Hello grads!
We're only a few short weeks away from the semester's end (and for some of us, graduation! Eek!). While I am guessing none of you have summer "off," the next few months do often provide a break from the chaos of the academic year. Rest and recuperation should certainly be among your top priorities, but the summer months can also provide excellent opportunities to get organized and think about the future in a way that the rigors of the academic year simply do not allow. In this issue, we'll help you spruce up your application materials and show you how to create an amazingly helpful plan for meeting your career goals. Read on to see how your summer can set you up for success through the next year and beyond. Finish strong and keep that momentum going! Trish & Alaina
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Article by Trish Bredar
In using the summer months to set yourself up for long-term career success, one of the most helpful things you can do is to outline an individual development plan! This idea, developed by ScienceCareers and adapted by the National Postdoc Association, offers an excellent way to evaluate your career goals and make consistent progress towards accomplishing them (a big thanks to Leah Colvin Wanshura for bringing this resource to our attention!). Working through the steps outlined below will help you identify and achieve your long-term career goals.
This tool can be useful for any field and at any stage in your education. So as soon as things calm down for the summer, take some time to sit down and start working on your plan. I recommend getting organized-create a document or spreadsheet to track your ideas and goals as you work through this process. If you're in a science-related field, you can also use ScienceCareers.org's interactive IDP tool to track your progress.
1. Assessment: Skills, Interests, and Values
Before you start evaluating career options, it's important to spend some time on self-evaluation. I recommend making three separate lists. First, brainstorm about your skills. What are you good at? You might think about feedback you've gotten from mentors and employers and about activities and tasks at which you've excelled. Next, think about your interests. What is most exciting to you about your field? What tasks do you enjoy doing? What types of work environments do you find stimulating? Finally, consider your values. What is most important to you? You might think about money, geographical location, work/life balance, family, etc. It may also be helpful to go back through these lists and rank them; identifying your priorities will help you choose the career that's right for you.
If you want someone to work through this process with you or you'd like to take a more formal self-assessment, make an appointment with the career services office!
2. Career exploration
Now that you've prioritized your skills, interests, and values, you can use that information to guide you in the career exploration process. Researching potential careers can take all sorts of forms, but you might start by looking at resources on the web and mining your network for information.
There are plenty of websites that offer profiles of graduate-level careers. The National PostDoc Association, Versatile PhD, ScienceCareer are great places to start. You might also check discipline-specific resources (the websites of professional associations, for example) to get more information on options in your field.
Reaching out to people you know can also be a great way to get detailed information on specific careers. Use your own contacts, your alumni association, and networking websites like LinkedIn and Academia to locate people working in careers that interest you (Hint: if you're unfamiliar with LinkedIn's many networking tools, a Career Services counselor can give you a tutorial). Set up informational interviews--these meetings will give you the opportunity to ask questions and forge connections in your field (without the immediate pressure of the job hunt).
As you explore possible careers, take notes on your research. Keep track of average salaries, pros and cons, and desired qualifications for the positions you want. When you've got a solid list, select the one or two careers that best match your skills, interests, and values. While it's important to keep your options open, casting too wide a net will inhibit your ability to set productive, focused goals, so try to hone in on those jobs which best mesh with your priorities.
3. Set Goals
Consider what skills and professional experiences are most important in your desired careers. Then, set short-term and long-term goals that will ensure you are well qualified for the position you want. Make sure your goals are realistic and specific. For instance, you might decide to apply for a particular assistantship or research opportunity or to look for part-time or summer employment in your field. Identify opportunities for networking. These might involve conferences, networking events, or informational interviews.
4. Implement Your Plan Map out your short-term and long-term goals and set reminders to make sure that you follow through. this is meant to be a gradual process, so refer back to your plan frequently to make sure you're staying on track. Don't be afraid to enlist help-talk to your mentors and work with a career counselor as you put your plan into action!
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CVs and Resume Tips
Creating Outstanding Application Materials
Interview by Trish Bredar
One of the easiest and most valuable ways to stay on top of your career and to be prepared for new opportunities is to keep your CV, resume, and online presence up to date.
In this interview, Jennifer Duncan, Alumni Career Counselor here at CU Boulder, offers insights gained from her 23+ years of experience in career service. She shares resume dos and don'ts, along with helpful tips for catching and maintaining employers' interest and trimming down your CV into a manageable resume. Jennifer also points readers to some excellent resources that you won't want to miss.
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ScienceCareers
You Need a Game Plan
Article by Jennifer A. Hobin, Cynthia N. Fuhrmann, Bill Lindstaedt, Philip S. Clifford
This is the first article in a series designed to accompany you in the process of creating an Individual Development Plan. Here, the authors lay out some of the challenges facing today's doctoral students and lay out some tips for getting started with your career plan. As you work on your IDP, check out some of the articles in the series. They're designed to help you create the best and most helpful plan for your situation! Read the full article here.
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Gainesville, FL
Monroe County Public Library Bloomington, IN CBR International Corp Boulder, CO Rite of Passage East Aurora, CO Food Safety Net Services San Antonio, TX Thorlabs Newton, NJ Moffat County Social Services Craig, CO Futurex San Antonio, TX Indiana University Bloomington, IN Pearson Education Sacramento, CA & Amherst, MA
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Webinar: LinkedIn as a Career Transition Tool
Thursday, April 21, 12:00-1:00 pm
Speaker Brian Cowan, Mktg '79 and President/CEO of Cowan & Associates Inc.
This webinar will focus on the fundamentals of LinkedIn, how to create and build your profile and connections, and how to make it work for you and your career. It will cover LinkedIn functionalities and features, such as groups, connections, and InMail, as well as provide advice on how to strategically utilize LinkedIn as a career transition and personal branding tool.
CareerLab for STEM Students
Thursday, April 21, April 28, and May 5, 4:00 pm
ECST 128, Engineering Center
Don't want to wait for an individual appointment, but you need help with your resume or LinkedIn profile? CareerLabs are weekly hands-on labs where you can work on your job search, LinkedIn profiles, resumes, cover letters, etc. A career advisor will be available to provide on-the-spot help and feedback. Join at any time!
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Center for Community N352
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