Launch Your Career

Connect with employers who want to hire Cal State LA students.

• Go to the Handshake Events tab; attend events labeled employer info, hiring, or career fair.
• Dress professionally; visit the Career Clothing Closet.
• Create your professional intro; use our Professional Brand Worksheet and Brand Review.
• Go to the Employers tab in Handshake; filter by industry (e.g., music, biotech, healthcare).
• Follow employers you’re interested in to get job/event updates.

Use your projects and skills to stand out.

• Key Skills for Future Graduates – Demonstrate skills employers value:
  • Career Readiness Skills - Understand the professional skills you built through college coursework, group projects, and campus involvement.
  • Industry-specific Skills - See how your major built hard skills and values that align with your target industry.
  • Skills-First Initiative - Review standardized skills for common jobs to identify transferable skills from your work experience.
• Add class projects to your résumé; use our College Résumé Sample as a guide.
• Earn certificates on LinkedIn Learning; add them to your résumé.
• Complete virtual job simulations on Career Experiences with Forage; list them on your résumé.
• Use the Credential Value Index to explore useful certifications.

Start Preparing and Applying

• Make plans to search 6 months before graduation.
• Use Handshake to search for full-time jobs hiring Cal State LA students.
• Don’t wait for perfect qualifications; apply if you're interested and meet most of the job duties.

Unsure what to apply for? Explore with:

• What Can I Do with This Major
• Careers in Los Angeles by Industry
• Focus2 Career Assessment

Customize your Résumé and Cover Letter

• Use our Résumé & Letter Builder to get started.
  • Use our College Résumé Sample as a guide.
  • Get feedback with the AI Review or Submit for Human Review feature.
  • See formatting tips in our College Résumé Guide.
• Write your cover letter with our Cover Letter Guide and use our samples in the builder.
  • Use the AI Review or Submit for Human Review to improve your letter.

Get Ready to Interview

• Use our Interview Practice System
  • Choose a mock interview; select general, industry, or admissions.
  • Get step-by-step feedback using the AI Review feature.
• Visit the Career Clothing Closet to dress confidently for interviews in your field.