Continue your professional development
Are you searching for a summer internship or a full-time job following graduation? The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has a variety of virtual resources available to help you plan your future and get your foot in the door.
One of the biggest resources I have utilized while attending Illinois is Handshake @ Illinois. This platform allows you to expand your job search as well as aid in your graduate school search. Handshake shows you a variety of career events and networking opportunities. You are able to explore top employers, connect with alumni and other students, explore career paths, register for events, and connect with the Life + Career Design Lab and other career offices.
Handshake @ Illinois helped me to narrow my search. Once you build your profile, you can easily see employers who are looking for job candidates within your field. Even if some of your credentials don’t match their criteria, still apply; you never know what can happen. Filter your search by looking for full-time or part-time jobs, an internship, or location. I was able to track each job I applied to through Handshake. It was also helpful to follow my prefered employers. This allowed me to keep up with each job opportunity they listed. Through Handshake you can see which employers are hosting interviews, which is a convenient way to get ahead of the game when applying for jobs. There are more than 10,000 employer reviews on Handshake to learn about the companies and what it is like to work for them. I encourage you to become familiar with Handshake @ Illinois to learn all that this resource has to offer.
Another career tool is the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences Linkedin page. This page allows LAS students to connect and engage with alumni of the university. You can learn more about their experiences at Illinois and how they navigated their career choices. It is important to be teachable in these moments to allow yourself to learn from others’ experiences. By reaching out to alumni and networking with faculty/staff of the university, I have been given helpful advice on how to succeed and create my personal brand.
Linkedin has also paired with Lynda.com, a learning tool for business, software, technology, and creative skills to help people achieve their personal and professional goals. To advance your skills during this time, familiarize yourself with these resources and begin developing new skills employers are seeking.
If you would like to talk more about your career plans, the College of LAS has virtual career advising appointments and online cover letter and resume reviews for students. Also, connect with The Career Center, which will continue mock interviews and more.