Between all of the lectures, homework and every other responsibility attached to classes, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. Students often lose sight of the end goal of getting a degree — to get a good job and start a career.

Luckily Career Services provides students with everything they need to stay on track as they pursue their dream job.

Career Services is broken up by college with each college’s career services operate primarily on their own schedule.

Though most colleges offer similar workshops and services, dates for certain events will vary depending on which college you’re in.

Taren Crow, director of Career Services for the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, said that all of the colleges offer the same basic services but will make decisions based on the needs of each college’s respective student body.

“We all kind of do things differently within our own colleges, just depending on what works best for our students,” Crow said. “It allows us to really focus in on our specific student population.”

Whether it’s typing up a good resume, preparing for an interview or anything in between, Career Services can help students during every step of a job application.

“Most, if not all, of the offices offer mock interviews. We can tailor them depending on what you’re applying for, and we’ll give you feedback on your interview,” Crow said. “It’s a really great way to get some practice and get a feel for what it would be like in a real interview.”

While some students don’t think they need to worry about their future jobs yet, Crow said that it’s never too early to get a head start on building your career.

“We actually like to start working with students from their freshman year,” Crow said. “Even if you’re a first-year student and you don’t quite know what you want to do yet, you could still start coming in and talking about what some career options might be.”

Jason Bergan, freshman in the College of Business, said that taking advantage of Career Services has already been proven helpful in several cases.

“Last year, I needed some help on my resume, and it’s already been a big help,” said Bergan. “I had to make one for a class that I had last year, but I’ve also used [my resume] to apply for a couple jobs.”

Bergan said that attending workshops or going in for help doesn’t take much time and can be spaced out to fit your schedule.

“You don’t have to go in and figure out your entire future all at once, by any means,” said Bergan. “A lot of the things can be scheduled on your own time, and the workshops are all at night, so you don’t have to worry about classes interfering.”

Career Services can also help students create cover letters and reference lists, and they assist students in searching for jobs or internships. Career Services also hosts multiple workshops and other events throughout the semester so that students can get as much hands-on experience as possible.

“We want you to get some practice doing things that can only be learned through experience,” Crow said. “Most students can’t write a perfect resume the first time. They don’t interview flawlessly the first time. Those are things that you need to build up by working on them.”

Students can see more of what career services can do for them and schedule appointments by visiting http://www.career.iastate.edu/.