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Career Services offers free, tailored presentations and workshops for undergraduate students, graduate students and post docs to support their career development.
Once you have browsed our presentation options below, please submit your request using the form at the bottom of this page. Career Services staff members can adapt presentations to meet the needs of your group. Please contact our outreach team with any questions or concerns.
Undergraduate students
Career Services is a welcoming place with an array of services. We assist students with discovering and manifesting their personal and professional developmental goals. In order to maximize their career readiness, students engage with Career Services early and often.
As a result of attending this interactive workshop, participants will be able to
- Identify how Career Services can help individuals through the various channels of engagement
- Recognize their autonomy in the career development process
- Articulate the value of engaging with Career Services
We can customize any presentation content to
- Tailor for specific audiences (engineering, first-generation, international, graduate, alumni)
- Adjust to showcase to non-student audiences such as families, staff, faculty and administrators
Does it feel like everyone else has their major or career path figured out? It’s OK not to know. The process of making these big decisions is not easy and in this workshop, students will learn specific strategies to gain a better understanding of self so that they can narrow down their options. Students will also learn about employers’ perspectives on transferable skills and how to set realistic expectations and goals along the way. Students will gain confidence as they take the next small step in exploring. After all, careers unfold, they don’t just exist.
As a result of attending this interactive 50-minute workshop, participants will be able to
- Understand the value of the exploration process when deciding on a major or career
- Develop a plan that includes at least two specific strategies
- Increase hope for their future and confidence to take the next step
A resume is a living document that is critical to succeeding as a qualified candidate. Students will leave with knowledge, skills and confidence to construct a resume with tailored bullet points that will stand out to employers.
As a result of attending this interactive workshop, participants will be able to
- Understand the different audiences that will review the resume and what they look for
- Describe the content included in an effective resume
- Formulate action-oriented bullet points that include transferable skills
- Increase their confidence to construct a tailored resume
Additional topics that can be included for intermediate and advanced sessions:
- Cover letter
- Technical/engineering
- Curriculum Vitae for undergraduate student
- Writing bullet points
- International students
- Working abroad
- Resumes with less experience (targeted towards first-year students)
- Creative careers that require a different format and flow (e.g. graphic design, performing arts)
If networking works so well, why is it so intimidating? Through hands-on practice, students can gain the confidence to build professional relationships in a way that is uniquely effective for them. In this session, students will learn strategies that will help them build connections to progress their job or internship search.
As a result of attending this interactive workshop, participants will be able to
- Identify relevant networking resources to use
- Recognize opportunities for networking, apply basic starting points and modify their approach to meet individual goals
- Choose two networking strategies to try that will widen their professional network and introduce them to opportunities in their field of interest
- Prepare an individualized networking plan oriented towards developing positive, ongoing relationships with their professional contacts
Additional topics that can be included for intermediate and advanced sessions:
- Additional resources such as LinkedIn, Chambers of Commerce
- Review U.S. cultural norms and expectations and how this is different and/or similar than other cultures
- Address other barriers to networking, including a lack of authenticity and need for small talk
Ready to stand out to recruiters and land a job? The search entails more than just looking at online job boards. In this workshop, students will learn a multipronged approach to identify their personal filters and goals, while gaining knowledge of best practices. Apply this information to navigate the hidden job market, the quirks of networking and other tools such as Handshake. Students will gain the confidence to customize and conduct an effective job and internship search.
As a result of attending this interactive workshop, participants will be able to
- Identify resources for possible careers and connections
- Understand the steps and resources needed for their job and internship search
- Locate and identify positions they are qualified for in relation to their field of interest
- Express confidence in their job search and know when they might need to seek help with the process
Additional topics that can be included:
- Searching during uncertain times
- Engineering and STEM-specific resources
- Working abroad
Landing an interview is a cornerstone of the job search process. During this session, students will gain knowledge of the interview process, practice responding to common questions and leave feeling more confident to implement successful and tailored strategies.
As a result of attending this interactive workshop, participants will be able to
- Describe the purpose of the interview and the employer’s perspective
- Articulate the how and why when preparing for the interview
- Implement techniques to reduce anxiety and increase confidence
Additional topics that can be included for intermediate and advanced sessions:
- Tailored to support underserved populations
- Include relevant and updated information to actively engage students who identify as LGBTQ; topics such as advocacy, dress and non-verbals
- Support and practice for technical interviews
30-minute workshop
In this 30-minute presentation, students will learn the importance of intentionally building career-readiness skills while attending CU Boulder and the impact that can make on their future job prospects. They will also be directed to resources created to help craft a personalized skill-building plan for use during their tenure at CU.
50-minute workshops
- Workshop 1: This 50-minute introductory presentation will teach students the importance of intentionally building career-readiness skills while attending CU Boulder and highlight the impact it can make on their future job prospects. Students will gain a deeper understanding of the skills valued by employers and will examine their current skill sets. They will also set initial goals for continuing to build skills and foster a growth mindset.
- Workshop 2: Building on the foundation established in Workshop 1, students will understand the importance of being able to talk about their skills with potential employers. In this 50-minute workshop, students will be guided through the process of “telling their story” so that they can introduce themselves to potential employers with confidence, articulate the skills they have and ace their future interviews.
Graduate students and postdocs
In this interactive workshop, students will develop a strategy for deciding what type of work they’d like to pursue outside of the academic career path. They will learn about tools to aid in their decision making and places to find the information they need to be confident in their next steps.
This 60-minute session will help students format their document, decide what to include and emphasize and offer some suggestions for writing about experiences in ways that show their qualifications and skills to best effect. We will go over the eight headings that start a CV as well as explore edge cases and discuss how to tailor a CV to a given posting.
Students will learn about the differences between academic CVs and an industry resume as well as the proper uses of each. We’ll discuss specific ways they can format their document and describe their experience to make their resume stand out to employers in the non-academic job search.
This 90-minute session will help guide students through writing the academic job packet, including the cover or job letter as well as research, teaching and diversity statements. They will receive general advice about formatting and drafting these documents as well as what they need to know to tailor them to a specific institution or posting. We will also cover the post-doc application, including how to frame their research experience for a specific post-doc project, what to leave out of the job letter, and how to present themselves as a qualified candidate.
This 60-minute, hands-on workshop will explain what an elevator pitch is and how to use it in networking and job search efforts. We will guide them through a series of exercises that will allow them to develop a focused professional introductory statement.
If networking works so well, why is it so intimidating? Through hands-on practice, students can gain the confidence to build professional relationships in a way that is uniquely effective for them. In this session, students will learn strategies that will help them build connections to progress their job or internship search.
In this interactive workshop, graduate students and postdocs will be introduced to interviewing theory and technique that will help them feel prepared and confident for industry interviews. They will learn how to provide information for the three basic questions all hiring managers need to answer. They will also learn how to ask questions that help represent them as professionals and to get the information they need to know.