As a masters student, with your short amount of time in your program it can be difficult to juggle everything all at once with many priorities demanding your time, attention and energy (academics, career, research, extracurriculars, on-campus jobs, etc.). For the career side, unless you have prepared yourself prior to entering your masters program, it can be hard to understand how to prioritize your time with tackling all of the steps for the career development process if you are not ready, not to mention missing out on any key events or resources during the academic year to connect you with employers, alumni or postings.
Don’t worry, the Greene Center and GEPA have your back! We have broken up the career development process for you in easily-digestible milestones divided in four sections, with actionable items to tackle in connection with resources, opportunities, and people to help you along the way. Use these Career Milestones to help guide you on your path for reaching your career goals, and connect with GEPA and the Greene Center to assist you with each of these items as needed! You can do this!
Investigate Careers
Explore your interests, both inside and outside of the classroom, and be open to all the possibilities you can pursue with your degree and experiences at URochester.
Partner with a Greene Center Career Advisor on your personalized job search and/or graduate school goals, including developing multiple career pathways
– Schedule an appointment with David Cota-Buckhout, Assistant Director of Alumni Engagement & Career Support who works specifically with graduate students through Handshake!
– Create an individualized career development plan (IDP) through free resources like ImaginePhD or MyIDP Science Careers that can help you track your progress with reaching your career needs – use this when meeting with career services, mentors, and/or faculty for creating productive conversations & next steps!
Identify your interests, skills and values and reflect on how they might influence your career decisions
– Take an assessment on PathwayU, then use your report to research potential career paths that align with your skills and interests.
– Utilize Google Labs’ AI Tool Career Dreamer to explore career options connected to your education, experiences, and skills!
Connect with alumni and industry professionals to learn about their career trajectory, including current & past roles & companies, how they utilize their masters degree in the workplace, and more.
– Use informational interviews with alumni and industry professionals to set up conversations virtually or in-person where you get to ask questions and get the information you need to make informed career decisions on what pathways could match your interests, values, and skills!
Internships & Jobs
A great way to explore your curiosities is to try it out and see if it’s a good fit for you. This could be an independent or course project, on-campus job, internship, research opportunity, class and/or volunteering. There are so many different ways you can build a unique experience simply by trying stuff out and exploring different ideas!
Receive customized internship, job, and alumni and employer event recommendations through Handshake
– Complete your Handshake profile and share your communication preferences
Try out career options and build skills through virtual employer projects and internships
– Would you like to simulate the work done at a leading company and test out a career field? You can do that virtually through Forage and Parker Dewey.
Get to know what companies hire the positions you are exploring, their work environments, and recruiting timelines.
– Follow companies of interest through social media and Firsthand
– Explore top employers, job titles, and skills and competencies associated with your career of interest through this tool.
Attend GEPA and Greene Center Signature Events to explore careers and connect with alumni, as well as Career Expos to connect with employers
– Learn about these opportunities through Handshake and CCC.
– The Greene Center hosts Career Expos every semester – check them out on Handshake to view which employers are participating!
– The Graduate Career Consortium (GCC) hosts a free virtual career expo each spring semester for graduate students and postdocs to engage with employers in the virtual space across the U.S.
Apply to jobs, paying close attention to recruiting timelines, and balance quantity of opportunities you are applying to with quality of applications you are submitting.
– Use strategies for maximum effectiveness including tailoring cover letters to companies and positions of interest, networking with alumni and industry professionals, building a target list of employers and opportunities you are reaching out to, etc.
Complete the First Destination Survey to let us know your plans for after graduation and to stay connected
– Information will be emailed to you to complete this survey prior to your graduation date, and career outcomes from this survey are posted on the Greene Center website every year.
Build Your Network
One of the best ways to learn about possibilities and what inspires you is to talk to people: other students, alumni, faculty, staff, family, employers… and just listen, ask questions, and take it in.
Actively network with alumni, peers, faculty, employers, and other professionals to build contacts within companies and industries who can support your learning and candidacy.
– Make connections through The Meliora Collective, LinkedIn, and the Greene Center.
– Sign up for the 3-month Meliora Collective Mentorship Program to connect with and learn from alumnus.
– Attend Rochester Connects events during the summer to connect with alumni across many major U.S. cities!
– Participate in events hosted by the Greene Center and GEPA to network with peers, faculty and alumni, including GEPA’s Peer Networking Event & Spring Semester Kick-off and Graduate Research Day, and the Greene Center’s Career Expo and Professional Success Night, to name a few. Look on CCC and Handshake for all the details on these events and more throughout the year!
Investigate professional associations and join local and state organizations
– Some of these may have local, regional, and/or national conferences to attend (these may be tied to your academic department or student organizations)! By attending industry conferences, you can get to know employers!
– If presenting at a conference during the academic year, be sure to apply for Professional Development Funding through the GEPA office to help offset costs!
Translate Your Skills
This is about sharing what inspires you, your key accomplishments and skills, and all that you are learning at URochester and connecting all of this to where you want to go next.
Update your resume, cover letter, and LinkedIn profile with your most meaningful and relevant undergraduate and graduate experiences.
– Use Quinncia, an AI tool that helps you navigate Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) used by most Fortune 500 companies. You can get instant feedback on your resume through the tool, and compare your resume to a job posting to get advice on tailoring your story more closely to what the job requires to get a better match!
– Tailor your cover letter to the internship or job description highlighting your most relevant skills, experiences, and achievements.
– Use informational interviews with alumni and industry professionals to identify what an employer is really looking for, and incorporate their advice to refining your resume and cover letter.
– Attend the Master’s Career Launchpad event hosted by GEPA during the academic year to have your resume, cover letter, and networking note all peer-reviewed! Register for the event through CCC.
Practice and refine your interview skills. A successful interview is highly dependent upon preparation!
– Quinncia offers tailored mock interviews and resume feedback using AI that helps you practice telling your story
– Schedule a mock interview appointment with David Cota-Buckhout or another Greene Center Career Advisor
– Need assistance with technical interviewing? Utilize Exponent, a free online interview prep platform that helps students land their dream tech career in product management, engineering management, software development, data science, and more!
If applying to PhD programs, complete application materials including personal statements, paying close attention to deadlines and request letters of recommendations.
– Check out the graduate school page for more information.
Read up on effective offer negotiation strategies so that you are prepared for the conversation before receiving the offer.
– Check out these offer negotiation techniques to get you started! Don’t wait until after you have signed the offer letter to do these steps.
Not sure how to get started or want to talk this through with a Greene Center advisor? Schedule an appointment in Handshake.
