Peer Corner

How to Get the Most Out of Your Career Counseling Session (tips from one of the Career Center counselors)

Your resume was last updated in high school, the concept of an internship is lost on you, and the process of choosing a major has become something you find dreadful. Quick: You have 45 minutes to tell your Career Counselor all about it!

    

First of all, remember to breathe. Take off your coat and make yourself comfortable. The sense of urgency that can accompany your first visit to a Career Counselor is based on the false premise that you have one shot to cover all of your career concerns. Here are a few tips on how to make those 45 minutes count.

Understand What Career Counselors Do

Career Counselors are not academic advisors and therefore cannot provide insight on course requirements, class schedules or departmental procedures. Despite the inclusion of the word "career" in the job title, Career Counselors also do not place students in jobs.

"Counselor" is the operative word here; our goal is to teach you career development strategies and point you toward resources so that you can make informed career decisions. Ideally, your Career Counselor will incorporate these lessons so that you can be a more confident job seeker for life.

Prioritize

Consider your goals for the session. Do you want to find an internship or job? Decide on a major? Explore career fields? Most people have multiple concerns when they make an appointment and hope that they will all be resolved speedily.

Career counseling, like personal counseling, is a process which involves a time commitment and requires patience. You and your counselor can also collaborate to prioritize your goals, but remember that this process will absorb your session time -- try to do some prioritizing in advance. Our Planning Your Future section can help you get a sense of what steps typically come first in the career planning process.

Do Your Homework

Are you interested in finding an internship in public policy? Do you have a question about the requirements for law or medical school? There is a vast repository of useful information on our website, as well as links to other reputable information sources on the web, that can help you get started.

At the very least, try searching for your question or topic, or see if it's listed in the A-Z index; log into CalJobs to see what opportunities are currently available, and look through the extensive Employer & Industry Guides.

Better to do a little preparation - you may feel frustrated if you make the effort to come to the Career Center only to find that the answer to your question was a few mouse clicks away. Furthermore, if you do some research in advance you'll be able to focus the session around more interesting topics, such as how how to put together a resume if you don't have much work experience or how you can tailor your resume to a specific job.

Arrive On Time

This point may seem obvious, but often people forget to factor in the distance from campus to the Career Center, or assume that it operates on "Berkeley Time." If you do show up late, the best possible scenario is that you now have 20-30 minutes instead of 45 minutes to discuss your situation. The worst case scenario is that the counselor is unable to meet with you once you are over 15 minutes late for your appointment. Either way, you're the one who suffers. Why not just plan ahead and show up on time?

Come Back!

Wait, you're not done yet! Just because you are now the proud owner of an edgy, streamlined resume doesn't mean that you've exhausted the Career Center's resources. We offer something relevant for every phase of your development, college and beyond.

Even if you first came in for a quick fix, over time your goals, interests and needs are likely to shift and evolve, giving rise to new questions and concerns. A return visit with your counselor will help you feel like you are accomplishing your goals and moving toward a satisfying career, and at the very least, getting the resources you need to get to where you want to go.

Additional Resources

Watch Online Workshops and Quick Clip Videos

Schedule a 45-minute Career Counseling Appointment

Check out our Upcoming Events

What is Careeer Counseling?

Externships? I thought they were called internships....

Are you a freshmen or sophomore? Are you trying to gain experience or explore your career interests? Do you have free time during winter break? If you answered yes to these questions, you should consider Cal’s externship program!

Most students know what an internship is, but what’s an externship? An externship is a great opportunity for freshmen, sophomores, and even upper classmen, who are still exploring their career options but might not have enough experience to gain an internship or other position, to get acquainted with a field of interest and see if it would be right fit for them. Externships are generally shorter than internship programs, lasting anywhere from one day to around a week. They are located in a wide variety of places including the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, New York, and areas around Washington, DC. Externship opportunities and locations vary, but keep in mind that, in most cases, you will be responsible for travel expenses to the externship location.

The externship program has opportunities in a wide variety of areas including business, law, nonprofit positions and many more. Externships are perfect if you are like most of us and are not sure about what you want to do in the future or have several interests. For example, it’s hard to know whether you will like the law field, or which type of law you want to study, without direct experience in a law firm and an understanding of the daily happenings of the profession. An externship will provide you a quick glimpse into different career fields and give you a feel for the position without the longer-term commitment of an internship or job.

In addition to getting an up close and personal experience, externships will also get you started with networking and expanding your professional contacts. As a peer advisor, I always recommend that people start practicing networking as soon as possible because networking can lead to internships, unlisted jobs openings, and/or resources not publically available. It helps to know people on the “inside” of the industry. Externships are also a “safe” and low-pressure place for you to start networking because the sponsor is a Cal alum who is fully aware of the job hunting process and how the transition was from Cal to their current position. They will give you valuable insight and advice about the procedure and any other tips that you might not get otherwise.

To sum up, externships are a great opportunity for you if you are a Cal student, especially freshmen or sophomore, and interested in exploring your career options. Our externship listings are currently up on the Career Center website and open for freshmen and sophomores to apply because they get preference. The second application round, open to juniors, seniors as well as freshmen and sophomores, will begin on Nov. 17 and the final deadline to apply for externships are on Nov. 28 at 11:59pm. I encourage you to not wait until the very last minute because there is no way to predict how many other students will also be waiting until the last minute and you want to avoid any computer/technical difficulties. Look through our listings, explore your options, and refine your resume with a peer advisor or career counselor at the Career Center before you apply. Good luck!

 

Blog written by Juliana Steers.

Conquering the cover letter

Cover letter? What does that even entail?!

I love the job position available but how do I write an impressive cover letter?

Do any of these questions sound at least somewhat familiar? Well, have no fear! We at the Career Center are here to assist you with that! Writing cover letters can be pretty tough when you’re not too sure what things you should actually highlight in the 3-4 paragraphs of your cover letter, especially if you have many or little experiences.

Here are some tips for getting started:

1. Before you begin writing, research the employer. This is a very important point. Go on their website or look through pamphlets from their office in order to gain a better sense of what they are about and the products/services they offer. It would be best advised to read up on their “About Us” or mission statement that describes their purpose. Use their verbatim (either from their website or job listing) when writing your cover letter to demonstrate that you’ve done some research on them and have a strong interest in working for them. Pinpoint needs of the employer with your qualifications in your cover letter and DO NOT discuss what you want from employers.
   
   
2. Make sure you have the appropriate headings for your name and contact information. You can follow the same header format as you have in your resume if you like but a standard example (in addition to examples of cover letters and resumes!) can be found in our Jobs & Internship Guide (JIG), which can be picked up for free at the entrance of the Career Center or downloaded from our website here: https://career.berkeley.edu/Guide/Guide.stm.
   
   
3. Make sure you identify the hiring person’s name and contact information as well. If the job positing does not list these, contact the employer to find out. If you cannot find the information, put a personable title to replace the name, such as “Hiring Manager” or “Selection Committee”. These greetings will be the addressee when you begin your letter if you cannot locate the person’s actual name. Be sure to avoid using “To Whom It May Concern”.
   
   
4. In Paragraph 1, you should start by clearly stating what position you are applying for or your main purpose. If you know the job listing number or title, state them. Move on to discussing why you are interested in the position, company, and how you found out about the position. Many people believe that they should start out with “My name is ABC and I go to XYZ University”. This is incorrect. Doing this will be redundant since the information is already in your resume and may make the employer skip onto the next resume; being straightforward is important in these first few sentences. Here, name dropping the person who referred you, whether it is a friend that already works for the employer or a recruiter you spoke to, can seriously work to your benefit. However, if you reference a friend or family member, ascertain that he or she is in good standing in the company or department. Referencing someone who isn’t viewed in such a positive light might be damaging. Be sure to mention the values of the employer and how your qualifications match with what they are seeking. Conclude with a statement of why you are a good candidate.
   
   
5. In paragraphs 2 and 3 (remember, you can write 3-4 paragraphs in total for your cover letter), identify parts of your experiences that are relevant to what they are looking for. It is highly recommended to focus on 2-3 experiences that will interest the employer instead of many since that is what your resume is for. These experiences can be paid or non-paid; both are valid for cover letters. Again, look over the job listing to use similar jargon in your cover letter to describe how your skills, values, and experiences fit with the employer’s. Take this portion of your letter to really address their qualifications section of the listing.
   
   
6. Finally, in paragraph 4, conclude by saying what you want to happen next. Reiterate why you are a good candidate for the position, request an interview appointment, and then thank the employer/reader for their time and consideration. Remember, it is one thing to be assertive but it is another to be pushy! Avoid giving the impression of sounding demanding.
   
   
7. In terms of formatting and etiquette follow these steps: keep your font at 12 point, have one page maximum, use a font that is consistent with your resume, use heavier bond paper if submitting a copy in person so the ink does not bleed through, and go through your cover letter 2-3 times to make sure there are no mistakes! Better yet, have someone else revise it, like a peer advisor (no appointment necessary) or a career counselor (appointments must be made online) at the Career Center.
   
   
8. Some final points: be mindful of potential readers of your cover letter when deciding your font size and cover letter as a whole. Submit your cover letter and the rest of your application to the person hiring you, be concise throughout your cover letter, and avoid starting sentences with “I” because employers already know the cover letter is about yourself.

Remember to come in to the Career Center to see a peer advisor or make an appointment through the Career Center website to see a career counselor if you want someone to look over your cover letter! Good luck and happy cover letting-writing!

Blog written by Linda Thai, 4^th year Sociology major and Education minor

Scary professors are scary: asking for letters of recommendations.

 

 

We all know that getting letters of recommendation is an imperative part of your academic career, especially if you plan on attending graduate school. The problem most of us face is actually getting them. You may wonder how you can approach your professor in asking them to write your letter of recommendation or what steps to take in order to ensure they write you an excellent letter. These concerns are completely natural and are often found throughout the student population. Today, we will try and assist you in getting that letter you deserve!

Particularly if you have aspirations of attending graduate school, I highly recommend developing a relationship with your professor early on during your undergraduate career. Attending office hours for questions related to the material, or even for the occasional intellectual conversation, are great ways to showcase your enthusiasm for the subject. Another conversation you may want to strike up is one related to the professor’s research. If you are aware of any projects they are conducting, inquiring about the process or the research project’s goals and how it may relate to any material the professor has covered in class will indubitably solidify your relationship with the professor. Inevitably over time, they will know your name and face, and they will recognize your passion for learning.

While I am recommending you sway the conversation towards the interest of the professor, it is also crucial to make known your curiosities about relevant material and your career or academic goals. With this established, the professor will have a basis in which they will be able to evaluate you in a letter of recommendation. It is furthermore necessary that you maintain this relationship with your professor in your undergraduate career semesters later. If you judge it appropriate, it is perfectly acceptable to visit this professor in office hours every once in a while to check in with them. This will let the professor know you haven’t discarded his class or the material he’s taught you.

If, on the other hand, you have not established such an ideal relationship with a professor, it is still possible to attain that same level of connection with a GSI/TA. Often times, GSIs are a more fit choice to evaluate a student in a letter of recommendation, as they generally attain more one-on-one time with them and are grading their work on a regular basis. In such a case, it would be appropriate to ask a GSI to write you a letter of recommendation, and perhaps even ask them to have the professor co-sign the letter. This eliminates any doubt that the letter is devalued because of its author; a professor’s signature for approval is always a positive point. The only downside to this method is that some graduate schools like to do a thorough check on their applicants. If they receive a letter signed by your professor and ask him or her questions about the contents of the letter, the professor might not be able to answer adequately because they were not involved in the writing process or if they skimmed it over, they may have difficulties supporting their claims because they did not have enough contact with you. This is something to keep in mind if you are struggling to find a professor to write you a letter.

If you are a junior transfer and have not had enough time to know a professor it is also reasonable to ask a professor from your Junior College to write you a letter of recommendation for positions, scholarships, grants, etc. at Berkeley. Once here, however, you should begin to get to know your professors as their letters will be the ones needed in applying to graduate school.  

Once you have chosen the author of your letter, it is up to you to judge whether it is more appropriate to ask through email or in person. In either case, the initial step is asking the professor if they feel comfortable or are willing to write you a letter of recommendation (in other words, don’t assume!) before proceeding to sending them the material they would need. It is important to keep a few other details in mind: always point out the activities on your resume (on that note, don’t forget to give the professor a copy of your resume!) you would like the author to highlight, as well as any qualities that you believe will aid you further in the admissions process; most importantly, allow the professor to provide a personal evaluation of you and how they have witnessed your work as a student and professional; finally, try as much as possible to plan ahead in this process. Professors are undoubtedly busy with duties beyond teaching and it is important to keep that in mind when setting a timeline. I recommend asking for letters of recommendation as far as a month in advance, and checking in with the author once or twice on how they’re progressing.

On a final note, I would like to highlight the Letter Service by the Career Center. If you plan on taking some time off between undergraduate and graduate school, or if believe you will need these letters of recommendation for future applications of any kind, the Career Center will hold your letters for up to 5 or 10 years depending on the programs you will be applying to. For more information, please click here.

Thank you and be sure to drop by the Career Center if you have any questions!

 

Blog written by: Angela Haddad

Career Center Resources for Pre-med/Pre-health Students

Career Center Resources for Pre-med/Pre-health Students

There is a huge demand for pre-health advising at UC Berkeley so beginning this fall, the pre-health team at Career Center is increasing our resources for pre-health students. We now have two pre-health counselors who are dedicated to working with pre-health students, and two peer advisers who provide a total of more than 12 hours of drop-in advising a week. Here is a brief overview of the great resources we offer:

Advising

The main service that we provide for students at Career Center is our one-on-one advising. Three are 3 ways you can receive our special counseling services for pre-health:

1. Sign up for 30 minute pre-health appointments with pre-health counselors at Career Center. They can help you with everything from preparations for a health career to questions about the application process. This type of appointment can also be a mock interview if you request it when you sign up. (sign up on Callisto)

2. Visit drop-in hours with pre-health counselors at 3060 VLSB (reserve a spot on Callisto or drop-in)!

3.Visit our 15 minute drop-ins with pre-health peer advisors at Career Center and 3060 VLSB (check our Peer page on the Career Center for hours https://career.berkeley.edu/Peers/Peers.stm)

Workshops and Events

Starting this semester, we are holding many workshops and programs in both fall and spring. The fall programs are geared toward getting ready to apply while the spring programs focus more on the application process. We also have various programs and workshops which you can attend. For a full list please see this page https://career.berkeley.edu/Info/SeriesPreMed.stm. Please RSVP on Callisto so we have an idea of how many students to expect at each program.

Health and Medicine Careermail

A great way to keep updated with the events is by signing up for the Health and Medicine Careermail, which can be accessed through your profile. Check out our weekly mailing list of opportunities for pre-health students by subscribing on your Callisto account. The information we send out ranges from relevant pre-health events to volunteer and internship opportunities for pre-health students. Berkeley is a big place and there’s always events going on so this is a great way to keep yourself informed of programs on campus held by pre-health student organizations, Career Center, or even medical and graduate school representatives.  We have thousands of students on the list already and if you haven’t signed up yet, you are really missing out!

Career Center Website’s Pre-med/Pre-health section

Some popular resources on our website include past Berkeley students’ medical school admission statistics, medical school application timeline, and online workshops for writing personal statements and medical school interviews. We are currently in the process of updating our website’s pre-health section to provide more up to date information for students. Feel free to look around and explore the great information we have on the website.

Letter Service

The Letter Service program at Career Center is a resource used by many students who are applying for graduate programs that need letters of recommendation. It is a service for students to save their letters of recommendation for up to 5 years. For more detailed information check our website’s section on Letter Service at https://career.berkeley.edu/letter/letter.stm. 

Hopefully this post has helped you become more familiar with the resources the Career Center has to offer in aiding you in your pre-health journey at Cal. Please feel free to come by if you have any questions! Good luck!

 

Blog written by: Cathy Dai, 3rd year Psychology and Integrative Biology Major

Having trouble figuring out what you want to do? Use the Career Center!

Some people come to Berkeley knowing exactly what they want to major in and finish completely satisfied with that major. Others, like me, spend 2+ years deciding on what major is truly suitable for them by going through every other major in the university. And of course, sometimes you start taking classes for a major that you think is for you, and halfway through – you realize that you’ve always wanted to learn more about something else. Similarly, searching for the right field and industry to go into can be one of the most difficult processes in one’s life. Luckily, there are many resources - whether at the Career Center, on campus, or off-campus – that one can utilize to really hone down one’s career goals.

1. Internships: Oftentimes, people speak of internships as ways to stuff one’s resume, land a full-time job at a company, or to impress an employer. While all of these are reasonable, one must not forget one of the main purposes of the internship: to assess whether working in that industry is something that one would truly enjoy. When interning for an organization, one receives much better insight into the inner workings of an industry than solely looking from the outside. Your experiences during the internship period will often be good indicators for whether one would actually enjoy working at the company full-time, and similarly, whether one would enjoy working in that industry. Of course, one internship experience cannot embody the experience of working full-time at the same company, or working in another company in the same industry – but one’s personal experience is one of the most valuable tools in evaluating a career path.
2. Externships: So you might think that interning at a high school for a semester might just give you a headache – but you still want to learn more about teaching? It sounds like taking on an externship would be a better fit for you! Externships are similar to internships in that they both aim to give the participant a grasp of the skills needed in the industry, knowledge of day-to-day life at work, and an opportunity to contribute to the organization. The differences between the two are mainly the duration and the process. Since externships are generally somewhere between one day to three weeks, they are perfect for giving the participant a short, practical experience in the industry. The other difference is that with most externships, the extern is assigned to shadow a specific person or a team in the organization as opposed to being responsible for a unique position (which is often the case with internships). Preference is given to freshmen and sophomores, and one can go to the “Externships” tab underneath “Internships” to find out more information!
3. Career Assessment Tests: You know those personality quizzes on social media websites that tell you that your traits make you a “healer” or a “challenger”? There are also many assessment tests that aim to lead students into career paths where their skills and interests lie. These tests differ in length, scope, and method; some are as short as 5 minutes, while others take up to an hour, and some will provide specific job positions, while others will be much more abstract. The Career Center offers two of these diagnostic programs: the Focus 2 test, and the Strong Interest Inventory. The Focus 2 offers several short assessment tests, such as the “Personality Assessment” and “Values Assessment” that are meant to give insight into the types of careers that one would possibly be interested in. To access the Focus 2, you can log onto Callisto and look for the Focus 2 button on the front page.  The Strong Interest Inventory is similar to the Focus 2, but it can only be given by a career counselor and on that note….
4. Career Counselors: If you have ever wanted to just sit down and talk to a professional about your concerns, questions, or thoughts on your career path, then you probably want to make an appointment with a career counselor. We have fourteen counselors trained specifically to help guide college students on the process of carving out their own career path. If you have some quick questions about how to apply for internships, write a resume/cover letter, or network, making a 15-minute appointment would be appropriate. If, on the other hand, you have more general concerns, such as with your overall career path, your personal goals, or the possibility of graduate schools, the 45-minute appointment would be more appropriate. A student can request to have access to the Strong Interest Inventory, which is a holistic assessment of one’s general interests and takes up to one hour to complete. During the 45-minute appointment, you can go over the results of your assessment with the counselor to talk more about what potential careers you may or may not have considered. Whichever session you decide to do, it is best to make the appointment early in advice –they fill up fast! You can go to the “Make An Appointment” link under the “Counseling” tab on the Career Website to make an appointment.

And of course, there are many other resources that can be helpful in assessing one’s potential career path. Stay tuned for additional posts on topics relating to the career search, such as informational interviews and networking!

Blog written by: Thomas Siu

 

 

Preparing for a Career Fair

Welcome back! Although we have just started school, you probably have noticed many students walking around campus in their best business attire, hair nicely combed, and with a portfolio in hand.  Errrhh, that’s weird, wonder where these folks are going? Well if you weren’t aware, recruitment and employment has kicked into high season! Yep, that’s right there are various career fairs happening almost every week on campus.  Why so early you may ask? Well these employers are especially interested in Cal Students and want to recruit as many junior associates or other entry-level positions as soon as they can before they lose you to someone else once you graduate.  Not to mention, it also gives you a sense of relief knowing that you have something lined up for you after you graduate.   

Even in this tough economy, there are jobs out there waiting for you.  However, it’s not as easy as standing in line and filling out a form to get that job.  There are some important preparation steps to take before you even step foot inside that career fair or participate in on campus recruiting..   

The following are some great tips that can help you get the most out of a career fair:

1. Research the company.  That doesn’t mean just read the job description, but really investigate.  See what they are up to. Are there upcoming projects that you can see yourself really being into? Have you conducted informational interviews with people in that company to truly see if that's a place you could see yourself?   

2. What’s your pitch?  It might seem quite scary to go into a room full of people especially people who are scouting for future employees and try and make yourself stand out.  Here’s what I have to say about that: be yourself, and let the recruiter know who you are, what you’re interested in and how you can possibly seeing yourself be a great match to their company.  Recruiters are there to be the friendly face of the company, so don’t be afraid of them.  Their job is to be as nice as they can to recruit as many applicants as possible.  Their friendliness makes it easier on you to make a great impression.   

3. Always be friendly.  The Recruiters are your inside point person to all the positions that are going to be available.  Inside one company, there are so many different kinds of careers and positions that it's a good idea to just check out a company even if it is not the exact company or industry you were interested in.   

4. Dress professionally! Recruiters can tell when they see that you have put effort and thought into your outfit.  You’ll also stand out compared to the other students who just are in campus casual clothing.  You want every opportunity you can get to make that lasting positive first impression!  

5. Have lots of copies of your resume on hand! Once you make that bond with a recruiter, its always best to back it up with a resume.  Make sure you proof read your resume and if you have time have it checked and reviewed by a career counselor or a peer advisor!  

6. Have fun! The more fun you have inside that career fair, meeting people, learning about new job opportunities, scoring free swag, the easier and less nerve wracking this whole searching for a job thing will be. 

Hope these few tips will help you out and be sure to check out all the career fairs and even grad school fairs that we have coming up this semester!  

Enjoy your semester and always remember that the career center is a resource you should utilize while at Cal.

Blog written by Chika Kondo, 3rd year Political Science and Society & Environment Major

Click here to find out more about our career fairs

What about the rest of us?

So what if your calling just isn’t to be a doctor, lawyer, or corporate business person? Where can we look for up-to-date and relevant resources to help with our internship, job search and career exploration? In this blog, I want to outline some resources and tips for students who are interested in education, grassroots organizing, art and any other fields that are just not as represented at our career center or on campus.

Education

Education is a huge field and growing in need, especially in California. Often when we think of education, the only job opportunity that comes to mind is teaching. While obviously becoming a teacher is many peoples’ goals, it is important to know that not all positions in the education field are limited to teaching. School administrators, district administrators, policy makers, and library sciences are all positions that fall under the umbrella of education without necessarily being in the classroom and teaching students. With that in mind, websites like Vault Guides and Going Global are great starting points, which you can access through the Career Center’s Callisto, that can give you a general overview of some of these less-talked about positions and gain some more options in the education field. Depending on your focus, you might want to consider filling some of your free time with either tutoring, volunteering at a school as assistant to an administrator/librarian or any sort of public policy position. The CalCorps Public Service Center and the YWCA on Bancroft have several great tutoring or mentoring programs that are great resources for Cal students. These experiences along with communication skills, ability to connect with people, and a real passion for improving the education system will make you well on your way to becoming a part of the education field.

Community Organizing and Non-Profit Work

Community organizing and other non-profit work might be a great fit for you if you are really passionate about social justice and equality issues. There are tons of amazing organizations focusing on issues like environmental justice, racial equality, LGBT rights, women’s empowerment and immigrant rights. On the Career Center website we have a lot of outside resources under the “Career Exploration” tab including directories of nonprofit organizations and other national directories. If you still don’t find what you are looking for, something as simple as googling for example “prison rights organizations in the bay area” will give you lots of options in that specific category as well as other related issues. While searching through community organizations and other nonprofit work, it’s important to think about their real focus and how they are attempting to make social change. If all of this aligns with your ideals and motives, you might have found the perfect organization to get more involved with. If you feel this is the field for you, start picking up experiences on campus that focus on the same or similar subject. Countless students orgs as well as resources like the Cal Corps Public Service Center are all great starting points and will give you an idea of what it means to be a student organizer and those skills can then be applied to community organizing.

Art

The art world can be a very intimidating and daunting space to become involved in.
One huge misconception about the art industry is that the only career path available is to be an artist i.e. painter or sculptor. Museum curators, commercial and industrial designers, fashion designers, graphic designers, interior designers as well as other areas of museum work are just a few of the positions that are still very much a part of the professional art field. Some positions even incorporate art and education such as the education sector of a museum or community art center, which might encompass tours and information of the art on exhibit or even art classes. Again, the Career Center website has some great resources for exploring the many options in the larger arts and entertainment field. Under the Career Exploration tab, look for Career Profiles and Guides to give you a greater understanding of the different positions. There are also many other links that will give you some information and places to start your search from focuses of fine arts to museums/libraries to performing arts. If you are interested in this field, look into some campus organizations such as Cal TV, the Berkeley Art Museum, or anything that might give you some creative freedom to explore you specific interest in the larger art world. Also, take advantage of the many art museums and community art centers in Berkeley and the surrounding areas like Oakland and of course San Francisco.

Last Tips and Recommendations

For any of the other fields that are outside of law, medicine and business that I did not specifically address here, the key is to recognize and build your transferrable skills and do what you love to do. Essentially, if you have a liberal arts, humanities or social science major, you are gaining analytical and communication skills that are applicable to almost every position. As with any field, experiences outside of school that showcase your interests and passions as well as networking are essential to being successful. Research the different fields and be completely aware of all of your options and most importantly try out those options through volunteering, internships and paid positions. Professional organizations are also great resources for students are beginning to explore their career options. These can be found as simply as googling “professional associations of [insert field here]” and look through the many options. Use campus organizations as a great stepping stone and skill builder that not only shows leadership and communication skills, but will also keep you excited and engaged outside of your classes. Essentially, it is important to remember to take the steps you need to get involved and gain applicable job skills, but as with any major or career interest, remember to be involved with things that interest you so that you can find a career that not only interests you but that you love as well.

Post by Juliana Steers, 3rd Year Ethnic Studies and Art History Major

Revamping Your Resume

So you’ve been to a couple resume workshops, experimented and created various different templates for your resume, and you’re pretty confident your resume is decent. What other steps can you take now to turn your resume from good to great?

The difference between a good resume and a great resume often comes down to the attention to detail you take when organizing the different components of your resume and organizing your bullet points. Your resume may be formatted well, looks great, and fits nice and neatly into one page, but do not forget that your resume is one of the first impressions an employer will have on you. And when there are hundreds of resumes that can be potentially turned in for one position, how can you make your resume stand out?

The first step is to tailor your resume specifically to the position you are applying for. It is great to have a general resume for career fairs and for your own personal records, but tailoring your resume to the specific position you desire will make your resume stand out. Make sure to constantly refer to the job description and qualifications for the position and match it with your resume. Do they want someone who is good at public speaking and presentation skills? Then make sure to highlight that in your description of your experience! Remember, while you may have tons of experience and have accomplished so much in every position you ever held, your resume is only one page. So pick selectively on what to highlight, and make sure what you are highlighting directly corresponds with what the employer wants!

The second step is to organize your resume in a way that prioritizes the most relevant experience to the position first! Rather than organizing your resume in terms of “work experience” and “volunteer experience” or “extracurriculars,” experiment with how you categorize your experiences. Perhaps another general way to categorize is placing “relevant experience” as the first category and “additional experience” as the next. Another option is to be more specific with how you categorize your experiences. Perhaps you want to have a separate category for research if the position specifically entails research. Or maybe you want to have a separate category of technical experience if the position requires technical skills. Be strategic in how you categorize your work, and remember that this is your resume, so there is no single, unchanging set of rules to abide by.

And last but not least, do not neglect to include your result or context in the description of each experience that you have! Do not think of your resume as just highlighting or listing the duties that you did for every experience, but rather utilize your resume as a venue for highlighting the skills that you have and the accomplishments that you have.

The Career Center’s Magic Bullet Point Formula:

Action Verb + Brief Description of role + RESULT/CONTEXT

If you can quantify and illustrate that you have produced tangible results in a job (i.e. improve a student’s SAT test scores by 18 points), then that looks much more impressive than just describing what you did in that position. However, since not everything a job entails produces a tangible result, it is still important to include relevant context to what you are doing – answering the purpose of what you did or what came out of it. You can provide a context to a tutoring position by describing how you increased the awareness and knowledge of a student on format and guidelines of the SAT, rather than just stating that you described and helped the student with their SAT preparation. This attention to detail can work wonders for transforming your resume from good to great!

Above all, remember that your resume is a marketing tool and constant work in progress. This one page will open many doors of opportunity for you, and you want to give the best first impression you can give!

Post by Lilibeth Clelo, 2nd Year Political Science Major, Education Minor

Cold Emailing

While the CalJobs page on Callisto always has over 4000 job listings at a time, there are many hidden internships out there that will never be seized unless you send a “cold email”.  A cold email is what I like to call an email you send to a general contact email of a specific company such as info@companyname.com or jobs@companyname.com that you probably found on the company’s website.  After sending my first (unsuccessful) batch of cold emails my freshman year seeking a summer internship, I have come a long way to my most recent achievement of landing my dream summer internship by sending a cold email this last December.

The art of cold emailing requires particular attention to detail, and these specifics all link back to 1) what you say and 2) how you say it.  There are a few key elements to pay attention to:

The Subject Line

The subject line of an email seems like such a trivial thing, but it can actually make a significant impact on the success of your cold email.  It is the first thing someone reads, and these days it often dictates how the reader prioritizes the email.  The most effective subject line strikes a happy medium between sounding way too vague and way too specific.  If you write a very ambiguous, conspicuous subject line like “Hello” or “To Whom it May Concern” there is a chance the employer will not even open your email.  After all, there are many email spammers these days that even act like colleagues or business partners.  If you write an overly specific subject line, however, such as “Resume submission for possible PR internship with Pixar”, there will almost no need to open your email because the reader already knows exactly what you are asking for.  When you send a cold email, the chances the reader will be able to immediately offer you an interview is low, so they may leave it unread and let it move down the inbox until they forget about it.  As such, you want to leave at least a little information out of the subject line to give the reader a reason to even open it.  Writing a direct subject line like “Inquiry about Summer Internship Opportunity” is usually a safe choice.

The Content

In my opinion, the ideal way to write the content of a cold email is to write a “teaser” of your cover letter.  You want to introduce yourself by giving a snapshot list of your best qualifications, and you also want to talk about why you are emailing specifically THIS company.  The goal is to communicate the fact that you are qualified, but in the most concise way possible. It is also important to communicate why you believe you are a perfect fit for their company.  Remember that many employers have limited time to skim your email (if they open it!), and also keep in mind that it is a major turn off if your email is obviously a mass email you have been sending any and every company.

A key trick about the content of the “cold email” is not sending out your resume before you hear back from the employer.  Oftentimes students on the internship hunt will send out their resume to over 20 employers and hear no word back.  This is most likely because the next step is to give out an interview, and most employers are not ready to give out interviews at any time on any day.  If you mention that you’d be happy to send over a resume, the employer has a much easier task of asking you to send your resume if there is an opportunity available.  The bonus of this situation is that you hear back from an individual, which will allow you to follow up in the future after you send in your resume.

The Follow-up

As always, patience is a virtue.  While follow-up is important, it is also essential to remain patient throughout the entire application process.  My advice is to wait at least one full week before following up; the longer you wait, the more it is their fault for not responding rather than yours for being overeager.  It may also work well to switch between modes of communication when following up—first calling the office to follow up and then sending an email as a second follow-up can give you the opportunity to feel out what is the most effective way to reach the employer.  I would say after the third follow-up, it is likely that the opportunity was not to be.  If this is the case, focus your efforts somewhere else—try and try again!

 Post by Claire Lee, 3rd Year Business Administration Major at Haas