Career Resources for Your LAS Student
Career Resources for your LAS Student
LAS students have access to several different career-related resources on campus that can assist students with choosing a major, gaining experience through internships, and searching for opportunities post-graduation.
LAS Career Development & Internships
Our office offers one-on-one career advising appointments, workshops, group advising, and an array of on-demand resources on our website (including recorded videos and self-guided resources). Our goal is to help students identify their major as well as help them establish their interests, skills, strengths, and values. These resources are available to students with a major within the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
UIC Career Services
UIC Career Services offers one-on-one career advising through appointments and walk-ins, workshops, online resources, and large scale, campus-wide events such as job fairs. Additionally, UIC Career Services works with external employers to post job and internship opportunities available to UIC students on the Handshake website. Services are available to UIC students from any college as well as alumni.
Career Development Process
The process of deciding on a career path can be overwhelming and intimidating, but it can also be fun, exciting and engaging! The career development process incorporates 4 non-linear steps, Reflection, Research, Exposure, and Experience. These steps can be completed in any order and may need to be revisited in the future when skills, interests and values aren’t aligned. Familiarize yourself with these steps to help gauge where your student may be.
Reflection
Throughout the reflection stage, individuals are trying to figure out their specific career interests, skills and values. LAS Career Development offers assessments and activities for students to start the reflection process.
Research
Once a student knows more about themselves and their interests, it’s time to begin researching possible career paths that match their interests, skills and values. There are many different ways to research. Encourage your student to check out resources below.
Exposure
Exposure is all about taking steps to immerse yourself in a particular field. This can be done through conducting informational interviews to learn more about other’s experiences, exploring career environments, or attending events or programs related to the field.
Experience
Now that a student has learned more about their career field of interest, it’s time to dive in! Experience can include volunteering with an organization in their career field of interest, shadowing or completing “ride alongs”, completing internships, and conducting research.
How You Can Help
LAS Career Development Office and Internships Office appreciates the support you provide to your LAS student! You have the advantage of knowing your student and how much guidance they will need along their major and career exploration journey.
Below may be some questions you’re asking yourself. Explore each of the tabs below to identify specific resources to share with your student!
Utilize Career Counseling
Individual and group career counseling appointments are available to help students explore their interests to further support their major and career exploration. During appointments, we can provide guidance about the internship search, online resources, and how to build experience in a professional setting. Appointments can range from exploratory conversations, reviewing assessments, critiques of search tools (resume, cover letter), obtaining course credit for internships, and more!
Take Advantage of Our Programming & Events
Each semester we offer a range of career development workshops and events to help guide your student’s major and career path exploration:
Workshops: Workshops are typically an hour long and a great way for your student to actively reflect on topics such as selecting a major, how to conduct an internship search, developing a resume and LinkedIn profile and understanding how career assessments can further guide the career exploration process.
Events: One day events are offered highlighting various topics led by professionals or UIC students and alumni. Flagship events such as Minute Majors and the Health Professions Forum offer new insights through panel and small group discussions.
Set Up A LinkedIn & Handshake Profile
Research shows that networking and connecting with other professionals has a large impact on multiple aspects of the job search and job length. One of the main avenues used today to build professional connects and network within a career field is social media platform, LinkedIn. We encourage all students we work with to utilize LinkedIn not only in the internship and job search, but also in major and career exploration. It’s such a multi-faceted tool!
Another UIC specific tool that can greatly benefit students is Handshake. Handshake is UIC’s online job board that hosts postings for on-campus part-time jobs, internships, and full-time positions. Additionally, Handshake is used for career fairs in connecting students to potential employers. The more fully a student completes their Handshake profile, the more targeted communications they will receive.
Gain Experience Before Graduation
Today’s employers consistently want full-time employee candidates to possess skills and relevant work experiences prior to hiring. Skills in high demand are effective communication, problem solving, team collaboration, leadership, and professionalism just to name a few. Often called “soft skills”, these competencies often aren’t perfected by only taking classes for a degree.
Experiential learning can help students in gaining these desirable skills and increase their job prospects after graduation. Additionally, in completing experiential learning opportunities, students have first-hand experience in the field which can help them determine if that field is right for them.
Students can complete experiential learning through various means, such as:
- Internships
- Conducting research
- Studying abroad
- Volunteering
- Working on campus
*Internship Experience the Top Differentiator when Choosing Between Otherwise Equal Job Candidates
Listen to Your Student with an Open Mind
During the college experience, students grow, develop, and evolve. Along the way, their interests, skills, and values may adapt to fit their growth and development. For this reason, it is important that students have a strong, unwavering support system in place they can rely on through this process and experience.
Hear out your student, and listen intently when they discuss majors or career paths with you. Share ideas and resources, and allow them to take on experiences that will allow them to continue to grow. But, don’t be afraid to ask questions to better understand your student’s thought process.
Provide Resources
Your student may have interest in a field you know a lot about – which is great! Provide them resources such as articles, LinkedIn Learning modules, UIC campus resources and allow them to learn.
If your student is considering a field that you don’t know as much about, encourage them to utilize the resources below.
Assist in Making Connections and Growing Student Network
In today’s job market, networks and connections make a big difference in finding and attaining job opportunities. If you know someone in a career field that your student is interested in, get your student their contact information! Encourage your student to reach out and connect with the individual via email or LinkedIn. Explain the importance of informational interviews and encourage your student to set up a time to talk with your connection.
Informational interviews are an excellent way for individuals to learn about a career field. They involve talking with a professional in a career field of interest to discover what it’s like to work in that field on a day-to-day basis.
Let Your Student Be the Driver
Most important to remember as you are having conversations with your student about major and career prospects – let them be the driver. Allow your student to do their own research, reach out to connections, and complete career advising individually. You can be a valuable support, but make room for their growth and development in the process. Networking and job search skills are best learned by doing, and have a life-long impact that can serve them well in the future.