Center for Career & Leadership Development
At MGA, we believe that career and leadership development begin as soon as you enter college. From day one to graduation, The Center for Career & Leadership Development (CCLD) is here to provide career and professional guidance to all students through innovative, student-centered services, programs, and connection opportunities. Engaging in career and leadership preparation a significant part of your college experience, which is why the CCLD is also a significant part of the Light Your Path at MGA to Career & Academic Success checklist (link to /momentum/index.php) As you work toward your career goals, the CCLD is also here to help you shape your professional brand so that when you apply for opportunities or network with employers, you are presenting the best version of yourself. To help you develop your professional brand, we provide a variety of resources, including the Professional Closet and LinkedIn headshots. Visit our website to access information on career development services, leadership programs, and internships.
To schedule an appointment, students should login to , select “Career Center” and then “Appointments” to schedule a time to meet virtually or in person at one of our campus locations. The CCLD is comprised of Career Development Services and the Office of Student Leadership Programs and has physical locations on the Macon campus in Student Life Center, Suite 261 and the Cochran campus in Sanford Hall, Suite 112; and Room 1129 on the Eastman campus.
Career Development Services serves students and alumni through individualized in-person and virtual appointments, student organization and classroom presentations, recruitment and networking opportunities, and campus-wide career and professional development programs. Career development services include one-on-one career advising offered in-person and virtually on resume and cover letter writing, career and major exploration, job and internship search, graduate and professional school search, interviewing skills, salary negotiation, networking, and developing a professional brand.
Handshake
All MGA undergraduate and graduate students should activate their Handshake accounts at mga.joinhandshake.com to be able to take full advantage of the services offered by the CCLD. Through Handshake, students can schedule appointments with career advisors, register for career fairs and events, and search a database of over 700,000 employers and graduate schools plus over 10,000 jobs and internships. Student Leadership Program events are also listed in Handshake. Students with activated Handshake accounts received regular email notices of career and leadership events, programs, and opportunities.
Career Benchmarks for All Students
Prior to graduation, all MGA students are expected to use the CCLD’s resources to
- Discover Your Path: Activate your Handshake account and complete career assessments and research careers through the Career Planning Resource page.
- Communicate Your Brand: Learn how to communicate your employability skills through your resume, personal and professional brand, online career profiles, and interviewing and networking situations.
- Build Connections: Develop professional connections through career fairs, the Student Leadership Conference, professional events, and alumni connections via LinkedIn. Locate jobs, internships, and connection opportunities via .
- Gain Experience: Develop skills through hands on experiences. These may include internships, student leadership programs, community service, student research, and on and off campus jobs. Students interested in internships should begin preparing as early as their sophomore year by meeting with a career advisor and networking with employers.
- Develop Leadership Skills: The CCLD offers three leadership development programs as well as an annual Student Leadership Conference and the Student Leadership Challenge.
- Launch Your: Nine months prior to your expected graduation, it’s time to develop and implement a job or graduate school search plan. You’ll have access to career advisors as you apply, interview, and decide on opportunities. The semester you graduate, you will also complete the First Destination Survey to let us know your plans for after graduation.
Career Fair and Networking Opportunities. The CCLD hosts a variety of organizations at the university each year to help students explore career options and to make connections for internships, professional job opportunities, graduate school, and other types of employment and occupational opportunities. These events are open to all enrolled students and MGA alumni. We strongly recommend that attendees dress in business attire and bring copies of their resume. When attending these events, students and alumni must check-in with the CCLD staff and wear one of the provided nametags or their MGA ID card in a badge holder. The CCLD hosts preparation events and offers individual appointments prior to the career fairs to help students be their best at these events. Participating employers and graduate programs are listed in Handshake.
Student Leadership Programs serve current students through specialized leadership development programs, campus-wide conferences, and individualized student consultations. Knights LEAD provides first-year students with the opportunity to develop and apply career competencies through case studies, service projects, and a corporate tour. Students at the sophomore level and above can participate in Emerging Leaders. Students interested in Knights LEAD & Emerging Leaders should sign-up by the first week of classes in order to participate in the fall kick-off sessions in August. Returning MGA students who are interested in a hands-on leadership opportunity after completing Knights LEAD and Emerging Leaders can go on to participate in the iLEAD Peer Educators program. iLEAD Peer Educators are selected through an application and interview process during the summer. Students who complete at least two years of the Student Leadership Programs receive a graduation honor cord. Students who complete three or more years are recognized on the perpetual plaque located in the CCLD. The CCLD also hosts a free Student Leadership Conference in Macon and the Student Leadership Challenge in Cochran each spring that are both open to any MGA student, including those who are not in a specific student leadership program. These programs prepare you for leading your peers within student and civic organizations, which in turn, makes you more prepared for the leadership roles you will pursue in your future career.
Internships are an integral part of preparing for your chosen career. Students who are interested in completing either a for-credit or not-for-credit internship should begin their search early since many large companies will recruit and hire in the fall for summer internships. To begin your search, use Handshake to schedule an appointment with a career advisor tp begin working on your resume, interview skills, and search strategy that includes LinkedIn, career fairs, company research, networking with faculty and alumni, and much more, In addition to Handshake postings, we have employers who offer internships through the Knights@Work Program and data on employers who have hosted MCG interns in the past.
Knights@Work Career Development Internship Program. Students who are participating in non-credit internships can also get the experience recognized on their transcript through CDIE Career Development Internship Experience, a tuition-free non-credit bearing course that does not award academic credit or count toward degree requirements but provides recognition on the student's transcript upon successful completion of the internship. Students must register their internship and complete other course requirements with the CCLD in order for the internship to be recorded. To register your internship, submit the required information to by the last day of drop/add during the first session of the semester you are completing the internship.
Internship Honor Cord. Students who participate in the Knights@Work Career Development Internship Program or submit their academic internship information to the CCLD and complete the reflection appointment with a career advisor are eligible to receive an internship honor cord.