Laying the Groundwork: Career Preparation Strategies for UMass Students

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Photo by Eva Trainer

Finding a job your senior year can be very stressful, especially trying to balance professional aspirations with the academic work of your final year as an Honors student at the University of Massachusetts. As a senior myself, I know all about the challenges of the job search. In order to help ease that stress and those uncertainties, here is a guide to help you find a job post graduation.

Essential Strategies for All Majors

Networking is Key

You might hear from a lot of people that networking is the backbone to your job search, and that is 100% true. Engaging with alumni, attending career fairs, and building your own professional presence through LinkedIn are fundamental steps. This helps you open doors to opportunities beyond. 

Utilize the Career Center

The UMass Amherst Career Center is a great resource for career advice, resume critiques and interview preparation. They can provide each student with personalized support to enhance your job search. 

Expand Your Learning 

If you have down time, expand your learning: If you ever have down time, and you want to enhance your current education, pursuing additional certifications or courses through IBM, or Coursera on LinkedIn can appeal to potential employers by demonstrating a commitment to expanding your skills. 

Tip: If you are currently not pursuing an undergraduate degree in computer science or informatics, learning even the basics of a coding language can take you far! With the current advancements in technology it would open more doors for you, and show employers that you are willing to learn outside of your comfort zone. 

Internship Experience 

Gaining real-world experience through internships is crucial for all majors as they bridge the gap between academic knowledge and real-world application, allowing students to gain practical experience. Through internships, students can explore and confirm their career choices, enhancing their resumes and increasing their competitiveness in the job market. Also, having internship experience on a resume can significantly boost your job prospects post-graduation.

Advice Tailored to a few Common Majors at UMass

When looking for jobs within your field, knowing what type of things jump out to recruiters can really enhance your chances of hearing back from companies, and potentially landing a job. The best place to look for jobs is LinkedIn, since recruiters use it as a primary tool for finding prospective candidates — and it allows employers to see a more comprehensive display of your professional journey that is not broadcasted in your resume. Here are some tips for three of common majors here at UMass Amherst: 

Computer Science 

Improvement Tips: Learning and enhancing your technical skills, such as learning different languages allows you to be a better candidate, making you seem more appealing and diverse. Also, providing portfolios of your past projects (apps or software applications that you have developed) and providing a GitHub link so that employers can view your code, demonstrating your practical skills.

Key Search Terms/Roles: If you don’t exactly know what type of work you can do as a CS major, some key terms you can look for online are data structures, full stack development, cybersecurity and AI. 

Finance

Improvement Tips: Keeping up with the latest trends and changes in financial markets, regulations and technologies can really help enhance your existing knowledge. Regularly reading publications such as The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, or Financial Times can be great resources. Mastering and becoming familiar with financial tools and softwares can really set you apart from other candidates. Gaining a level of proficiency in softwares like Excel, QuickBooks, and even specialized tools like Bloomberg Terminal or MATLAB can show employers that you can navigate through complex financial tools. 

Integrating and exposing yourself to what the business world is like before graduating can also help when it comes to applying; getting involved in finance/business related clubs like Isenberg Women in Business, UMasst Finance Society, or the Minutemen Equity Fund. Also, showing employers that you have previous experience either through clubs or past internships, also shows that you are capable of doing more. 

Key Search Terms/Roles: Some job roles to search online include Investment Analyst, Asset Management, Corporate Finance Analyst, etc. 

Biology 

Improvement Tips: Gaining practical experience by volunteering at hospitals, clinics or other healthcare facilities can strengthen your appearance and your abilities. Participating in research projects can provide valuable experience, and enhance your biological knowledge. UMass offers undergraduate research opportunities that can be extremely beneficial to the students' career aspirations. Earning specific certifications like CPR, or EMT can also be advantageous. Having these certifications demonstrate your practical skills and commitment to healthcare. 

Key Search Terms/Roles: When it comes to biology, it gets a little tricky since if you are going to medical school, you may have an idea as to what you might possibly want to specialize in. But, for those who want to pursue a career in a lab, some roles may include research scientist, microbiologist, and biotechnologist.