Career Development Guide

A Month-by-Month Career Development Guide

You began planning your career when you decided to attend the School of Public Health, if not before.  Now that you are here, whether in your first or second year or somewhere else in your program, virtually everything you do can be considered “career development.”  Here are some guidelines to use as reminders throughout the year to help you accomplish your career goals by capitalizing on various career development opportunities.

September

• Update your resume! Make sure it reflects your current status as a graduate student. Refer to the tipsheet and example, and view the Resume Presentation.
• If you are seeking an assistantship, learn about the research SPH faculty are doing, then contact those professors working in your area of interest. You can also find University-wide assistantship postings.
• Consider participating in the Mentor Program. Students who wish to be matched with a mentor for 2009-2010 should apply by Sept. 17.
• Sept. 24 - attend the Community Involvement Fair in the Great Hall of Coffman Union to learn about volunteer and internship opportunities across the Twin Cities.

October

• Join the Minnesota Public Health Association. Student memberships are very affordable, and participating in a professional organization is not only a great way to make contacts, it looks good on your resume!
• Begin creating a portfolio. Learn more about portfolios.
• Oct. 26 - if you are contemplating working for the government, attend the Government Job Fair, 10am - 3pm in Coffman Union's Great Hall.

November

• Begin thinking about where you would like to do your field experience.
• Check on the fellowships in which you are interested.  Application deadlines will be here soon!

December

• Concentrate on doing well on those final exams!

January

• Make the most of your winter break by researching organizations to target for your field experience or job search, and identify people with whom you can network.
• Conduct informational interviews with your networking contacts.
• Jan. 21: Visit with two CDC fellows in the Career Services Center, D305 Mayo.
• Check on field experience funding deadlines.

February

• Watch Job Fair Success to prepare for attending upcoming career fairs.
• Feb. 16: Attend the field experiences info session, Mayo 3-100, 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.
• Feb. 22: U of M Job and Internship Fair (Mpls Convention Center)

March

• Graduating in May? Begin your job search this month!
• Research salaries for your major and the venue in which you expect to find work.

April

• Finalize field experience plans.
• Negotiate your salary with your new employer!
• Create a job search strategy if you haven’t found the right job yet. 

May – August

• Continue to network; volunteer; fine-tune your resume.  Your Career Services Center is open all year to assist you in your job search. Schedule a meeting with Barb Laporte (blaporte@umn.edu) or Mary Dwyer (dwyer012@umn.edu).