CHARTING A COURSE FOR SUCCESS

NOTE:  Links to each chapter of the Handbook are located in the menu on the right.

Your Full-Service Career Center

The Career Development Office (CDO) maintains an open door policy; students with questions should feel free to drop by anytime. However, whenever possible, you should schedule an appointment with a career counselor to reduce your waiting time.

The staff is available to assist you with all aspects of your job search including assessing skills, preparing resumes and cover letters, sharpening interviewing skills and exploring a variety of job opportunities. In addition, we offer assistance to alumni who are seeking new positions or alternative careers.

While you are in law school, it is important for you to define your career goals and develop your legal skills. Participation in various law school activities, competitions, clinical programs, internships and part-time jobs can help you accomplish these objectives. Employers seek to hire highly motivated, self-confident students who have specific skills to offer.

Although the Career Development Office will assist you with every aspect of your job search, the ultimate responsibility of securing a job rests with you. Keep in mind, securing a job is a job in itself; the Career Development Office serves as an important resource to complement your own efforts and initiatives.

How to Use This Online Handbook

In drafting this online handbook for career planning, those of us in the Career Development Office have been motivated by the belief that this office can influence your career direction and gratification. You should look to this office for counseling and orientation in order to create a proper job search strategy.

Charting a Course for Success is designed to give both day and evening students at Suffolk University Law School an overview of the Career Development Office and the resources, services and programs the office provides. We hope it will assist you in developing a personal plan to pursue your future career ambitions, structuring a disciplined job search, writing superior resumes and cover letters, gaining increasingly better interview skills, and allowing you to learn about the substantial array of opportunities that the legal profession offers.

We suggest you use this handbook as a complement to personal contact with members of the CDO staff. You should consider the Career Development Office and its programs an integral part of your legal education and take advantage of the opportunities the office provides you. Your active participation in this process will greatly enhance your chances of success in a competitive market. We welcome your suggestions and comments.