We know freshmen have lots to do…classes to find, friends to make, a campus to explore. The School of Chemical Sciences Career Services office has something for you, too! Career Services is here when you are ready to start looking for summer jobs and internships. In addition to summer opportunities, we also have a number of resources to help you explore how your interests relate to academic concentrations and potential career paths. Here are just a few things to think about doing during your first year at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign:

Getting Started

• As you become involved in extracurricular and volunteer activities, be aware that you are gaining skills and experience that will be useful as you consider summer jobs and internships.
• Explore and complete your profile on Handshake @ Illinois, our online campus recruiting system which contains thousands of summer job, internship, and co-op listings. You can search for positions from a range of industries and geographic locations. Start looking early, as some internships have fall deadlines.
• Attend our workshops during the fall and spring semesters. Once you log into Handshake @ Illinois, you can view a complete listing of workshops that will help you on the Events tab.
• Begin putting together your resume and meet with a career counselor to get feedback. You may also discuss your interests and the types of industries that seek your major.

There are many resources on campus to help guide you through the process of choosing a major, and then, learning more about opportunities that will be available to you with the field that you have chosen.

Exploring Majors and Careers

• Attend a “Finding a Major that Fits” workshop sponsored by The Career Center.
• Ask yourself what you like most about your classes, what activities outside of class you enjoy the most, and what types of things are important for you to learn about. This information can be used to help make decisions about majors and internships you might like to explore.
• Meet with a career advisor to talk about different options for majors and careers.
• Talk to faculty members, upperclassmen, and career advisors about possible career options.
• Determine what four skills will be important for you to obtain in order to secure the role you want and find ways to start learning those skills.
• Connect with Chemistry and Chemical Engineering professors and their teaching assistants to learn about undergraduate research opportunities on campus.

Sophomore year is an interesting time – you know the campus and University of Illinois environment pretty well after a full year here and yet now you are faced with some big decisions.

Pursue Activities

• Get involved in volunteer work and extracurricular activities. These help build skills that future employers or graduate admissions committees find valuable when considering applications.
• Consider taking on a leadership position.
• Check the Online Resource Library for preparation tips.
• Keep your resume updated – get cover letters and resumes critiqued by a career advisor.
• Talk to people about their jobs and what they do on a daily basis to discover more about your future options. Create a LinkedIn account to connect with Chemical Sciences alumni who can provide informational interviews about their careers.
• Attend workshops and employer information sessions throughout the year to hear what it is like to intern and work in a wide range of career fields.
• Make a special effort to get to know some professors (who might later serve as references for you) on a personal basis.
• Connect with Chemistry and Chemical Engineering professors and their teaching assistants to learn about undergraduate research opportunities on campus.

Internships

• Have your resume updated, reviewed, and ready to go at the beginning of the fall semester!
• Begin investigating internship options EARLY in the fall semester so you don’t miss opportunities with early applications.
• Learn how to ace the interview! Attend an interviewing workshop and meet with a career advisor for a mock interview.
• Attend the many campus Career Fairs to learn about employers and their internship opportunities. Career Fair dates and locations can be found on the Events tab in your Handshake @ Illinois account. Write and memorize your “Elevator Pitch.”

Your junior year is a great time to begin focusing on your career goals as well as preparing for the upcoming job/graduate school search. Although graduation seems far away, the time will fly by. So, we have some ideas of things you should be doing this year to get ready.

• Obtain/continue leadership positions in extracurricular and volunteer organizations.
• Assess your career values, goals, geographic preferences, etc. and create a list of potential employers and/or graduate schools.
• Review your progress in learning four (or more) skills relevant to your career field.
• Join at least one professional association related to your field.

Internships

• Continue applying to internship opportunities EARLY in the fall semester.
• Learn how to ace the interview! Attend an interviewing workshop and meet with a counselor for a mock interview.
• Attend the many campus Career Fairs to learn about employers and their internship opportunities. Career Fair dates and locations can be found on the Events tab in your Handshake @ Illinois account. Write and memorize your “Elevator Pitch.”

Thinking of Graduate School?

• Thinking about graduate, law, medical, or business school? Visit the Considering Graduate School page on The Career Center website.
• Review the exam schedules (GRE, LSAT, MCAT) and be sure to familiarize yourself with the test and course requirements necessary for admission to your graduate program of choice.
• Investigate deadlines for graduate fellowships and scholarships at these campus offices: Fellowship Finder, Financial Aid, and Top Scholars. Begin preparing your materials the summer after your junior year.
• Begin to request letters of recommendation from faculty members.
• Watch Chemistry at Illinois: Your Path to a PhD for tips on choosing your school.