career Peer Advisor gives me a lot of opportunities to work with students from different backgrounds and I feel that I have positively impacted some of them through the work I do here at Career Services. The skills I have learned from this position have also enabled me to offer help and advice to some of my friends, in terms of career exploration and their job/internship search. To be able to develop myself and at the same time help other people makes the program even more meaningful. I eagerly look forward to seeing these peers and friends achieve their goals in the near future!
Stefano Verdesoto
I am a senior Communication and Sociology major. I grew up in Queens, NY, but was born in Guayaquil, Ecuador.
My advice to students who are still exploring majors and careers is to take advantage of ALL the resources Career Services has to offer. Meet with a career counselor! Take a self-assessment! It's all about learning about yourself and seeing what is right for you.
Throughout my college years, I have discovered that my passion is helping students. One of the things I enjoy the most about the Career Peer Advisor Program is the chance to work one-on-one with other students. I give students resources to explore different majors and careers, critique their resumes and cover letters, and help them get started on their job/internship search.
