Career Development Resources

Whether you have never had a hands-on experience before or you just completed one and want to continue to build skills and experiences for your career, this series of independent activities will help you grow from wherever you are in your professional journey. It has four key elements to help you build your career with focus and clarity: 

• articulate your current skills and relevant experiences,
• clarify your career goals and aspirations,
• identify the gaps in your skills and experiences that are needed in your career field(s), and
• pursue the best opportunities—such as projects and internships—to build the skills you need.

To get started with Building a Growth Resume, simply email Charlie Baxter, the lead mentor. The total time to complete the activity modules is approximately 8-14 hours, which you can work on at your own pace.

The National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) has identified eight competencies associated with career readiness. As a college student, you should strive to achieve mastery in all eight areas by the time you graduate. Use the worksheet below to assess your career competencies and refer back to it throughout your undergraduate journey. 

ELN recommends students send a thoughtful and well-written email to faculty you are interested in working with. Your email should be written clearly and concisely, and include the following information: 

• Introduce yourself (name, major, & reason for contacting them).
• Explain your interest and enthusiasm in their work or project opportunity. 
• Identify your goals and share how working on this project will help you reach them.
• Share that you would like to schedule a time to meet to further discuss your participation in the opportunity and include your general availability.
• Reiterate your interest and excitement for the opportunity. 

As an attachment to your email, include your resume if you think it is appropriate for the level of responsibility required by the project. If you do attach a resume, be sure to include:

• Relevant coursework – you may want to include a short description of techniques/concepts mastered.
• Relevant work history & experience.
• Leadership experience (on/off campus) that demonstrates organizational skills, independent thinking, etc.).
• Honors, awards or distinctions (include name of award, granting college/department, and monetary value if appropriate. 

A poorly written resume may be a barrier to securing a project opportunity, so do not include it in your email if it has not been reviewed by staff in Career Services, located in 259 Capen Hall. 

If you don’t hear back from the project mentor, send a polite follow-up email 1-2 weeks after your initial email.

ELN staff are ready to meet virtually with all students interested in discussing experiential learning and career development.