SECTION NINE:
BECOMING A SUCCESSFUL UIC GRADUATE
CAREER SERVICES
The UIC Office
of Career Services is located in Suite 3050 of the Student Services Building,
1200 W. Harrison Street, (312) 996-2300.
Website: http://www.uic.edu/depts/ocs/ocs.htm
Students are
encouraged to take advantage of the assistance offered by the Office of Career
Services long before they seek help to find permanent employment. Many services
are provided to help students determine their vocational objectives, choose a
career, write a resume, plan for graduate school, etc.
Upperclassmen
should contact OCS in their junior year
in order to take advantage of the valuable seminars provided to help students
prepare for their job search. Remember, recruiting begins on‑campus in the
fall for positions offered to May graduates. After graduation the University
of Illinois Alumni Career Center at 200 S. Wabash is available to graduates and
provides a full range of services.
Some services
available through the Career Services and Alumni Career Center are described
below:
Drop-In Advising
Career
counselors are available for several hours a day, Monday through Friday, to
review resumes and cover letters and answer general questions. No appointment
is necessary. Check with Career Services for the schedule for the semester.
NETRESume
NETRESume is
an internet-based system which combines registration data and your personal
resume. It is used by the Office of Career Services for on-campus interviews
and in providing resume books/referrals to employers.
Exploration Center
The Center
contains hundreds of folders containing annual reports, pamphlets, and
recruiting literature from individual companies. Folders containing catalogs and information
from graduate and professional schools across the nation are also housed there.
Employment Counseling
A staff of
professional personnel is available to students from all academic disciplines
seeking individualized career counseling and help with resume preparation and
job hunting. Appointments may be
arranged by visiting the office or calling 996‑ 2300.
Employment Opportunity Listings
OCS maintains
continuous listings of career opportunities reported by employers. These listings are kept in binders in the
Exploration Center and are organized by occupational field. Students are encouraged to review these
listings on a regular basis. Job listings are also available on the internet
through jobtrak.com (now part of Monster.com).
Mock Interviews
OCS conducts
mock interviews which are videotaped for students. Students may view their tape and will receive
helpful advice on interview preparation and effectiveness. An appointment is required. In addition,
engineers may attend Engineering Mock Interview Day, which takes place on
August 14, 2001. Contact OCS for more information.
On‑Campus Interviewing
Nearly 300
companies and agencies are scheduled each year for on‑campus recruiting
of graduating students. The fall and spring semesters are the two major
recruiting times. Students must be registered with OCS (this involves attending
a Career Preparation Seminar) and have their resume on NETRESume in order to participate
in on‑campus recruiting. Remember:
Junior year is the time to register with OCS for on-campus recruiting. If you wait until senior year, you may miss
out on many interview opportunities.
Sigi Plus
The System of
Interactive Guidance and Information is a very user‑friendly system that
can help students examine their interests and skills, look at their career
options, refine their goals, and decide how to
achieve them.
Videotape Library
The office
maintains a collection of company and general information videotapes available
for viewing. Appointments must be made
to view videotapes by visiting the office or by calling 996‑2300.
Workshops, Seminars, Classes, Career
Days
Throughout
the school year workshops, seminars, classes, and career days are held. They cover a wide variety of topics such as
resume writing, preparing for interviews, and preparing for job fairs.
University Alumni Networking Opportunities
The
University of Illinois Alumni Networking File is a database of over 3,000
University of Illinois Alumni that is
available to students and alumni in the Alumni Career Center, 200 S. Wacker Drive,
(312) 575-7830, Mezzanine level. It is
an invaluable tool for making contacts and gathering information on careers
from professionals who work in the field or fields of your choice.
Career
Preparation Seminars
By attending a career preparation seminar sponsored by UIC
Career Services, students can interview for on-campus interviews for permanent
positions. These seminars cover resume
and cover letter writing, interviewing, and other functions of the job search.
Students beginning their JUNIOR year should plan to attend as soon as possible. Interviews for full-time positions take place during
the senior year, not once you graduate.
In the event that your Engineering
100 instructor includes a guest lecturer from Career Services covering these
topics, attendance at a seminar would be redundant and not necessary. However,
if you are absent for any portion of these lectures, including arriving
significantly late and missing the beginning of the lecture, you will be
required to attend a Career Preparation Seminar in order to pass Engineering
100.
CAREER SERVICES 2002-2003 CALENDAR OF
EVENTS
All seminars
will be held in the Student Services Building, 1200 W. Harrison Street
Monday, September 9, 2002 5 p.m.-7 p.m. Meeting Room B
Tuesday, September 17, 2002 10 a.m. - Noon Meeting Room B
Tuesday, September 24, 2002 2 p.m. - 4 p.m. Meeting Room B
Saturday, September 28, 2002 9 a.m.- 11 a.m. Meeting
Room B
Wednesday, October 2, 2002 2 p.m.-4 p.m. Meeting Room B
Friday, October 4, 2002 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Meeting Room B
Wednesday, January 15, 2003 5 p.m.-7 p.m. Meeting Room B
Tuesday, January 21, 2003 Noon - 2 p.m. Meeting Room B
Saturday, January 25, 2003 9 a.m.-11 a.m. Meeting Room B
Monday, February 3, 2003 1 p.m.-3 p.m. Meeting Room B
Friday, February 7, 2003 10 a.m.-Noon Meeting Room B
Thursday, February 13, 2003 3 p.m. - 5 p.m. Meeting Room B
Friday, February 21, 2003 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Meeting Room B
(only for graduate students and
students who already attended a College of Business seminar)
Tuesday, September 3, 2002 3 p.m.-4 p.m. Meeting Room B
Wednesday, September 18, 2002 3 p.m. -4 p.m. Meeting Room B
Tuesday, October 8, 2002 1 p.m.-2 p.m. Meeting Room B
Wednesday, January 29, 2003 1 p.m.-2 p.m. Meeting Room B
Tuesday, February 11, 2003 3 p.m.-4 p.m. Meeting Room B
WORKSHOPS
DRESS FOR
SUCCESS
Fall
Thursday, October 3, 2002 (for women) 4 p.m. -5 p.m. CCC
Thursday, October 10, 2002 (for men) 4 p.m. -5 p.m. CCC
Spring
Wednesday, March 5, 2003 (for women) 3 p.m. -4 p.m. CCC
Wednesday, March 12, 2003 (for men) 3 p.m. -4 p.m. CCC
HOW TO WORK A
JOB FAIR
Tuesday, September 10, 2002 3 p.m.-4 p.m. Meeting Room B
Tuesday, April 8, 2003 2 p.m.-3 p.m. Meeting Room B
Tuesday, October 8, 2002 3 p.m.-4 p.m. Meeting Room B
Thursday, November 7, 2002 10 a.m.-11a.m. CCC RM 713
Tuesday, January 28, 2003 9 a.m. - 10 a.m. Meeting Room B
Wednesday, September 25, 2002 3 p.m.-4 p.m. Meeting Room B
Thursday, October 31, 2002 10 a.m.-11 a.m. Meeting Room B
Thursday, January 30, 2003 2 p.m.-3 p.m. Meeting Room B
Friday, August 23, 2002 8:30 a.m.-1 p.m. SSB Room 3050
Friday, August 30, 2002 8:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Meeting Room B
Tuesday, September 3, 2002 6 p.m.-8 p.m. Illinois Room
Saturday, September 7, 2002 8:30 a.m. - 4 p.m. Illinois Room
Saturday, September 21, 2002 9 am - 4:30 pm D
LC
Tuesday, September 24, 2002 6 p.m.
- 8 p.m. A1
LC
Wednesday, November 13, 2002 5 p.m. - 6 p.m. CCC Rms 509-510
Tuesday, January 28, 2003 6 pm - 8 pm A1 LC
Saturday, February 8, 2003 9 am - 4:30 pm D LC
Tuesday, February 11, 2003 6 p.m. - 8 p.m. A1
LC
Wednesday, February 12, 2003 5 p.m. – 6 p.m. CCC Rm 329
Monday, April 7, 2003 1 p.m. SSB,
Meeting Room B
* Sponsored by the Office
of Career Services, University of Illinois Alumni Association, UIC Student
Alumni League & KAPLAN. Register for these events by calling
1-800-KAP-TEST.
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Tuesday,
September 3, 2002 11 a.m.-2
p.m. Illinois Room
Thursday,
September 19, 2002 10 a.m.-3
p.m. PEB
Thursday, October 17, 2002 9:30
a.m.-2 p.m. Illinois
Room
Criminal
Justice Career Fair
November 5, 2002 10:00 to 2:00 pm. Illinois
Room
Thursday, February 6, 2003 9:30
a.m.-2 p.m. Illinois Room
Wednesday, February 19, 2003 1:00 p.m. - 4 p.m. Illinois Room
Wednesday, March 12, 2003 1:00 p. m. - 5:00 p.m. Illinois Room
Friday, April 25, 2003 9:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Illinois Room
Please check
the Career Services website as these events
approach for more details.
*For more
information on Meet the Employers, contact the Col. Bus. Admn. Career Center at
(312)996-0255.
Useful
Websites for Exploring Career Options and Locating Employment
http://www.dbm.com/jobguide The famous "Riley Guide" the
most comprehensive and organized list of internet job sources, including many
for entry-level job and internship seekers.
http://www.jobweb.com/ A service of the National
Association of Colleges and Employers, this site contains targeted information
for college students, including recent
graduate salary information. This is the most relevant nationwide salary
information available to new graduates. It also has a virtual job fair.
http://www.jobhuntersbible.com/ A site authored by Richard Bolles,
the guru of career counselors, whose book, What
Color is your Parachute, is the gold standard for job searchersand career
changers. He offers his expert assistance here, including how to incorporate
the internet into your job search.
http://www.careerbuilder.com/ This site enables job seekers to easily
and quickly find the jobs that are most appealing to them. A great site to
check first.
http://www.jobtrak.com/ Another site specifically for
college students seeking http://www.monster.com/ employment.
Call UIC Career Services for the
password (996-2300) if you are logging on from a non-university server.
http://www.internshipprograms.com/ Lists
open positions for interns--search by state or by field of interest.
http://www.careermag.com/ Daily
downloading and indexing of job postings from the major internet job newsgroups.
http://www.campuscareercenter.com/
Search this site for full-time and internship positions. If you register
with their service, they will send you a regular e-mail update of available
jobs.
http://www.engineerjobs.com/ You can browse or search
engineering/technical jobs from all over the U.S.
http://www.engcen.com/ Lists jobs by discipline and
also has a list of entry-level openings.
http://www.collegegrad.com/ You can easily search for intern and
entry-level jobs at this site. Also offers information on job search
preparation.
http://www.directemployers.com/ This
site, sponsored by a non-profit organization, posts jobs from its many corporate members. When you apply for the
job, it automatically takes you to the hiring firm's site to apply.
http://www.net-temps.com/ Net-Temps brings together the
world's leading staffing firms with the best candidates for contract assignments
and direct placement. This site could help you locate short-term work (for
example, summer work).
http://www.cec-il.org/ For those in civil or structural
engineering, this site lists member firm of the Consulting Engineers Council of
Illinois and is a good place to begin a job search.
http://www.computerjobs.com/ This is a large job database for
computer-related positions. It lists part-time, entry-level and positions with
employers willing to sponsor those on a visa.
http://www.dice.com/ another computer-related
job database. This site also provides salary information.
http://www.bio.com/ Biotechnology companies and job listings.
http://www.black-collegian.com/ variety of information to answer
your job search and graduate school questions, plus listings from employers
seeking diverse candidates.
http://www.latpro.com/ Specializing in job listings
for Spanish/English and Portuguese/English bilinguals.
http://www.imdiversity.com/ Another site featuring listings from
employers seeking diverse candidates.
Don't forget to check the web pages of the
engineering association or society in your field of engineering. Most, if not
all, offer some type of open positions list and career information.
THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OPTION
Those
graduating with a bachelor's degree in engineering have a multitude of options
open to them. Engineers are generally highly sought-after by employers, and do
not need further education in order to be employed in their field. They also can attend graduate or professional
school and further specialize in an area of interest, like patent law, or
medicine. A question all students should
ask themselves during the course of their undergraduate career is: "Is an
advanced degree necessary to accomplish my career goal?"
For example,
if you want to be a patent attorney, you must attend law school and obtain your
Juris Doctorate degree. If you want to
climb the ranks of a corporation, pursuing an MBA after a few years of solid
work experience may be more appropriate. If you are not sure what your exact
career goal is at this time, then you must continue the career decision-making
process. That means utilizing resources
like UIC Career Services, your faculty, and the Alumni Career Center to get the
help you need.
The decision
to attend graduate school requires research and a strong sense of career direction.
It should never be a default option when a student is facing a tough
post-baccalaureate job search or simply does not know what he or she wants out
of a career. Students entering graduate programs, whatever they may be, are
expected to have a commitment to a particular field and, in many cases, a specific
research interest.
Resources
Your faculty
members are a logical starting point to ask about graduate programs, but in
addition, talk to those working in your chosen discipline who have attended
graduate or professional school and those who have not. You can locate
University of Illinois alumni through the Alumni Networking File, located in
the Alumni Career Center at 200 S. Wacker (312) 575-7830. You can also make
contacts through friends, family, your work experiences, faculty, and
professional organizations. Do not underestimate how helpful this will
be to you in the career decision-making process. Getting this first-hand
information from people working in your field of interest will be the single
most important piece of research you can do.
Helpful Web Sites
Peterson's
Guides have assisted potential graduate students for many years. Their on-line
site offers information on colleges and universities, graduate programs, career
education and guidance, and more. You can ask questions of their resident
education counselor as well. Go to:
http://www.petersons.com/
U.S. News and
World Report ranks graduate programs in
the U.S. This site will give you the latest ranking information: http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/beyond/bcrank.htm
The Jobweb site has a section specifically
devoted to applying to graduate and professional schools. This site is packed
with information to start you on your graduate school journey, including
articles written by knowledgeable counselors and faculty regarding making the
decision to apply for graduate school, links to get help writing application
essays, links to Kaplan and Princeton testing information and more. It can be found at: http://www.jobweb.com/catapult/gguides.htm
The Yale Daily News has written several
informative books targeted at current and future college students. These
include the flagship Insider's
Guide to the Colleges, The
Yale Daily News Guide to
Internships, The Yale Daily News Guide to Fellowships and Grants, Working Knowledge and more. Go to:
http://www.yaledailynews.com/books/ - insidersguide