First Year Career Steps for Speech, Language, Hearing Sciences

Know yourself.

  • Interest, skills, and values.

Determine your interests.

  • Activities about which you are passionate.
  • What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

Recognize your aptitudes.

  • The skills you have and those you want to develop.
  • What do you do well?

Evaluate your work experience and education.

  • Acquired knowledge that will help you advance toward your desired career paths.
  • What are your accomplishments?

Recognize your personal qualities.

  • Traits that make you a strong candidate.
  • Are you motivated, a strategic thinker, active listener?

Select potential career areas.

  • Areas of career interest for further research and exploration  
  • What career fields do you gravitate toward?
  1. Visit a career advisor.
  2.  Do at least one self-assessment tool offered free online (https://www.umass.edu/public-health-sciences/career-planning/student-resources/career-assessments).
  3. Check out “Career Opportunities in Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences.”
  4. Activate your Handshake account and start receiving emails about internships/jobs.
  5. Attend the meetings of any two clubs to get to know resources both in and outside of your department. One suggestion is the National Student Speech Language Hearing Association (NSSLHA)

The University of Massachusetts Amherst Chapter of the NSSLHA was established to provide undergraduate and graduate students who have an interest in the field of communication disorders the opportunity to interact with each other, exchange ideas, and learn more about the fields of speech-language pathology and audiology. Through various philanthropic, educational, and professional activities, the goal of the NSSLHA chapter at UMass Amherst is to prepare students for the professions of speech-language pathology and audiology, as well as to contribute to the communicably-impaired community.

Interested students should contact their undergraduate program advisor for more information.

  1. Visit 3+ internship sites online specific to your field and home location for summer internships. 
  2. Discuss with your academic advisor if study abroad/exchange is a good idea for you.
  3. Write your resume/cover letter and bring it to the Career Ambassador Walk-in hours for review (Arnold House Room 136, hours listed here: https://www.umass.edu/sphhs/careers/peer-advisingwalk-and-email). Appointments can be also made with professional advisors here: https://umass.joinhandshake.com.
  4. Network and get to know your professors, staff and fellow students.
  5. Start a list of family, friends and other contacts in areas in which you might have a professional interest and update it as your experiences grow.
  6. Get a summer internship/job with professional development in mind (and notify the Office of Career Planning about this opportunity when you secure it).
  1. Research three potential occupations and the entry level requirements of each.
  2. Conduct numerous informational interviews to expand your network and solidify career choice.
  3. Review your online professional presence (google yourself, check Facebook content, clean it up).
  4. Create a LinkedIn page (www.linkedin.com); review LinkedIn guidelines. 
  5. Attend a Career Fair, employer info session or networking event on or off campus.
  6. Watch for deadlines, GRE, GMAT, MCAT, LSAT, RD applications and internship opportunities.
  7. Get a summer internship/job with professional development in mind.
  1. Perfect your resume, cover letter writing skills and refine your job search strategy (Attend walk-in hours, individual appointment, workshops, or watch CareerSpots videos).
  2. Continue to use LinkedIn and other networking methods to search for alumni with whom you can do informational interviews, ask about employment and companies/fields where they work.
  3. Use Handshake to find jobs you may be interested in and then use LinkedIn to check for connections.
  4. Check out Big Interview for interview prep assistance and attend a mock interview session to prepare you for professional interviews.
  5. Solidify references and letters of recommendation (Optional Interfolio service).
  6. Notify SPHHS Office of Career Planning when you land a job or are accepted into a grad program.