WORKSHOP: Creating a Powerful Resume, Part 2 – Bypassing the Competition With Position-Specific Resume Prose

Hiring managers sometimes review hundreds of resumes for each open position. The resumes that stand out and lead to interviews clearly align skills and expertise with position requirements. This workshop outlines easy-to-learn, proven strategies for tailoring position-specific resumes that will impress employers and thwart the competition. It demonstrates how to effectively interpret a position description in order to focus on the exact skills required for a job and adequately feature them in a resume. Examples from industry and other private sector positions are reviewed to demonstrate how to apply for and get the perfect job.

As a supplement to this workshop, STEM Career Services will conduct private one-on-one custom position-specific resume writing sessions with participants so that they can modify their own resumes and increase their chances of landing interviews and job offers.

WORKSHOP: Acing the Interview – ‘PREPARE’ With Seven Tried and True Steps

Interviewing skills are essential for career success and will be utilized time and again throughout a person’s lifetime. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that millennials (who make up the largest percentage of the U.S. workforce) will hold a job for less than two years. And any worker over age 25 will hold a job for only about five years. That means that all STEM graduates, regardless of their age, will have several job transitions, and therefore numerous job interviews, throughout their professional careers. Now is the time to develop and perfect interviewing skills. It is important to know how to prepare for an interview, how to come across as confident and knowledgeable, how to communicate nontechnical (“transferable”) skills in addition to technical skills and abilities, what questions an employer will ask, and what questions to ask.

This workshop uses STEM Career Services’ PREPARE method to improve comfort and confidence with job interviews. The PREPARE method focuses on seven steps: Plan, Research, Enthusiasm, Power Posing, Answer/Ask Questions, Recap and Evaluate. This proven seven-step method addresses the different types of interviews job candidates might encounter; increases their confidence articulating their skills and value to an employer; teaches them how to research an employer and plan the logistics for their interview; and helps them establish what questions to ask an employer, why to ask them and how to evaluate the answers to determine position and company compatibility.

As a supplement to this workshop, STEM Career Services will conduct private one-on-one or small group interview preparation sessions with participants. These private sessions will cover any requested interview situation. Sample concepts include targeting specific questions about interviewing; helping answer questions through mock interviews to improve confidence and the ability to answer interview questions effectively and professionally; identifying unique skills and abilities that are important to share with an employer based on the position sought; and using a resume as a tool to reinforce skills at the interview and to make a favorable impression.

WORKSHOP: Nonstop Networking – Using Self-Promotion in Everyday Settings

Although more than 70% of jobs are obtained through networking, many people find it to be one of the most challenging aspects of their job search. STEM Career Services believes that networking is an ongoing process and not something done only at networking events or at professional meetings and conferences. Networking is a communication skill that must be practiced in order to gain comfort and proficiency. This workshop reveals our proven techniques for becoming more comfortable networking, for identifying networking opportunities and incorporating them into daily activities, and for effectively communicating technical and nontechnical skills to the right people.

As a supplement to this workshop, STEM Career Services will conduct private one-on-one or small group networking skills sessions with participants to help them feel more confident about what skills and experiences to share with people; to help them practice discussing their value in a variety of settings; and to help them practice talking with, and engaging, a diverse group of stakeholders.

WORKSHOP: Government Consulting – The Greatest STEM Career You Know Nothing About

Government consulting is a growing industry that welcomes highly skilled STEM graduates who can apply their technical knowledge in a professional setting to find creative solutions to challenging issues. This workshop focuses specifically on government consulting opportunities and is led by experts in the fields who have intimate knowledge about how to find, apply for, interview for and get hired for these competitive roles. Best practices and insider tips are shared throughout the workshop to prepare attendees for a successful transition into a dynamic and exciting career in government consulting.

Attendees will talk directly to hiring managers, security clearance officers and contracting officers, and they’ll hear firsthand from actual government consultants about how they got their jobs, what hiring managers are looking for in STEM government consultants, and what strategies are needed to start an amazing career in government consulting. They’ll hear actual case studies, see mock interviews and be exposed to the most up-to-date information about this career field.

This workshop focus on …

• Why consulting companies seek highly skilled, technically trained STEM graduates
• Where consulting jobs are located across the country
• How government consulting differs from other types of consulting and why STEM graduates find it more desirable
• Salary and benefit information
• How to find consulting positions
• Whether government consulting is the right career choice
• How to qualify for a security clearance
• Resume preparation for consulting positions
• The interview process and best practices
• How to transfer academic/industry skills to a job in government consulting
• How, where and when to apply for consulting positions
• Additional resources to help workshop attendees learn about consulting careers

As a supplement to this workshop, STEM Career Services will conduct private one-on-one career counseling sessions with participants so that they can delve deeper into government consulting, speak to security clearance officers about how to qualify for a security clearance, and much more.

Strategic Career Planning – How to Successfully Transition to a Non-academic Career

Typically, graduate students and postdocs start thinking about finding a job about six to 12 months before they graduate or plan to leave their postdoc. STEM Career Services believes this is much too late. Not having a more strategic career plan leads to missed dream-job opportunities. This is why it is absolutely essential for students/postdocs to take advantage of part-time jobs, internships, training opportunities and volunteer positions during academic training.

Doing so will help them accomplish the following:

• Gain valuable skills and experiences to put on resumes
• Meet mentors that can help guide their career paths outside of their academic advisors/mentors
• Learn more about what they like and don’t like — type of work, type of company, company culture, etc. — to help define the type of work/employer they will target when they are ready for their next professional career opportunity
• Build their professional social media profile (e.g., LinkedIn) and have a robust profile with numerous connections and people that they can use to help them network for other professional career opportunities

This workshop focuses on a strategic approach to building career skills and networking as early as possible during academic training; the importance of taking on “real world” opportunities before looking for first professional positions; how to find jobs, internships, volunteer roles and training positions to enhance and build a professional reputation; and how to fine-tune this process to identify the most appealing career.

As a supplement to this workshop, STEM Career Services will conduct private one-on-one career or small group counseling sessions with participants so that they can craft a more strategic approach to their professional career development to better prepare them for a challenging and rewarding career.

WORKSHOP: Leveraging LinkedIn

Attracting Recruiters and Finding the Best Jobs