Resources

Explore potential career areas and who hires someone with your degree. Not sure about a major? Come talk to us!

Use the Occupational Outlook Handbook to search for information on different types of jobs, including job tasks, median pay, and how to qualify for your desired job.

Use O*Net to gather information on different careers to see if they are a good fit for you.

Internships:

Many UNC students must complete an internship as a graduation requirement, however, you can choose to do internships for no academic credit as well.

Completing internships is a great way to gain experience and develop a better understanding of what your desired field looks like in practice.

Internships can be found through job posting boards (such as Handshake), networking, or directly asking a company or organization you are interested in.

Employment:

Employment opportunities range from part-time to full-time and will look different based on where you are in your career journey.

Handshake hosts all on-campus student employment opportunities,  in addition to job posting by outside employers that are vetted by our office.

Part-time experience as a student will help you gain skills and transferable experience (remember to include these on your resume!) that will benefit you in your search for full-time positions.

When searching for any type of employment, it is important to:

• Research the company or organization
• Consider your values/needs and how these may align with the employer
• Track applications and set timelines for yourself
• Keep an open mind about different opportunities you come across
• Internships, part-time work, or other involvement can often lead to full-time job offers down the road

• Roughly 75% of jobs are found, not through advertisements, but through networking
• Most people don’t work for large employers with big Human Resources (HR) departments and automated hiring processes. Therefore, making a connection is critical!
• Employers prefer to hire people: (1) they know and (2) are recommended
• Eliminate your competition by beating them to the job before it is ever advertised

Informational Interviews are conversations with individuals who work for the programs, jobs, or organizations in which you are interested. Informational Interviews help you:

• Gather information about an organization, job, and related professional concerns
• Confirm your understanding of the requirements and daily operations of the job and organization
• Learn about the professional language and culture of the job and organization
• Create contacts and build relationships with people in your career field
• Learn to present yourself more effectively in future job interviews

See some sample questions here!

The majority of companies use LinkedIn for recruiting, which makes social networking essential in the job hunt.  Many of these companies have found a new hire through a social network.

Here is a LinkedIn Sample Profile!

General Resume Sample

Resume Checklist

Bulleted Statements Guide for Resume Building

Curriculum Vita (CV) Categories

Curriculum Vita Sample

Cover Letter Checklist

Cover Letter Sample

If not asked for to be input in the application itself, references should be listed on a separate page from your resume. Include your resume heading with your name and contact information.

It is not necessary to put the statement, “References available upon request,” on your resume or CV
– employers presume you can provide references if they request them.

You should provide references that are relevant to the job you are applying for and ask individuals who will be able to speak to your skills and qualifications for the type of work you will be performing.

The standard is to have three references (unless more are requested) and you should always ask prior to listing someone as a reference.

Letters of Recommendation are typically required as part of graduate school application processes, but every so often might be requested by a job application as well.

For letters of recommendation, make sure to ask your references with as much notice as possible so they will have adequate time to write a thoughtful recommendation.

We also suggest providing your recommendation writers with information about the graduate school or job description, what skills or specific aspects you would like them to talk about, and a current copy of your resume.

1. Research the company/organization – and any employees you might engage with during the interview process.

• • Look into the company’s values, mission statement, strategic planning, etc.
  • Take notes while you are researching and bring up any relevant points that align with your skills during the interview.

2. Consider experiences and skills you have that are relevant to the position and solid examples.

• • Use resources like the questions below or meet with a career counselor if you need help getting started with brainstorming your examples.

3. Use the BAR technique

• • Using this technique will help round out your answers and make sure you present your examples in a concise manner:
    • B – Background (set the stage)
    • A – Action (what did YOU do)
    • R – Result (outcome or what was learned)

4. Prepare for the interview itself

• • If virtual, check your internet connection and your visible background ahead of time, and find a quiet space where you can focus without distractions
  • If in-person, check to see where the interview will be held and allot extra time in case of traffic or if you have trouble finding the location.

Common Questions

• Tell me about yourself and why you are interested in this position.
• What are your long-range and short-range career goals?
• How have your previous experiences prepared you for this job?
• What questions do you have for me?
• What is a weakness of yours as it relates to this position?
• What does it mean for your to have a commitment to diversity? How have your demonstrated that commitment previously and how would you see yourself demonstrating it here?

Strengths

• What do you consider your 3 greatest strengths? Provide me an example of when you used your strengths.
• What is your greatest weakness?
• Please describe how your qualifications would make you successful in this position?
• Why should we hire you?

Motivation

• Why did you decide to pursue a career in this field/industry?
• Where would you like to see yourself five years from now?
• Why are you interested in working with this organization?
• Tell me about any professional development you have completed and how this impacted your work.

Value Alignment

• In what type of work environment do you perform best? How would you change your previous work environment to make it more productive?
• What role do you typically play on a team?
• What do you look for in a supervisor? How does this compare to how you supervise?
• Which value of the company do you most closely align with?

Behavioral Questions

• Tell me about a time when you had competing priorities? How did you manage these deadlines?
• Give me an example of a conflict or problem that you experienced in a previous work setting and how you handled it.
• Tell me about a time you took initiative with a project or task. What was the outcome?
• Describe your time management system.

Remember that you are also interviewing THEM, so ask the questions YOU want to know the answers to. Here are some general examples, but make sure to do your research ahead of the interview and write down questions that come to mind.

Value Alignment

• What characteristics does a successful person in your organization possess?
• What are some of the achievements made by employees in this position in the past?
• How would you describe the overall work atmosphere?
• What opportunities exist for professional development or advancement?
• How would you define integrity in this organization?

Hiring Process

• What is the next step in the hiring process?
• When do you hope to have the position filled?

Position Information

• What would a typical day’s work look like in this position?
• Will I work as part of team and if so, who will be in the group?
• How does this position align with the organization’s strategic plan?

Questions to Avoid

Avoid asking specific questions on salary, benefits, perks, vacation time, or focus too much on the compensation during the preliminary interview process.

Conduct mock interviews with our staff by making an appointment through Handshake, solidify your examples, and use these questions to practice on your own or with a friend.

It is illegal for an employer to ask you any questions regarding protected class during an application or interview process (protected class includes: birthplace, nationality, descent of applicant/applicant’s spouse/partners, sex or martial status including pregnancy/birth control/child or dependent-care, race, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, religion or religious days observed, disability or genetic factors). Please note, the voluntary disclosure you might see when submitting an application is allowed as it is separate from hiring considerations.

Pass by to discuss more information!

Employment Discrimination

Colorado law prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, national origin, ancestry, creed, religion, sex, sexual orientation (CO’s legal definition of sexual orientation for this law includes gender identity), age, disability, marriage to a co-worker, and prohibits retaliation for engaging in a civil rights-protected activity.

Federal law prohibits an employer to discriminate based on race, religion, gender (including pregnancy), national origin, age (40 or older), and disability or genetic information.

Pass by to get more resources and discuss questions that you have!

Program Outcomes

• What is necessary for success in this program?
• How long do students typically take to finish their degree?
• What are the retention and graduation rates for the program?
• Where do your students obtain employment after graduation?
• What support does your department provide to help students navigate the changing landscape of academia?
• Does the program have a strong alumni network? What services do alumni have access to? Do they have opportunities to get involved?

Advising

• Does the program have diverse faculty, administrators, and staff?
• How many advisees does each advisor have?
• What kind of academic support programs are available (i.e. peer advisors)? How and when can students access them?
• What services are available to help students find employment after graduation?

Research and Professional Development

• Are students given the opportunity to become active members of professional organizations?
• Are students required or encouraged to do research and present at conferences?
• Are there opportunities to conduct research with faculty?
• Are there opportunities to conduct independent research?
• Are there opportunities for experiential learning such as internships, practicum, or assistantships? What do these look like?
• What type of training do TAs or graduate instructors receive?

Campus Life and Resources

As you go through this exploration process, pass by our Center for Career Readiness to get further help with graduate school exploration and application as well as tips on writing personal statements.

Contact us at career.readiness@unco.edu