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When I give presentations about the Career Center’s services to large groups, I frequently begin by asking this question:  “How many of you would rather go to the dentist than think about career planning?” Every time I ask this question, students raise their hands in agreement. For many of us, planning for future careers and searching for a job or internship is a lot like going to the dentist, something we’d rather put off for another six months because it’s uncomfortable or even scary to think about. 

If you’re worried or uncomfortable about beginning a job or internship search, or starting life after you graduate, the Career Center offers a class through the Career Connections Program to help you get started.  This one-credit class will help you feel more confident about your job or internship search and next steps for after you graduate.  In class, you will

• Revise your resume to reflect your skills and learn how to tailor it to specific industries
• Learn how to write a strong cover letter
• Practice answering the dreaded “Tell Me About Yourself” question
• Practice networking with career professionals and develop strategies for building your own network
• Learn how to use social media tools such as LinkedIn for networking and in your job search
• Develop a plan for your job search
• Hone your interview skills
• Find out more about careers and industries of interest to you by doing 2 informational interviews with career professionals working in industries and occupations that are interesting to you

Here’s what  Sarah Lilly, a senior and Journalism major who took the Career Connections Program class, has to say about the class’s benefits:

The skills I learned in the class were invaluable. I learned how to do the job search from start to finish. How to write a cover letter, resume and the dreaded interview. I no longer dread going into an interview and learned so much about how to prepare for speaking with potential employers.  The Career Center and the Career Connections class were the best resources in preparing me for the real world. The guidance was extremely helpful and thanks to this class I landed my dream job for the summer working in public relations! I learned how to have confidence in myself and my abilities.

The Career Connections Program offers classes in the College of Arts and Science, the Lundquist College of Business, and the School of Journalism and Communication. To see the list of class times and to register for the class, please search under CARC in the Class Schedule for class times. You can also go to http://uocareer.uoregon.edu/students/career-connections.aspx for more information and to see the list of classes. If you have any questions, please contact me at klodge@uoregon.edu. I hope to see you in a Career Connections class winter or spring term!

Photo on Flickr by Elvire.R.