For many students, the job and internship search can feel unfamiliar and isolating. At Rainier Scholars, we want to do all we can to support students in landing their first professional opportunity. That’s the idea behind the Career Development Coach (CDC) Program, now in its second year at Rainier Scholars. The program works by pairing college scholars with professionals in their specific fields of interest.
Designed to go beyond general career advice, our Coaches offer something more targeted: individualized, industry-specific support from someone who’s been there.
“The Rainier Scholars Career Development team is phenomenal,” said Steph Salazar, Associate Director of Career Development at Rainier Scholars. “But we’re not engineers and we’re not accountants…yet. That’s why we tapped into our fantastic supporters who can share the nuances of succeeding in a specific field.”
Currently, all third- and fourth-year scholars enrolled in the Rainier Scholars Internship Program are matched with a career development coach. First- and second-year scholars can opt in — and many do, especially in industries where recruitment timelines start earlier than most people realize.
“The internship recruitment timeline is always so much sooner than any of us expect,” said Steph. “My goal is to make sure scholars are set up to present their best selves within those application periods.”
The program consists of three structured meetings between a scholar and their coach, scheduled at mutually agreed-upon times to maximize flexibility. The first meeting is a get-to-know-you conversation — a chance for both the scholar and coach to share who they are, what they care about, and what they’re working toward. From there, scholars lead the process, coordinating when to meet next and determining what support they need most.
The second and third meetings often include a resume review tailored to the scholar’s target industry. While not required, Rainier Scholars highly encourages the coach to conduct a practice interview — sometimes awkward for the Coach and scholar alike — complete with the kinds of assessments, case studies, or technical questions one might encounter in that field. By the end, scholars have a trusted adult in their corner who’s genuinely invested in their success.
The program was born, in part, from an earlier effort called the 3C Program that ran from 2015 to 2019. That initiative was successful in introducing scholars to professionals within the Rainier Scholars network, but the career development department is dedicated to continuously improving scholar offerings, especially in a job market informed by the COVID-19 pandemic and economic uncertainty. The CDC program was designed to prioritize connections by integrating accountability, clear expectations, and ongoing support so that relationships can grow beyond the recommended three meetings.
The program has seen strong results in both of its cycles, drawing enthusiasm from coaches and scholars alike. And while the structure is intentional, so is its flexibility. If an organic chemistry class demands full attention for a few weeks, a coach can meet again in a few months. The program bends to fit a scholar’s life, not the other way around.
For Rainier Scholars, that kind of responsiveness isn’t a nice-to-have. Deep, customized engagement with students is the secret sauce to everything we do.