Thanks to the advice and support of career coach Ashley Rizzotto and the Handshake platform, I was able to land a remote job. Ashley has been an incredible resource and has eased so much of my anxiety while guiding me through the job searching process since I was new to it. My employer reached out to me through Handshake without me having to do much other than filling out basic information about my major, education, and skills on my profile.

John Sotham and I have been collaborating on my professional development since Fall 2020. I was struggling with my résumé, LinkedIn and Handshake profiles, and internship search strategy. It’s rare to seek advice from others and actually receive their time and dedication. John took his time to help me with every challenge I faced, no matter how small. His attention to detail is invaluable. I now feel confident presenting myself to potential employers. Thank you, John and CTD, for all of your help.

Through various appointments covering resumes, cover letters, and personal statement reviews, I have learned so much when it comes to crafting a letter or statement that stands out to recruiters and graduate admissions committees. I made sure to make an appointment with Ashley Rizzotto every time, as her guidance and insight provided me with so much confidence despite taking such a major step in my career. Before meeting with her, I had never written a personal statement or submitted a cover letter. With her help, she provided an outside point of view to the work that I had done so far and her perspective was very helpful in the creation and editing process. Most importantly, her guidance has gifted me with the knowledge to continue to apply for scholarships, internships, jobs, and more.

As a result of Ashley Rizzotto’s unwavering support and guidance, as well as the services provided by the FIU Career and Talent Development Department, I have landed an internship with Area Stage Company this semester as a production assistant. My experience has been so insightful and every lesson in the internship will be beneficial to me in the development of my career in theater and the arts. None of this would be possible without the keen insight of this department and its advisors. I found myself to feel more inspired, optimistic, and assured after every meeting with Ashley and the department, since she is very knowledgeable in any and all aspects of the arts, cover letters, and resumes. As a result, I feel more confident and prepared to continue to pursue other opportunities in theater, considering that any job in the arts is highly selective and competitive in nature.

That being said, I highly recommend any FIU student to schedule an appointment with the FIU Career and Talent Development Department. Especially if you are interested in theater and the arts like myself, the services and advisors are well equipped to help you take the next step in your future – no matter how daunting it may seem at first.

Within my last semester, Handshake has provided me opportunities to look for jobs and stay connected with peers and mentors. By making an appointment through the Career and Talent Development Center, I was able to get professional critiques on improving my resume and cover letter and how to do a proper interview.

Recently, my COM3110 Business & Professional Communications class invited the CARTA Career Team to give a presentation in our remote class.  We were their first presentation since the program began and we very pleased with how useful and informative our session was.   Ashley and John led the presentation and provided more than just a dry PowerPoint.   They were engaging with me, the students, and readily adapted to the questions and “flow” of the class.  They made our entire class a productive lesson and useful instruction about student career related development, important career fair information, strategic job search tips, discussed the important services they offer, and gave us some resume and writing tips.  The class presentations was tailored to our individual class curriculum and they were able to answer my student’s questions.    

CARTA faculty should enthusiastically take advantage of this useful, informative, and productive service and make it part of their class.  We hope to have John & Ashley back again soon for another session to discuss important career related services offered to students at FIU.    

Ashley Rizzotto helped me with my resume, and…she made me realize that I have done so much during my time here as a student that can be reflected on my resume. It was a mind blowing and made me realize that I need to give myself more credit. Ashley made me feel very confident by the end of our session. I never really had someone see my potential in anything except for Ashley. I am grateful to have this type of resource available to me.

I’ve been speaking to Ashley Rizzotto and she’s been so helpful throughout the whole process. I’ve been trying to tradition fully into being a photographer so she’s been helping me with updating my resume and cover letter, as well as giving me advice with internships and possible part time jobs. I like how she takes notes as I’m talking it really makes me feel like she wants to help me and she’s actively listening as well by remembering the companies I mention. She’s really kind and I’m definitely going to keep coming to her for help as I further in my career. Thank you Ashley if you read this!

I recently met with John Sotham for a resume and cover letter review and it was super helpful.

Loved how the career counselors automatically checked my resume and helped me improve it!

I had a good experience with Handshake while looking for a job related to my major in early 2020. The firm responded to me through Handshake… The feedback given on my resume before I sent my application was very useful.

It’s easier to target the jobs you are looking for and not run into scams or jobs that don’t apply to you.

[Handshake is] very straightforward and easy to use.

I love the number of opportunities gathered on one platform!