Students trust the faculty and staff members who know them best — and they want you to provide guidance about how their UO education is leading them to future career success.
Faculty are in a special position to help students understand how their in-class learning is leading them to build the career competencies that employers expect. Below are several ways that the University Career Center can help you promote your students’ success.
I really want our students using the career services available to them. One strategy I used in the past was to offer credit in my classes; I’ve found that by offering just a point or two of credit, I can give them the little nudge that it takes to get them moving. And many students who had explored career services were much more motivated students in the classroom, because they better understood the connections between academics and their future professional life.
Add a Career Assignment to Your Class
Many faculty have found that assignments in their courses can help students reflect on how their academic work connects with careers. The provost’s office has created a CAIT (Communities Accelerating the Impact of Teaching) group for 2020–2021, and the participants will be incorporating career topics in their classes and sharing those ideas. Our Teaching Toward Career Readiness tooolkit was developed by a group of faculty to provide you with ideas on how to incorporate career readiness into your own course.
Encourage Students to Use Handshake
Handshake is the portal for UO students to learn about jobs, internships, and other career opportunities. It’s not just for students who are actively job seeking—it is also an effective resource for students who are learning about potential careers. In addition to providing job listings, Handshake includes lists of events and links to resources that help students learn about potential careers.
Please encourage students to utilize Handshake! We know that students respond when their trusted UO faculty and staff members nudge them and explain how the system is relevant at the current point in their college career.
If you would like to know what the system looks like for our students, we can create a “student” account for you that will enable you to see exactly what students access when they log in. We encourage you to familiarize yourself with the system or to demonstrate it for students you’re serving.
Share Information with Your Students
Please tell students about the career services available to them! The University Career Center serves any UO student who has questions about implementing their career choices. Our career readiness coaches meet individually with students, and job fairs or other networking events are scheduled throughout the year.
List the University Career Center as a resource on your course syllabus. Our website is career.uoregon.edu; we are in 50 Tykeson Hall, and our phone number is 541-346-3235.
Subscribe to the Career Connect newsletter and share relevant information with your students. The newsletter is sent out multiple times each term, and includes career tips and information about upcoming events. Students active in Handshake receive the Career Connect newsletter automatically; others who wish to receive a copy should send an email to career@uoregon.edu.
Request a Presentation
Career readiness coaches are happy to deliver presentations for students in your classes or in groups you advise. Presentations typically cover topics such as resumes and cover letters, searching for jobs, and utilizing LinkedIn or other online tools in the job search. Additionally, the University Career Center has a network of employer and alumni contacts who are willing to serve as guest presenters. If you would like to explore ways that one of our contacts could share insight with your students, we should talk!
Refer Students for Career Help
If you have a student who would benefit from our services, sometimes all it takes is a little encouragement from you in order to get them to take the next step. Our career readiness coaches have appointments available daily and are willing to connect with any UO student to discuss how to implement their career ideas. Students can schedule appointments online with Navigate or by calling 541-346-3235.