Behind the Scenes at Marist Career Services

Career Coaches Rosa Emory and Krista Ackert at a Marist Career Services table, offering information about internship opportunities and providing students with tips on networking and resume building. Photo by Hannah Tone ‘26.

Marist College reports that 95% of its graduates have a job or are in graduate school within six months after graduation. Much of the success from that statistic can be attributed to the Center for Career Services. 

Career Services offers a surplus of services, such as resume and cover letter reviews, career coaching and LinkedIn profile assistance. The office is also available to help with internship coordination and job negotiation.

Students can utilize these resources and prepare their professional materials via Handshake, an online platform where students can apply for jobs and make appointments to meet with potential employers and college alumni.

Marist also uses the platform to share information about upcoming events and opportunities for networking. Sophomore finance student Benji Kurani ’26 has already begun taking advantage.

“Their professional development programs have been instrumental in advancing my career in the finance industry,” said Kurani. “I acknowledge the value of these efforts and their positive impact on my professional growth.” 

Career Services also collaborates with the academic arm of the College to offer one-credit courses such as Career Practicum and Career Planning — but their value goes far beyond the credit level.

Designed for freshmen and sophomores, Career Practicum helps underclassmen identify their career-related skills, interests and personality styles, helping acquaint them with possible career paths related to different majors. On the other hand, Career Planning offers upperclassmen the opportunity to learn about job and internship search techniques and the chance to develop stronger interviewing and networking skills. 

Students speaking with potential employers at the biannual career and internship fair at the McCann Center. Photo by Hannah Tone ‘26.

Career Services brings in professionals across all disciplines to speak to students regarding further insight into what being a part of different professional industries is like on a daily basis. For instance, Marist welcomed alumnus and senior campus recruiter Eric Glover ’10 last week to discuss potential employment opportunities at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

These events are common across campus throughout the year, but students and alumni look for the Internship and Career Fair, held twice yearly. Rosa Emory, a career coach with the office, explained that the event is beneficial for students who are searching for something they might not have expected.

“Most students know the big-name employers: IBM, JP Morgan, 1-800-Flowers, but the smaller companies may have a great internship opportunity where a student can learn tangible skills that are transferable to other workforce opportunities,” said Emory.

The fair’s fall semester edition was held on Oct. 5 in the McCann Center’s recreational gym, with about 50 employers in attendance. And for Kurani, it was greatly beneficial.

“By interacting with finance professionals, I could gain insights into different job roles, responsibilities and expectations needed for an internship or job in my career,” said Kurani.

While the event went off without a hitch, a significant amount of preparation went into pulling it off. According to Emory, invitations to employers are sent in the summer so companies can directly register on the Handshake system.

“Most recruiters are attending to fill either internship or full-time positions, so we ask that they bring literature supporting their organization and the roles they seek to fill,” said Emory. “Attending employers usually bring recent Marist alumni who work at their organization to speak with current students about their work experience.”   

One of those alumni is Natalie Tisler ’23, who was on the other side of the table as a Digital Marketing Analyst for Randa Apparel and Accessories. “The internship I had at Marist led to my current full-time position with RAA, so I wanted to share the amazing opportunity I had with the Marist community,” said Tisler.

Although attending these events may seem tedious and not worth it at an early stage, Career Services does urge students to take advantage of these kinds of opportunities, even at earlier stages of their college career.

Emory offered advice to those gearing up to meet and connect with employers at the next career fair in March.

“I always tell students to follow up with a thank you email or a message on LinkedIn to connect,” said Emory. “Recruiters are seeing many students, and you want them to remember you.”