Career Readiness Events

Career Readiness Weeks

In the middle of every term, the University Career Center hosts a Career Readiness Week filled with daily ways to engage your career curiosity with workshops, panels, local career tours, industry and alumni networking events, and job/career expos that will help you develop the skills and connections for your career success journey. Refer to the calendar or Handshake for full list of events.

  • Fall 2023: October 13–20 (Career and Internship Expo on October 19)
  • Winter 2024: January 26–February 2 (Career and Internship Expo on February 1)
  • Spring 2024: April 12–19 (Career and internship Expo on April 18)

Events on Handshake

Career Readiness Workshops

We have two primary types of workshops:

  • “Curious about...” workshops are about exploring the big picture. Come prepared to listen, explore, and ask questions. Explore a career readiness platform/tool, prepare for a career expo, or learn about jobs in targeted industry/career clusters. These workshops typically happen during Career Readiness Week and can be found on Handshake or the UO Calendar.
  • “How to....” instructional and interactive workshops are where you can get into the weeds and practice alongside a career readiness coach and peers! Dive deep into topics like résumé and cover letter writing, networking and informational interviewing, using LinkedIn, and searching for jobs or internships. These workshops happen multiple times throughout the term and can be found on Handshake or the UO Calendar.

Career Expos and Fairs

Career and Internship Expos: Each term as part of Career Readiness Week, businesses, non-profits, and government agencies gather in the EMU Ballroom, excited to share more with students of all majors and classifications about their organization and early career talent opportunities. Take part in the Expo Scavenger Hunt to win prizes and have fun conversation starters with employers.

  • Fall 2023: October 19, 2023
  • Winter 2024: February 1, 2024
  • Spring 2024: April 18, 2024

Part-time Job and Work-Study Fair: Each year during week 2 of fall term, meet dozens of local and on-campus employers ready to hire for part-time jobs and work-study! Bring your résumé and apply on the spot, or just look around and learn more about the great ways you can get work experience and build career readiness skills during your time at the UO.

Health Grad and Career Expo: Learn more about graduate school or different types of part-time/full-time jobs, internships, volunteer opportunities, and careers in the health professions. Held each spring, this expo is a mix of graduate schools, health-related businesses, nonprofits, and government agencies excited to share more with you about their organizations, programs, and early career talent and educational opportunities. This expo is great for students exploring career paths as well as students ready to start applying for the year ahead.

Other UO Career Fairs: Some UO colleges and schools have niche career fairs during winter and spring terms. For more information visit Handshake events or talk to your academic advisor.

Career Tours

Kicking off Career Readiness Week each term, jump on the bus for a Friday morning tour around Eugene to visit innovative local companies looking to share about their industry and recruit early talent for future internships and jobs. Learn about career paths and office cultures, and experience how Eugene is fostering a growing community of young professionals. 

Each tour has a different industry theme. Past themes have included biosciences, green energy/tech, and tech. Future tours may include banking/finance, healthcare, food and beverage, government, nonprofit, and more.

Special thanks to Collaborative EDO for partnering with the University Career Center to organize the tours each term and connecting students to innovative, local industry leaders. 

Casual Career Chats

Rotate through casual small group chats with alumni, professionals, and employers to learn more about their career paths and get advice about how to find career-building opportunities and connections for your future. “Networking” is simply the process of meeting new people and showing genuine interest in who they are and what they do. It’s the natural process of helping one another through sharing information, ideas, contacts, and tips. Networking with professionals in different industries, alumni groups, professions, and affinity groups can give you insights you may not otherwise have access to, as well as tips on what you can be doing now to set yourself up for a great career. Casual Career Chats are also a great space to build your confidence for future networking events and job interviews by practicing introducing yourself to others—your elevator pitch.

Alumni/Employer Panels

Your future in… Learn from industry leaders and alumni from a variety of backgrounds as they share their career journeys and insights on skills you can be developing to successfully compete and thrive in the topic area.

  • Examples: Your Future in Bioscience (industry), Your Future in Oregon (geographic), Your Future in Sustainability (could be lots of industries, focused more on roles)

[Field/Major/Background/Affinity] @ Work These panels and networking events are focused more on sharing how one’s academic background, identity, or a special topic influences your interactions in workplace

  • Example: A panel for Psychology @ Work may have alumni who were all psychology majors but do very different types of jobs, expanding your understanding of what you can do with your degree. While an identity/affinity event like LGBTQIA @ Work, Veterans @ Work, International @ Work networking event gives you an opportunity to hear stories about both the challenges and opportunities your unique identities can bring to the workplace.