I am a current student who wants to:
Choose a major or career focus
Learn about internships
View job and internship postings
Develop a resume and/or cover letter
Research and prepare for graduate school
Prepare for my job search
Choose a Major or Career Focus
Choosing a major or a career is a process that involves learning about yourself, your interests, abilities, personal preferences,
and values, as well as gathering information about your options. Here are a few ways to get started.
DISCOVER career guidance system is available to all Pitt students online. After you have created your DISCOVER account, you will be
able to complete interest, ability, and value assessments and research hundreds of college majors and careers.
Go to the Discover career guidance system
Individual career counseling is available throughout the year. To make an appointment contact Beth Tiedemann,
Director of Career Services,
tiedeman@pitt.edu , or call 724.836.7182.
Career-Related Experience is a great way to try out a career to see if it's right for you. You can get this kind of experience through:
The Career Library contains a variety of job search and career exploration resources and handouts. Located in 217 Chambers Hall, the Career
Library is open Monday-Friday, 8:30
Web-based resources
Click Here for a list of web-based resources
Learn About Internships
What is an internship?
An internship is a work experience that emphasizes learning. These opportunities enhance understanding through practical applications
of classroom experiences.
How is an internship different from a job?
The key difference is that the student intern is expected to learn NEW skills and techniques while applying him/herself to the assigned tasks.
Students may not receive internship credit for their normal job responsibilities.
Do students earn academic credit for internships?
Most internships are for academic credit. UPG expects the student to utilize the experiences by earning credit for what s/he learns. Students
receive course credit for demonstrated learning that results from the internship experience and not simply for the time spent on the internship.
How long does an internship last?
Most internships are for one term. Students are expected to be at the internship location for a minimum of 120 hours for a three credit
internship.
Where can I find an internship?
You can use university and regional resources or find an internship on your own. Some of the most common ways students find internships are:
Where should I begin?
You may want to visit the Office of Career Services to clarify your goals, write a resume or learn about internship opportunities. However,
Career Services will NOT approve internships or provide sponsorship. Internships require a faculty sponsor. Before starting your internship,
you will need to find a faculty member who is willing to sponsor an internship in your field.
Develop a Resume and/or Cover
Letter
To receive individual assistance with your resume, cover letter, or portfolio, contact the Office of Career Services, 724.836.7182 or
tiedeman@pitt.edu to make an appointment.
You may also want to
. Visit the Career Library (217 Chambers Hall) to check out the books and free handouts. Most books can be checked out for two weeks.
. Click Here to check out some helpful web sites
Research and Prepare for Graduate School
Factors to consider when selecting a graduate program
1. Is the program right for you - does it fit your interests and needs
2. Does the school fit your personal preferences - such as size, location, cost, availability of day vs. evening classes, part-time vs. full-time status, etc.
3. Depth and Diversity in faculty - How many faculty members does the department have? Does the department's reputation rest heavily on just one or two
professors? Is there a variety of points of view in the department?
4. Faculty Publications - What have the faculty members published lately? Are there faculty who's areas of specialty will match yours?
5. Availability of Faculty - What is the student/faculty ratio?
6. Internships and Assistantships - Does the program have any planned practical experience? When are students eligible? Does the department provide
assistance with placement into the positions?
7. Fellowships and funds - How much fellowship money is available? How many students receive fellowships? Are you likely to among the lucky few?
8. Reputation of the Program - How is the department viewed regionally and nationally/ Ask your professors' opinion, research programs in the Gourman Report.
9. Ph.D. Production - How many Ph.D's has this department graduated yearly? What is the average length of time it takes to complete the degree
10. Assistance in Finding a Job - What percentage of graduates and degree candidates in this department succeed in finding employment? To what extent
is the department helpful in enabling the graduate to find suitable work? What of kinds of employment are most frequently taken by graduates of the
program you are considering?
11. Admissions Preference - Does the department prefer to have their applicants fresh out of graduate school? Or, do they prefer to have applicants
with work experience?
12. Versatility - To what extent can you use the degree from this department to get into other kinds of work? Is there much latitude for applying
this degree to other fields?
13. Attrition - Do students of the program frequently fail to complete their degree programs?
How to gather information
- Talk to professionals in your field of interest - be sure to get several opinions. Folks are often willing to share stories about their own career path and may have ideas about what degree(s) is most marketable, what schools have the best reputation, etc.
- Research school/ departmental websites
- Search web-based databases
- Contact programs and request school catalogues
- Visit the campus/ department
How to apply - A suggested sequence
1. Research your options
2. Identify schools and request applications
3. Develop a checklist for applying
4. Register and prepare for entrance exam
5. Request letters of recommendation
6. Take exam
7. Request transcripts
8. Prepare and submit applications
Recommended Resources
Program Rankings - The Gourman Report (available in Millstein Library) - provides rankings of many types of graduate programs.
Researching Your Options - a few great sites for locating programs according to select criteria, such as location, degree, size of school, cost, etc.
http://www.gradschools.com
http://www.princetonreview.com
http://www.petersons.com
Testing Information
http://www.ets.org (PRAXIS)
http://www.aamc.org (American Association of Medical Colleges)
http://www.mba.com (Register for the GMAT, research MBA programs, etc)
http://www.gre.org (general and subject tests)
http://www.lsac.org (Law School Admission Council)
Prepare for my Job Search
Job & Career Fairs - Career fairs are a great opportunity to network with employers, learn about openings, and conduct career
research. Some of the region's larger fairs include:
WestPACS Job Fair (November and March)
WANT Job and Internship Expo (February)
Opportunities (for Pitt Students and alumni only) (September & January)
Penn State Career Days (September and April)
For a complete list of the area's career-related events, visit the calendar on WestPACS.org
Job postings - UPG students and alumni have free access to two Pitt-based databases of jobs, EASE (UPG'S system) and PantherTRACS ( Oakland 's
database).
Check out some of these other great websites
Tapping into the Hidden Job Market - Publications such as chamber directories, Job Bank books, The Pittsburgh Business Times Book of Lists,
library databases, and even the phone book (!) can provide leads.
Market your experience & knowledge to employers
Employers are interested in your skills. These can fall into three categories:
. Knowledge-based
. Personal traits & attitudes
. Transferable or functional
Transferable skills are the building blocks of a career. Every job has them so they act as a bridge from one career to another. In your
resume, cover letter, or interview, you'll want to emphasize the skills that you have legitimately developed that are most relevant to the
position.
Exercise for identifying your skills and achievements
Think of a situation where you set a goal and then worked to successfully accomplish it. This could be work related but doesn't have to be.
Write done all that was involved, from start to finish including any hurdles that you faced, what you did step-by-step, what you accomplished
as a result of your efforts, and any measures which prove your achievements. Now analyze your story in order to identify the types of skills
that you used to accomplish your goal.
Incorporating your skills into your resume
. Start with an action word
. Include enough detail to convey your contribution
. Quantify your accomplishments where possible
. Aim for 3-5 key points for each position
. Use implied pronouns
. Be specific, avoiding generalization
. Think of each point as potentially leading to an interview question