ImaginePhD is a FREE online career exploration and preparation tool for doctoral Humanities and Social Science students and postdoctoral scholars. Designed by PhD students and faculty, this interactive site offers career skills, interests, and values assessments, career guidance resources, and a goal setting platform and mapping system. Check out this comprehensive tool to explore career paths and identify options to utilize your educational experience.

StrengthsQuest™ is a program created by the Gallup Organization, which focuses on developing strengths rather than fixing weaknesses. By developing their strengths people can achieve higher levels of academic, personal, and professional success. The StrengthsQuest™ assessment assesses and ranks your themes of talent and gives you a report of your top 5 talent themes. UNT is committed to helping you discover and develop your talent themes. We provide access to the assessment and StrengthsQuest™ workshops through the UNT Orientation and Transition Programs office. Learn more about this opportunity and request access to take the StrengthsQuest Assessment.

MyPlan is a package of FREE assessments that consider your personality, skills, values, and interests. MyPlan allows you to explore options and bring clarity and insight into figuring out what is right for you. Whether you are choosing a major, planning for your first career, or thinking about making a career change.

My Next Move, released by the U.S. Department of Labor is an interactive tool for job seekers and students to learn more about their career options. The site has tasks, skills, salary information, and more for over 900 different careers. Users can find careers through keyword search; by browsing industries that employ diverse types of workers; or through the O*NET Interest Profiler, a tool that offers personalized career suggestions based on a person’s interests and level of work experience. They also are designed for use by students who are exploring the school to work transition. Each of these tools is based on a “whole person” assessment concept. The tools will help individuals identify their work-related interests, what they consider important on the job, and their abilities to explore those occupations that relate most closely to those attributes. Users of the tools may link directly to more occupations described by the O*NET database, as well as to occupational information in CareerOneStop, thus, making a seamless transition from assessing their interests, work values and abilities to matching their job skills with the requirements of occupations in their local labor market.

Source: O*NET | U.S. Department of Labor (dol.gov)

O*Net is a US Department of Labor website that contains information about hundreds of career paths. It also has tools such as career assessments to gain self-knowledge.  

Most industries have trade organizations or associations that sponsor websites with specific information about careers, education, etc. that can lead to work in the industry.  

There are thousands of professional organizations that also provide information specific to careers in their specialties. It is important to understand what the mission of the organization is. Some organizations are career focused and others are more research driven. Think about which type is the best fit for what you are looking for.  

Employers have their own websites containing career and employment information and job postings. The websites can be particularly useful for getting a sense of the organization’s culture; particularly looking at Mission, Vision, and Values.  

In doing research one often runs across new job titles, roles, and even key words that may not have been obvious or even known. As with any research project, learning the new key words to search on can be helpful.  

Talking to people in fields of interest may be as productive as any research tool available. The people doing the actual work can point out latest trends, “pain” points, new directions for the profession. All of which may not be written down anywhere but may in fact be where the real opportunities lie.  

Handshake is the UNT Career Center’s job board. It is tied into a network of over 1000+ schools. Every job in a student’s Handshake feed is designated to show up at UNT so you know the employer is interested in students from UNT.  

Handshake and all job boards are not simply good for job applications. You learn and see trends such as skills being sought as they relate to specific roles. The roles being recruited also provide an indication of where the opportunities may be and who the major recruiters may be at any given point in time.  

There are hundreds of job boards. We recommend using those that curate opportunities efficiently. If you find jobs linked to a job board are expired, it indicates that the service is not efficient.  

• What Can I Do with This Major 
• Career Readiness Competencies  
• Candid Careers  
• Practical Career Advice  

Related to networking is Mentorship. A mentorship is usually an ongoing relationship with someone who has a mutual interest and is in a field of interest. Usually, a mentor is someone with a lot of experience and resources that can be used to provide knowledge and support to a mentee.  

Mentorships can be part of a formal program. Usually, the mentor is assigned by someone. You may have a graduate degree mentor and this person is someone with experience to guide you through graduate school but not through a professional pathway.  

Mentorships can be informal. One may find someone that they have “chemistry” with and who has an expertise, knowledge, and wisdom to tap into. In this case both parties would agree to an informal relationship and make themselves available for ongoing discussions. 

Online Mentorship  

UNT has an online mentoring platform called Mean Green Mentors. It is available to all students. You can complete a profile and fill out a short “mentor match” Mean Green Mentors will then suggest mentor matches to reach out to. Learn more about Mean Green Mentors. 

There are over 200,000 UNT alumni and they can be a powerful networking resource. A terrific way to engage is through the UNT page on LinkedIn

In addition to providing information, professional organizations also are a great resource for finding personal contacts with people who are working in fields of interest.  

Other students may be a great resource. At UNT, we have many students working. They may be working in fields of interest, or they may have their own networks they can link you to.  

An Informational Interview is an “interview” initiated by you with someone who has information or expertise in a field of interest. It is not a job interview but is purely informational. It is a fantastic way to introduce yourself to someone who works in a role of interest or for an organization of interest.  

Sample Request – 2 scenarios  

1. Learn more about a role or being a professional  
   • Identify someone who may have knowledge you are seeking 
   • Craft a message requesting a meeting (perhaps “can we meet for coffee to discuss/learn more about _________?” 
   • Reach out to contacts through email, LinkedIn, or call them on the telephone 
   • Be clear about the purpose for the call/meeting 
   • Be respectful of their time. If you ask for :30 minutes, plan the meeting out so that it will be 30 minutes. 
2. Learn more about an organization
   • Craft a message requesting a meeting (perhaps “can we meet for coffee to discuss/learn more about _________?”  
   • Reach out to contacts through email, LinkedIn, or call them on the telephone  
   • Be clear about the purpose for the call/meeting  
   • Be respectful of their time. If you ask for :30 minutes, plan the meeting out so that it will be 30 minutes.

Sample questions – have some specific questions about things you want to learn  

• What got you interested in this field of work?  
• What challenges do you face daily?  
• What motivates you to go to work every day?  
• What do skills would I need to get into this field?  
• Review additional information regarding informational interviews.  

A job simulation is a way to gain experience and develop skills using resources specifically set up to provide a pathway to gain greater understanding and skill development, usually by doing a project. UNT has several resources that students can use to gain additional experience.  

LinkedIn Learning 

 A free resource provided by UNT to students. Use your UNT SSO to access thousands of trainings  

TheForage 

Build real world skills direct from leading organizations through Virtual Experience Programs  

Parker Dewey 

Micro Internships  

Career Advising and Coaching  

Check-in with a career coach designated for your major or program to gain more insight and to plan “next steps”   

UNT has a powerful and easy to use system to keep you aware of all our career events. The platform we use is Handshake. Handshake is the Career Center’s recruiting management system that hosts fulltime and part-time jobs, internships, on-campus positions, and on campus employer events.

Once you create your Handshake account, you will be able to have access to thousands of employer’s postings of full-time and part-time jobs utilizing tailored search filters, internships, on-campus positions, and campus employer events. watch this video to learn how to Create a Handshake Account.

For campus employer events, you can search for events by clicking the EVENTS link. For Career Fairs, you can search for upcoming fairs by clicking the FAIRS link.

By using the different filters, you can narrow your research for specific events based on your major, type of event (in person/virtual/hybrid), location, or industry.

Once you have identified events and fairs that interest you, you can sign up for them. You can also activate email reminders so you can keep track of what you have signed up for.

By taking advantage of the employer events on campus, you are getting valuable exposure to insightful information that will help you accelerate your networking skills and strategically prepare for your career.

An elevator speech (or elevator pitch) is a 30 second commercial about you. A good speech should last no longer than a short elevator ride, hence the name. It should be interesting, memorable, and succinct. Because networking can happen anywhere, you should always be prepared to introduce yourself and talk about who you are and what you want to do. You never know when that conversation can lead to a new contact or even an invitation to pass along your resume.

An ideal time to share your elevator speech is during introductions at career fairs, expos and recruiting events. When preparing for an event, be sure to research the companies you are interested in and tailor your speech, so it is relevant to your audience. For example, if you are talking with a smaller company, you do not want to say that you are interested in working in a large corporate environment.

Watch these two videos to get an employer’s perspective about an elevator speech:

• Simple Can Be Effective: Program Manager, Campus Philly
• Conveying Passion in an Elevator Pitch: Grant Rawdin, Founder and CEO (Chief Executive Officer), Wescott Financial Advisory Group

Now, you are ready to write your elevator speech. Use the steps below to help you get started, but keep in mind that you will need to change your approach depending on who you are speaking with and what you are trying to accomplish. Start by thinking about the objective of your speech. For example, are you planning to use your speech to introduce yourself at a networking event or career fair? Are you seeking an internship or a job? Your objective will influence how you craft your speech.

Steps to Writing an Elevator Speech:

You can use these steps to help you draft your elevator speech. Keep in mind, your objective will impact the specific elements you include in it.

1.   Your name, major/degree, and classification.
2.   What you do or what you want to do.
3. Prepare a single sentence that gives insight into what you are interested in and the value you bring.
4.   Why you are the best at what you do or why you want to work in the industry you have chosen.
5. Prepare a single sentence that differentiates you from others.
6. It might be a technique you have developed, your specific experience, or even your personality that sets you apart. What makes you special?
7.   Call to action.
8. What are you trying to achieve here? Are you trying to build your network, obtain a job or internship, learn more about a specific career field or company?

This is an example of how your elevator speech might sound:

Now that you have an outline of what you would like to say, you can finalize your speech. Connect your sentences so they flow together and sound natural. Avoid using words that people from a different field might not understand and cut out any unnecessary words.

Watch this video for tips on how to improve your elevator speech and make it more interesting:

The Elevator Pitch: Tips for Your Elevator Pitch

Action Step:

Practice your elevator speech.

It can take some time to get your speech right. One of the best ways to improve your elevator speech is to practice it in front of a mirror until you are comfortable with what you have to say. Once your elevator speech sounds good to you, consider practicing it with someone else to get their feedback, such as a classmate, roommate, friend, or family member. You also might find it helpful to video your speech so you can watch the recording of yourself. Do not be surprised if you rewrite your speech several times before you find a version that is compelling and sounds natural

Linkedin is the world’s largest professional network with over 500+ million users. For a college student, LinkedIn can be an effective way to connect with UNT alumni, learn about potential career paths by reading articles or posts and a terrific way to find up to date jobs and internship postings.

When it comes to creating your profile, you want to have a clear and professional picture. This does not mean your picture must be professionally taken, but it does mean you should be wearing professional attire. Make sure your entries for the Experience and Education sections are up to date. Recruiters on LinkedIn filter their searches based on majors and previous work experience. Use the LinkedIn checklist. for students to learn more.

Pro tip:

Your headline (directly under your name) will default to your most recent job title. Use this entry to brand yourself.

Instead of Sales Associate at the local retail chain, consider adding:

Marketing junior with 2+ years of customer service experience. Interested in digital marketing internships.

By customizing your headline, you will increase the likelihood of being found in a campus recruiter’s search results. LinkedIn offers limitless opportunities to grow your professional network and build your professional brand.

Action Step:

Meet with your Career Coach to learn how to create or improve your LinkedIn profile. Follow this guide to make sure you are maximizing LinkedIn features and your presence and periodically review and update your profile to make sure everything is current and reflects academic, work, and community service you would like to highlight. This is especially important when making any kind of career pivot or when seeking a new opportunity.

It may be a good idea to create a website or portfolio to display your skills, academic projects, and examples of your work. Your field of study will have norms and standards, so check with your faculty, advisor, and Career Coach for guidance. Make sure you are thorough, detailed oriented, and authentic with your digital presence.

Resource:

10 Portfolio Website Builders and Why They’re Important

A resume or a CV (Curriculum Vitae) is required to apply for almost any job, and you will typically need to submit a cover letter, too. While a resume is typically used for industry or corporate positions, The curriculum vitae, also known as a CV or vita, is a comprehensive statement of your educational background, teaching, and research experience. It is the standard representation of credentials within academia. In addition, it is important to write a thank you letter following an interview. It is important that your specific qualifications and experiences that relate to the position are clear, concise, and show your value as a potential hire. Below, you can access multiple resources, tools, videos, and personalized assistance to help you craft these important documents.

Personalized Assistance

For assistance with your resume, CV, or cover letter, schedule an in-person, virtual, phone or email appointment or meet with us without an appointment during Drop-Ins. To find your Career Coach and for times and locations, go to Connect with the Career Center. Business majors should access Connect with the Career Resource Center for times, location, and Drop-In information.

Resume Writing Tool

• Resume Builder – Resume writing tool that’s part of Big Interview and provided by the Career Center. This video explains how to access Resume Builder and get started.

Resume Writing and CV Resources

• Getting Started Writing Your Resume
  • How to Construct Each Section of Your Resume
  • Action Verbs for Your Resume
  • Common Resume Mistakes
• Resume Templates and Samples
  • Basic Chronological Resume Template
  • Basic Functional Resume Template
  • Resume and CV Samples – Specific examples based on your college, area of interest, and experience.
  • Business: Approved Resume Format – Information about the required format for all Business majors plus examples.
• Curriculum Vitae – standard representation of credentials within academia.
  • CV Basics
  • CV Guide

Videos to Help with Writing Your Resume or CV

• Resume Basics – A UNT Career Coach explains the types of resumes, sections, formatting, and other rules.
• Resume Development – Career Development Specialist
• Resume Tips – Get advice from a UNT Career Coach on how to write an effective resume.
• How Applicant Tracking Systems Impact Your Job Search – Covers the basics of applicant tracking systems (ATS) and how to approach job applications and your resume with ATS in mind.
• Disney College Session – Resume 101 & Interview Tips – Learn effective ways to formulate resumes and excel at interviews when applying to Disney opportunities and other positions.
• Graduate CV Workshop – Amy Hicks, Career Coach for graduate students, explains how to write a CV, when it is used and more.

Cover Letter Resources

• How to Write a Cover Letter
• Cover Letter Example

Thank You Letter Resources

• Thank You Letters
• Post-Interview Thank You Messages – Video with tips on how to express appreciation following an interview.

After drafting a resume, we strongly recommend setting up a time to talk with a Career Resource Center staff member to work on improvements. In addition, you can use the Resume Review Request Form to submit your resume for review. Upload your resume in the approved format to Handshake using the instructions found here.

Action Step:

Your application documents are a critical first step to advance to an interview. They demonstrate your written communication skills and attention to detail. Your discipline and career goals will determine specific formatting and style. Meet with your advisor in your department and mentors with professional experience in your area to learn more about recommended standards.

Pro tip:

Remember, your resume and CV are living documents that will evolve and grow as you gain experience, develop professionally, and make career changes. Stay up to date on current norms and industry standards. Keep track of the details of your projects and work/academic highlights so you can incorporate them into your application documents.

Once you have decided which industry/area you want to go into, you need to find postings that you are interested in applying to. There are many general job searching sites, some of which you may already know, like Handshake, LinkedIn, Indeed, SimplyHired, and Glassdoor. Additionally, there are other job searching sites that are good to know depending on what area you want to go into. Check with your academic discipline professional organizations for additional job boards and career resources.

Here are just a few examples:

• Academia/Higher Ed: Higher Ed Jobs (https://www.higheredjobs.com/)
• Educational Organizations: The Chronicle of Higher Education Jobs | jobs | Choose from 34,287 live job openings
• Federal: USA Jobs (https://www.usajobs.gov/)
• Local Government: Job Center | icma.org
• National Association of Human Resource Professionals: National Human Resources Association – Job Postings
• Technology: Dice (https://www.dice.com/)
• National Council of Nonprofits (https://www.councilofnonprofits.org/nonprofit-jobs)
• The Chronicle of Philanthropy Jobs | jobs | Choose from 458 live job openings
• Nonprofit Volunteer, Internship, and Job Opportunities: Jobs, Volunteering, Grad Schools, and More – Idealist
• Public Relations Society of America: Public Relations Jobs – PRSA Jobcenter
• LinkedIn Jobs: Jobs | LinkedIn
• Indeed: Job Search | Indeed
• Monster: Monster Jobs – Job Search, Career Advice & Hiring Resources | Monster.com
• Glassdoor: Glassdoor Job Search | You deserve a job that loves you back
• Glasstire, Texas Visual Arts: Job Listings Archives | Glasstire
• Science & Technology: Science Careers | jobs | Choose from 1,074 live job openings
• Science: Connecting leading candidates to the world’s finest science jobs | Nature Careers
• National Council on Public History: Jobs | National Council on Public History (ncph.org)
• Employers Building Diverse Teams: Employers Building Diverse Teams – Career Center | University of North Texas (unt.edu)

Crafting your Application Materials

For jobs in private industry, you will need a resume, cover letter, and list of 3-4 references for each job application. For jobs in higher education, you will need a curriculum vitae, cover letter, research statement, teaching statement/philosophy, teaching portfolio, diversity statements, and recommendation letters. It is important to tailor your application materials to each job posting to get past the “resume gatekeepers” – human and technological alike.

If you are looking to apply to federal positions, a federal resume is different from a resume for private industry. The length limit does not apply, and experience/qualification/accomplishments need to be written more specifically and in detail.

The technological “resume gatekeepers” that are mentioned above are called Applicant Tracking Systems, or ATS. These systems read each applicant’s resume and rank them according to keyword matching. They also have some other functions, such as writing a summary for each applicant based off the resume and acting as a database for employers to search through using keywords.

Pro tip:

Here are some resources/websites that will simulate an ATS platform and give you an approximate percentage match when you upload your resume and a job posting. They also give details about things like formatting tips, missed keywords in both technical skills and soft skills, and recruiter tips. Both websites have some free scans and premium services for a price.

JobScan: https://www.jobscan.co/

SkillSyncer: https://skillsyncer.com/ (1 year free for students/military – use your UNT email address when signing up)

Knowing proper job interview etiquette is an important part of successful interviewing. How you dress, what you bring to a job interview, greet the interviewer, and how you communicate can make a significant difference in the interview outcome.

• Review the posting in detail.
• Research the company and find out as much as possible about the employer.
• Prepare relevant answers to typical interview questions.
• Anticipate any red flags from your resume and know how to deal with them.
• Memorize good examples that demonstrate the key behaviors required for the job.
• Consider your strengths and how they can add value to the job.
• Prepare several good questions to ask the interviewer.
• Visit the location in advance so you arrive stress free and on time.

Employers practice behavior-based interviewing, where questions focus on actions & behaviors, not subjective impressions. This is designed to minimize personal impressions that can affect the hiring decision and is based on the premise that the best way to predict future behavior is to determine past behavior.

Employers practice behavior-based interviewing, where questions focus on actions & behaviors, not subjective impressions. This is designed to minimize personal impressions that can affect the hiring decision and is based on the premise that the best way to predict future behavior is to determine past behavior.

Here are the three most common question types:

Theoretical – Place you in hypothetical situations and are used to evaluate your critical thinking skills. For example: How would you organize your friends to help you move into a new apartment?

Leading – The interviewer hints at the answer they are seeking by the way the question is phrased. For example: Working on your own does not bother you, does it?

Behavioral – Seek demonstrated examples of behavior from past experiences that concentrate on job-related functions and are usually open-ended questions (not yes/no). For example: Describe a time you had to be flexible in planning a workload. Why did you decide to major in this program at UNT, rather than a small private college?

How to best answer behavior-based interview questions:

When answering questions, use the STAR Method to recall recent situations that show favorable behaviors or actions.

1. Situation – Use specific details about a situation or task.
2. Task – Tell what led to it.
3. Action – Discuss what you did and who was involved.
4. Result – What was the outcome? Resolve the story and reflect on what you learned.

When you have an interview scheduled, one of the best ways to prepare is to practice answers to frequent questions, both general and industry-specific, either through self-practice or mock interviewing with your Career Coach, friends, or family. UNT also gives students access to some helpful online resources that you can use to practice your interviewing skills:

Big Interview (https://unt.biginterview.com/) is a free online tool that combines training and practice to help improve your interview technique and build your confidence. Big Interview can also help you with resume writing, how to negotiate, and how to navigate the first 90 days (about 3 months) of a new job. The system includes:

• Challenging, virtual mock interviews for all experience levels and dozens of industries.
• A database of thousands of interview questions with tips on how to answer them.
• The ability to rate and share your interview answers for feedback.
• A comprehensive video training curriculum covering all aspects of landing a job.
• A step-by-step interview Answer Builder for crafting answers to behavioral questions.

LinkedIn Interview Prep (https://www.linkedin.com/interview-prep/): LinkedIn has many common interview questions listed along with framework describing how to best approach the question as well as the option to record an answer with AI (Artificial Intelligence) feedback. There are some other features if you have LinkedIn Premium.

LinkedIn Learning (https://www.linkedin.com/learning/): UNT offers LinkedIn Learning for free to current students, and there are many courses with information about interviews for you to view.

Why would I negotiate a salary? Private industry has traditionally not been transparent about salary data in their job postings, although this is improving with time. Discussions about pay expectations might come up during your interview, where your potential employer will ask you about your salary expectations, or it might not come up until they are offering you a position. Researching reasonable salary amounts and negotiating your pay scale before accepting a job offer is an extremely useful skill to make sure that you are being paid appropriately. Make sure to research appropriate salary amounts depending on your level, including both national and regional data. Examples of resources to explore that contain salary data are Glassdoor, O*NET, U.S. Bureau of Labor & Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook, DICE. In a salary negotiation, one must have a reasonable number in mind. If you make a counteroffer for an unreasonable amount, the company will be less inclined to negotiate with you.

The job search process can be difficult! It is easy to get emotional when a job that you are excited about does not work out. Remember that this process takes time and most people do not succeed on their first try at an application.

It is important after every application, no matter the outcome, to reflect on what did and did not go well, to improve your chances for the next time.

• If you are not getting interviews, consider editing your resume and cover letter to better include keywords or make the format more readable.
• If you are getting multiple interviews, but not getting job offers, consider practicing your interview skills and answering common interview questions for your industry.

Your Career Coach can help you with these processes!

What next? Keep going! The job search can be a lengthy & multi-faceted process, so do not be discouraged and keep working at it.

Pro tip:

Ask your Career Coach to access the latest NACE Salary Survey document, which contains reported salary data for various industries and majors.

Action Step:

Check in with your Career Coaches and Faculty Advisors for help and to schedule a mock interview before the real thing.

Proactively develop oneself and one’s career through continual personal and professional learning, awareness of one’s strengths and weaknesses, navigation of career opportunities, and networking to build relationships within and without one’s organization.

Sample Behaviors

• Show an awareness of own strengths and areas for development.
  • Identify areas for continual growth while pursuing and applying feedback.
  • Develop plans and goals for one’s future career.
  • Professionally advocate for oneself and others.
  • Display curiosity: seek out opportunities to learn.
  • Assume duties or positions that will help one progress professionally.
  • Establish, maintain, and/or leverage relationships with people who can help one professionally.
  • Seek and embrace development opportunities.
  • Voluntarily participate in further education, training, or other events to support one’s career.

Clearly and effectively exchange information, ideas, facts, and perspectives with people inside and outside of an organization.

Sample Behaviors

• Understand the importance of and demonstrate verbal, written, and non-verbal/body language, abilities.
  • Employ active listening, persuasion, and influencing skills.
  • Communicate in a clear and organized manner so that others can effectively understand.
  • Frame communication with respect to diversity of learning styles, varied individual communication abilities, and cultural differences.
  • Ask appropriate questions for specific information from supervisors, specialists, and others.
  • Promptly inform relevant others when needing guidance with assigned tasks

Demonstrate the awareness, attitude, knowledge, and skills required to equitably engage and include people     from different local and global cultures. Engage in anti-racist practices that actively challenge the systems, structures, and policies of racism.

Sample Behaviors

• Solicit and use feedback from multiple cultural perspectives to make inclusive and equity-minded decisions.
  • Actively contribute to inclusive and equitable practices that influence individual and systemic change.
  • Advocate for inclusion, equitable practices, justice, and empowerment for historically marginalized communities.
  • Seek global cross-cultural interactions and experiences that enhance one’s understanding of people from different demographic groups and that leads to personal growth.
  • Keep an open mind to diverse ideas and new ways of thinking.
  • Identify resources and eliminate barriers resulting from individual and systemic racism, inequities, and biases.
  • Demonstrate flexibility by adapting to diverse environments.
  • Address systems of privilege that limit opportunities for members of historically marginalized communities

Recognize and capitalize on personal and team strengths to achieve organizational goals.

Sample Behaviors

• Inspire, persuade, and motivate self and others under a shared vision.
  • Seek out and leverage diverse resources and feedback from others to inform direction.
  • Use innovative thinking to go beyond traditional methods.
  • Serve as a role model to others by approaching tasks with confidence and a positive attitude.
  • Motivate and inspire others by encouraging them and by building mutual trust.
  • Plan, initiate, manage, complete, and evaluate projects.

Knowing work environments differ, understanding and demonstrating effective work habits, and acting in the interest of the larger community and workplace.

Sample Behaviors

• Act equitably with integrity and accountability to self, others, and the organization.
  • Maintain a positive personal brand in alignment with organization and personal career values.
  • Be present and prepared.
  • Demonstrate dependability (e.g., report consistently for work or meetings).
  • Prioritize and complete tasks to accomplish organizational goals.
  • Consistently meet or exceed goals and expectations.
  • Pay attention to detail, resulting in few if any errors in their work.
  • Show a high level of dedication toward doing an excellent job.

Build and maintain collaborative relationships to work effectively toward common goals, while appreciating diverse viewpoints and shared responsibilities.

Sample Behaviors

• Listen carefully to others, take time to understand and ask appropriate questions without interruption.
  • Effectively manage conflict, interact with, and respect diverse personalities, and meet ambiguity with resilience.
  • Be accountable for individual and team responsibilities and deliverables.
  • Employ personal strengths, knowledge, and talents to complement those of others.
  • Exercise the ability to compromise and be agile.
  • Collaborate with others to achieve common goals.
  • Build strong, positive working relationships with supervisor and team members/coworkers.

Understand and leverage technologies ethically to enhance efficiency, complete tasks, and accomplish goals.

Sample Behaviors

• Navigate change and be open to learning new technologies.
  • Use technology to improve efficiency and productivity of their work.
  • Identify appropriate technology for completing specific tasks.
  • Manage technology to integrate information to support relevant, effective, and timely decision-making.
  • Quickly adapt to new or unfamiliar technologies.
  • Manipulate information, construct ideas, and use technology to achieve strategic goals.

There are many opportunities to get involved as a graduate student. Take advantage of making connections and trying new activities to help you develop and gain confidence. Networking with other students, professors, advisors, counselors, other people in your chosen field, and hiring managers/recruiters in your field may open leadership opportunities. Organizations value communication skills, and you can learn how to build upon soft skills in demand while you are gaining technical expertise from your academic program. Build self-confidence and social skills – get used to talking with people/being around big groups if you are not already.

Some organizations offer fellowships, grants, scholarships, and awards. Showing you have done research for your field of study and learning about the industry can Increases your marketability for employers. 

Professional Conferences are a fantastic way to build your network and address gaps in skills and knowledge while also engaging in leadership roles. Some organizations will support your professional and personal group through sponsored professional development and conference attendance. Many of the conferences are based on specific areas of expertise, for example NACE (The National Association of Colleges and Employers) focuses on organizations that work to connect Colleges and Employers therefore conference topics are based around strategies and concepts related to career development and communication with the workforce.

Professional organizations also have events, workshops, conferences, journals/other publications, and other information on their websites where you can learn about & identify trends/issues in your field. Make sure you have business cards & your elevator pitch ready if you are attending an event or a conference! 

Student organizations are another resource you can use to address skills and knowledge gaps. These organizations allow you to grow your network while providing leadership and communication opportunities, they are also a wonderful way to get involved with the local community. Some of these organizations are nationally based with chapters across the country. These organizations also host networking events and professional conferences that you can attend. The Toulouse Graduate school has over 40 student organizations in which you could potentially become involved.

Student organizations put on events and have meetings, sometimes with professionals from the industry, discussing your chosen field and giving tips on diverse topics, such as writing resumes or what skills are needed to get hired. 

Find Student Organizations at UNT (University of North Texas)

Student Org Home | Division of Student Affairs (unt.edu) 

This site lets you search through all the student organizations on campus, including filters for categories, and has a calendar with all the events that student organizations are putting on.  

Check your college or department’s website, they often have a tab that lists student organizations for their majors. 

College of Health and Public Service | Student Organizations 

College of Information | Student Organizations 

College of Engineering | Organizations 

Anthropology Organizations & Honor Society | Department of Anthropology | College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences 

Extracurricular Involvement | Department of Psychology (unt.edu) 

Student Organizations | College of Merchandising, Hospitality & Tourism (unt.edu) 

Student Organizations | Mayborn School of Journalism (unt.edu) 

Student Organizations | G. Brint Ryan College of Business (unt.edu) 

CVAD (College of Visual Arts and Design) Student Organizations | College of Visual Arts and Design (unt.edu) 

Find Professional Organizations

• Professional Association Finder | CareerOneStop 
• O*NET (“Sources of Additional Information” section) 
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Outlook Handbook (“More Info” tab, “Contacts for More Information”) 
• What Can I Do With This Major? – Career Center | University of North Texas (Professional Associations are listed on the bottom of each major’s page) 
• Check your college or department’s website, they might have a list of professional organizations for their majors 
• Professional Organizations | Department of Information Science (unt.edu) 
• Use an internet search engine to see if there are local or state organizations for your field 

Additional Opportunities for Leadership, Networking, Training & Support

• 3 Minute Thesis 
• Graduate Student Council (GSC) 
• Toastmasters 
• Center for Leadership & Service 
• On campus/Student Employment
• Texas Young Professionals – statewide, 2 Chapters in DFW (Dallas Fort Worth) 
• Student Alumni Association 
• Graduate Student Teaching Excellence Program
• Writing Support
• Student Money Management Center
• Counseling and Testing
• Libraries
• Volunteer Opportunities
• Toulouse Graduate School Professional Development Workshops
• LinkedIn Learning
• Coursera

UNT Mean Green Mentors is an online mentoring platform for current UNT students to connect with UNT Alumni interested in being a mentor. Current students can connect with alumni to get advice and guidance on their career path, learn more about what it takes to be successful within the career and/or industry they are interested in, etc. Students and their Mentor can meet virtually or in person as little or as often as you like. It is up to you as the Mentee to be prepared to share with your Mentor what kind of assistance you need and were hoping to learn. You can also choose to have more than one Mentor.

The online article, 24 Reasons Why Mentorship is Important for Mentee and Mentor according to Indeed.com,  states that mentorship can help you learn new things, build your network, and grow as a professional. The Career Coach, Jamie Birt, who authored this article states reasons why a mentor is important which are supporting growth, serve as a source of knowledge, help set goals, maintain accountability, offer encouragement, willing to listen, be a trusted ally, offer constructive feedback, provide guidelines, share relevant experience, and are a free resource.

A Forbes online article from February 20, 2022, discussed What Makes a Great Mentor, and The Importance of Having One. Key points they mentioned related to finding a Mentor is to:

• Map your goals, and set clear expectations on how a mentor can help you
• Look across various disciplines and functions – Who do you look up to? Whose job would you like to have after graduation?
• Get to know the Mentor first – have an exploratory chat, follow them on LinkedIn, understand their point of view, and establish a connection before asking them to be a mentor
• Start with people who are already in your own professional network

How to Find a Mentor as a Graduate Student – Neuronline May 20, 2015 – Faculty can also provide mentorship to students. The online article from Neuronline suggests using a variety of formal and informal means, such as

• Review the work of faculty to get an idea of their academic interests and methodologies
• Get involved in your academic departments academic and social activities
• Look for another Graduate Student who is more advanced in their coursework to mentor you
• Attend public presentations by faculty whose projects and research interest you

Good mentoring is based on mutual interests. You can benefit by having multiple academic mentors.

For most academic disciplines, graduate research has become team focused. To solve complex problems, a range of cooperative experts is needed to be innovative and recommend solutions. Each member of the team has an important part to play so the team can be cohesive and productive. Some key skills of an effective team member are emotional intelligence, motivation, relationship management, active listening, adaptability, good attitude, dependability, sharing ideas, asking questions, and providing constructive feedback.

Before starting group work, it is helpful to start with a discussion to determine what roles are needed and which group member will take on each role, determine when the group will meet and how often, develop expectations and goals to achieve, and create a timeline with set deadlines.

Within some teams, conflict will arise. This should be dealt with quickly and constructively. Share your concerns without placing blame. Use “I” statements to share what is concerning you and what you feel the effect has been and provide suggestions on how to improve the conflict.

In a June 2016 Harvard Business Review article The Secrets of Great Teamwork (hbr.org), the authors share “enabling conditions” which are needed for teams to thrive. They are:

• Compelling direction – having goals that are challenging, but also energizes and engages the team
• Strong structure – a team whose members have a balance of skills (technical and social) and norms that discourage destructive behavior
• Supportive context – a reward system for to reinforce good performance, an information system to provide access to data needed, offering training, and access to resources needed’
• Shared mindset

Before a meeting, make an agenda for yourself to be sure you address all your questions efficiently. This will help you remember all your goals during the meeting, even if your conversation starts moving in different directions (as conversations often do when two people are passionate about a topic!). After the meeting, thank your advisor in an email and summarize the conversation.

Remember that graduate school is training you to become your advisor’s future colleague. This means there is less handholding than when you were an undergraduate. Graduate school is when you learn to process information and make decisions like a principal investigator would, so do not expect your advisor to tell you how to do what is next or how to find resources. Keep your ears open and watch what makes the more advanced graduate students in your program successful—and what does not.

Use criticism to improve yourself. When your advisor points out a flaw or critiques your work, it is to help you be the best you can be. Do not take it personally! After you get feedback, take a deep breath. Remember that you can use criticism to your advantage.

Be compassionate. Your advisor is human too! Becoming familiar with their struggles and victories—from grading 100 student papers to applying for (and winning) a grant — will help you work better with them.

Source: https://graduate.unl.edu/connections/how-be-good-graduate-student

Discover how you work best. Your learning preferences can guide the way you work. This allows you to create the best possible work environment for your learning needs.

Record your work as you go along. This is essential. Even if you think you will never forget the details of a procedure you repeated thousands of times when you were collecting data, the reality is that details get murky in the time between when you conducted an experiment and when you complete your write-up (whether that is for an article, thesis, or dissertation). Keeping track of details as you go along is worth the extra effort. Your records will be a valuable resource down the road and save you time and aggravation.

Find traits that you admire in the people around you. Not only will this help you build relationships because you are focusing on others’ strengths rather than mulling over their weaknesses, but it will also help you aspire to those qualities. Then, look for ways to develop those traits and abilities.

Do not let your work become your whole life. It is important to have friends outside your lab and other interests to delve into. If you do not, when something goes wrong with your work or you have a conflict with a co-worker, you might feel like your world is falling apart. But when your life involves other components, it is easier to let things roll off your back and you have a realistic perspective. A balanced life leads to less drama and greater adaptability.