April 2015

Hey grads!

 

I hope everyone managed to find a little relaxation over spring break and is ready to push through this last month of the academic year! This is part two of our special issue preparing grad students for the upcoming Just In Time fair this Thursday. As you may remember, last month we focused on self-assessment-figuring out who you are and what you're looking for in a career. In this issue, we'll focus on putting that knowledge into action through marketing documents and networking. Even if you're not currently seeking a job outside of academia, the career fair provides an excellent opportunity to sharpen your self-marketing strategies. Approaching prospective employers, polishing your resume, and selling your transferable skills-how often do you get to practice these essential aspects of the job search? And who knows, you may make a valuable connection or even discover a new career avenue!

 

Read on for some expert advice on the types of skills you'll need to stand out at the fair next Wednesday and Thursday, as well as first-hand testimonials of career fairs' value for grad students. First we have an interview with John Helmers, the Senior Associate Director of MBA Career Management with Leeds School of Business. John provides insightful information on how to approach prospective employers in a job fair setting and how to take the fear out of networking! We've also included an interview that Annie Sugar conducted with David Mast for the September 2013 edition of Future 411 in which David offers a graduate student perspective on the value of attending career fairs. As always, don't forget to check out this month's featured articles, which discuss networking strategies and résumé techniques for the CV-minded academic. This issue also features a video in which our own Annie Piatt offers a rundown of a few basic CV/résumé tips! I hope you'll find this issue's information useful as you prepare for not only next week's career fair, but also for interviews, conferences, and any other event where you have the opportunity to forge valuable professional connections!

 

Finish strong, enjoy this wonderful spring weather, and I hope to see many of you at the Just In Time fair!

 

Trish & Annie

 

Navigating Career Fairs for Grad Students:
An Alumnus's Inside Look
Interview by Trish Bredar

 

John Helmers is the Senior Associate Director of MBA Career Management with Leeds School of Business. He provides coaching and programming to full-time and part-time MBA students. He also oversees the Leeds MBA Professional Mentorship Program, works closely with MBA employers, and teaches the MBA Professional Development course.  He studied marketing at Miami University and earned his MBA at the Leeds School of Business at CU Boulder.


In this interview, John offers advice for navigating a career fair, encouraging graduate students to interact with prospective employers while sharpening their own networking skills. John invites readers to learn from the first career fair he attended: "that first experience...showed me what career fairs are not-transactional encounters where jobs are being handed out. They are opportunities to start a meaningful conversation with another person, learn about an organization, articulate your own interests and value, and perhaps open the door to continued conversations." Read the interview here.

 

The Road to Employment is Paved
With Career and Internship Fairs
Interview by Annie Sugar

 

David Mast is an alumnus of the concurrent MS/BS program in Accounting at the Leeds School of Business at CU-Boulder. After he graduated in December 2013, he began his job as an associate in the assurance department at PricewaterhouseCoopers.

In this interview by Annie Sugar, which originally appeared in the September 2013 edition of Future 411, David discusses the role career fairs played in his job search and speaks to the ivalue of internships and attending career fairs.

"As a graduate student I believe that job fairs allow you to pinpoint the path to your future career by allowing you to visualize and interact with the opportunities available." Read the interview here.

 

Resume/CV Help: CU Boulder Career - #CounselorCorner
Resume/CV Help: CU Boulder Career - #CounselorCorner

Professional Advice 


Inside Higher Ed - GradHacker

Intro to Résumés for CV-minded Academics

By Katie Shives and Ashley Sanders

 

Ashley Sanders and Katie Shives (a UC Denver grad student!) offer a first-hand perspective at juggling these two very different types of marketing documents. Check out their article for some great tips on how to transform your CV into a concise, focused, and impressive resume. They lay out several basic resume formats (Chronological, Skills-Based, and Combination) before providing general pointers that speak to current trends in resumes and address common pitfalls. Make sure to scroll to the bottom for links to some excellent resources and sample resumes! Check out the full article here.

 

Inside Higher Ed

Always Talk to Strangers

By Christine Kelly

 

This essay focuses on the importance of networking. Kelly, graduate career consultant at the University of California Irvine, uses her personal experience to underscore how chance encounters can yield valuable professional relationships. While this piece focuses on conferences, the skills and practices it discusses are universal. In fact, Kelly focuses on the idea that networking is a "learned behavior." As you make a conscious effort to cultivate relationships, the process will become easier and more natural. Read the full articles here.

 
Quick Links






Underwriting Specialist

Berkshire Hathaway Homestate Companies, Omaha


 

Cloud Operations Engineer

Workiva, Englewood


 

Real Estate Development Analyst

Vail Resorts, Broomfield or Avon


 

Mechanical Engineer

Pioneer Engineering,

Denver/Fort Collins

 

Director of Development

Denver Children's Advocacy Center, Denver


 

Wilderness Therapist

Outback Therapeutic Expeditions, Lehi


 

CO Field Organizer

Food & Water Watch, Denver

 
Upcoming Events

Prepare for the Just in Time Fair

Employer Resume Reviews (Technical)  

Monday, April 13

1:30 pm - 3:30 pm

C4C S350

 

Employer Resume Reviews (Nontechnical)

Tuesday, April 14

5:50 pm - 7:00 pm

C4C S350

 

Just in Time Career & Internship Fair  

Day 1: Technical Day 

Wednesday, April 15
9:00 am - 3:00 pm
University Memorial Center
Features industries or organizations with a technical or scientific focus. The fair is your time to network and meet with representatives. This is your opportunity for them to put a face to the application. Learn more about various positions and organizations.
CU-Boulder students and alumni from all majors, experience levels and backgrounds are welcome to attend this FREE event. No pre-registration is necessary.

Day 2: All Campus Day 

Thursday, April 16 
9:00am - 3:00 pm 
University Memorial Center 
Features industries or organizations with a non-technical focus. The fair is your time to network and meet with representatives. This is your opportunity for them to put a face to the application. Learn more about various positions and organizations.
CU-Boulder students and alumni from all majors, experience levels and backgrounds are welcome to attend this FREE event. No pre-registration is necessary.

 

Post Doctoral CV Critique Event

Wednesday, April 22, 2-5pm

Center for Community (C4C), N352

 

Sign up for a personalized CV critique with a faculty member or industry professional. Prepare your marketing documents for the job search and effectively communicate your experience and expertise to prospective employers.

To reserve your space, please email Annie Piatt at ann.piatt@colorado.edu by Monday, April 13th to register.

Light snacks and coffee will be provided.

In Collaboration with the Post-Doctoral Association of Colorado.
Center for Community N352
303-492-6541 
colorado.edu/career/grad