Students are turning to the American University Career Center as the job market begins to cool to find internships, careers and post-graduation plans.
In response to the uptick in demand, the Career Center has added drop-in advising Monday to Thursday from 2 to 4 p.m. and small group advising. Since the beginning of the year, 80 students have used their resume and interview support services, Elizabeth Deal, assistant vice president and deputy chief communications officer, wrote in a statement to The Eagle.
It took Caroline Crisafulli-Vargas, a sophomore in the School of Public Affairs, a month to get a one-on-one appointment with the center.
“They’re helpful, the appointments are good. I would just like it if it was sooner,” Crisafulli-Vargas said.
The U.S. unemployment rate is 4.4 percent, the highest it has been since October 2021. Openings for internships have decreased by more than 15 percent since January 2023, according to a 2025 Handshake report.
“We also support students in searching for part-time jobs. We know that many roles receive dozens of applications, which is why tailoring your resume and including a cover letter increases your chances of getting an interview,” Deal wrote in the statement.
Despite how long it took for Crisafulli-Vargas to get the appointment, she felt supported by her career advisor from the School of Communication, Christina Sincere.
Crisafulli-Vargas also got advice on what degree would best suit the career that she wants in public affairs.
“I had some questions about psychology and that was not her department but she still tried to help me with that,” Crisafulli-Vargas said.
Another opportunity offered by the Career Center is the Part-Time Employment Fair. Held on Sept. 3, and there were 28 tables with on-campus and off-campus organizations such as AU Zero Waste, WAMU and Wegmans Food Markets. The groups were seeking candidates and had representatives available to speak to students, encouraging students to drop off their resumes.
Adilene Garcia, a freshman in SPA, attended the fair.
“At first I was like there’s no use in going because no one is going to hire a freshman, but I’m glad that I went because I got to talk to so many employers and learn more about how I could get an internship and job later on,” Garcia said.
During the event, Garcia spoke to representatives from Teach For America, a non-profit organization that works with college graduates for teaching in public schools.
“Even though I wasn’t eligible for the internships because I was a freshman, I still talked to people from Teach For America and they gave me so many resources on what I should or shouldn’t do if I wanted to pursue that specific career, specifically education,” Garcia said.
Deal encouraged students to interact with the resources as early as possible.
“Take advantage of the many opportunities designed to support career exploration and success. We know that this is a challenging job market, particularly for local hiring,” Deal said.
The number of new hires in the District went from 3.9 percent in October 2021 to 2.3 percent in March 2025.
A second job and internship fair was held on Dec. 3. There were 26 employers in attendance, many based in D.C.
“[It] will introduce students to employers both in and beyond the DMV,” Deal said.
The new AU strategic plan will put a new emphasis on the Career Center.
The new plan identified eight groups that focused on working in five categories: Career, Civic Pluralism, Curriculum and Curiosity. The groups included 137 members from the AU community.
The “5 frameworks” were presented to the AU Board of Trustees, and now the plan is entering the stage of “collecting feedback and input from across the Eagle community.”
The plan will be launched December 2025 and implemented in January 2026.
“AU’s new strategic plan, to be launched next year, places renewed emphasis on career development and experiential learning, and this exciting focus is shaping our work moving forward,” Deal said. “During this transition, we remain committed to supporting students, while we operate as usual.”
Despite the upcoming transition, Deal recognizes the role the Career Center plays in supporting students through different challenges.
“The Career Center is a valuable resource for students during their time at AU and beyond. We encourage students to start interacting early and take advantage of the many opportunities,” Deal said. “We know that this is a challenging job market, particularly for local hiring.”
This article was edited by Cara Halford, Abigail Hatting and Walker Whalen. Copy editing done by Sabine Kanter-Huchting, Avery Grossman and Ava Stuzin. Fact-checking done by Aidan Crowe.
