Partnering for Success: A Career & Professional Development Guide for Student Organizations
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Introduction
Student organizations are vital in shaping the student experience, building leadership skills, and preparing students for life beyond college. Career & Professional Development (CPD) is here to support you and your members in making the most of those experiences. Whether you’re planning a professional event, connecting members with internships, or helping peers explore career paths, this guide outlines how CPD can partner with your student organization to enhance your impact and support your mission.
A PDF version of the CPD Guide for Student Organizations can be found HERE. This can also be found in Crimson Connect under “RSO Officer Quick Links” ➡ “Campus Partner Requests” ➡ “Career & Professional Development”.
About Career & Professional Development (CPD)
Career & Professional Development (CPD) is here to help students connect their academic experience to their future goals. We provide resources, guidance, and opportunities for students at every stage of their journey, from exploring majors, to preparing for their first job, to graduate school.
Note: Career & Professional Development is the central career center on campus. There are several others across campus including those that serve the Daniels College of Business, the Graduate School of Social Work, the Josef Korbel School of Global & Public Affairs (Grad students only), and the Sturm College of Law. If you are part of these schools, you may need to work directly with those career offices.
Where to find us:
Burwell Center for Career Achievement
2190 E Asbury Ave.
Denver, CO 80210
Contact Information:
Phone: (303) 871-2150 | Email: career@du.edu | Website: https://career.du.edu/
How to Request CPD Support
Requests MUST be made at least two weeks in advance of any event or program. Even with this timeline, our office cannot guarantee that we can accommodate your specific date, time, staff, or employer/alumni request.
- For workshops or requests that require a Career Advisor, please contact career@du.edu
- For events or programs that require alumni or employers, please contact hire@du.edu
When emailing, please include in the subject line your organization’s name and type of event.
For example: [Pre-Law Society, Employer Event]
Ways Your Organization Can Partner with CPD
Career & Professional Development can partner with registered student organizations (RSOs) in a variety of ways, and we are excited to partner with you to support your members’ own career and professional development. Please consider the following options as a “menu” of ways your members can interact with our office and services:
MUST READ before booking any event:
If you are looking to host a workshop, event, presentation, etc., for your group, we ask that you email career@du.edu OR hire@du.edu at minimum two weeks in advance! Please see “How to Request CPD Support” section for more information.
Career & Professional Development Hosted Events:
Our office hosts events throughout the year such as Career Fairs, Industry Insights Panels, and career workshops on topics such as resume writing, networking, and interview skills. Your RSO members are highly encouraged to attend our events to explore the resources that we offer and learn more about topics that are relevant to their career journey. We have had RSOs attend our events instead of a regular meeting, or suggest members attend with other members. Attending our events as a group is also a great way to increase the visibility of your organization and get to know prospective members.
A complete list of our upcoming events can be viewed by logging into Pioneer Careers Online (PCO) with your DU email and password and selecting the “Events” tab from the lefthand menu. Additionally, our social media channels (Instagram and TikTok) and DU Career & Professional Development website are great ways to stay up to date on events our office is hosting.
Custom Presentations & Workshops:
If you are looking to have a staff member from Career & Professional Development present to your RSO, we are happy to help. We have developed customized workshops for RSOs on a variety of topics including resume writing, internship searching, and networking based on the goal of your student organization or the needs of your members. Our full-time staff members and student employees are both available to help your RSO.
Alumni and Employer Guest Speakers:
Our office is also able to support you in connecting with DU alumni or employers to host panels, networking events, guest lectures, and workshops for your organization.
Peer Advising + Career Advising:
Your RSO members have access to both drop-in career peer advising and appointments with their assigned career advisor based on their major or academic program. Student organizations are encouraged to promote this service to their members who are looking to get 1:1 support with career topics including resume writing, cover letters, interviewing, job and internship search, and graduate school application support. Students can drop in to meet with a Peer Advisor according to the peer advisor schedule and locations (Burwell Center or Beans), which can be found here on our Career & Professional Development website.
Career advising appointments are available by appointment only. If they would like to schedule an appointment with their assigned career advisor, they can do so by:
- Logging into PCO with their DU email and password and selecting the “Appointments” tab from the lefthand menu.
- Calling the Burwell Center for Career Achievement (303) 871-2150.
- Walking into the Burwell Center and having the front desk schedule an appointment.
Career Fairs and/or Employer Events:
Looking to connect your student organization or group with top employers? Our office is here to make it happen. We’ll provide everything you need for a successful event—employer contacts, outreach templates, parking details, systems management, and even fee collection support.
Partnering with us ensures a seamless experience and helps maintain strong, consistent relationships with employers. Ready to get started? Contact us today at hire@du.edu and let’s create an event that opens doors for your students!
Best Practices for Planning Career-Related Events
Timeline and Planning Tips
Create an event timeline: Create a timeline of tasks needed to prepare for the event. Typically, it takes between 1-2 months to prepare for an event so ensure you have enough time to prepare. Timeline tasks could include:
- Checking the CPD events via PCO or CPD website
- Submitting your CPD support request (see “How to Request CPD Support” above)
- Making note of number of estimated attendees at your event
Keep it Simple: We recommend keeping your event simple. A single speaker, one activity, or a short panel is easier to manage and more digestible for attendees. Consider attending an already planned CPD event and inviting your organization members instead!
Promoting CPD Events to Your Members
Strategies to Encourage Attendance
- Tailored Messaging: Know your audience. Adjust your messaging to specific groups (Ex: Greek life, international students, STEM majors, etc.) and share why they would benefit from attending.
- Use Multiple Channels: Posters, flyers, digital screen ads, email blasts, social media, and even chalk art on sidewalks.
- Leverage Connections: Ask other students and organization leaders to promote the event on their platforms. (Ex: social media, Crimson Connect, etc.)
- Food: If possible, provide food at your event to encourage more students to gain interest in your initiative.
- Collaboration & Partnerships: Co-host the event with other student organization groups. Tap into their networks and double your reach.
Communicating Leadership Skills on Paper and in Person
Being a student leader is an incredible opportunity to grow personally and professionally. CPD can help you highlight these experiences and transferable skills that will serve you well beyond college.
Here are a few specific ways you can use and transfer your leadership experience to your career. Schedule an appointment on PCO with your dedicated Career Advisor if you want to explore these topics further:
- Include your student organization leadership role on your resume with specific examples of your achievements and accomplishments.
- Examples: managing a budget, running meetings, and recruiting members.
- Share stories about your leadership experience in a job or internship interview.
- Intentionally meet new people and professionals in your leadership role and proactively connect with them after an event or meeting on LinkedIn.
- Reflect on what you like and dislike about your leadership experience and think about how you can use that information to choose your next internship or job.
