Be career ready when you graduate. By pursuing professional goals as a student, you lay a foundation for your future. Take time today to design a meaningful career plan, develop skills, and gain valuable experience as a student.
Berkeley Career Engagement equips students and recent alumni of UC Berkeley to be confident in making informed decisions about their future.
Be deliberate with these simple yet vital career goals to build professional success.
How do I identify and articulate my future direction?
Discover and design a personally meaningful career direction with strategic planning and exploration. Berkeley Career Engagement helps you develop career readiness or prepare for graduate school through first-class services, custom programs, and events.
How do I engage with employers and alumni?
Connect with professionals at career fairs, alumni/student networking events, and other opportunities.
Calibrate your career with individual career coaching, group workshops, and a library of tools and resources.
How do I enhance my marketability?
Individual Career Counseling
• Discuss ways to realize your career goals with skilled guidance.
• Learn to successfully navigate the graduate or professional school admissions process.
• Meet professional and peer advisors.
Handshake Resources Library
Job and Internship Listings
• Access a database with thousands of employment opportunities.
• Follow your favorite employers.
Career Workshops and Events
Identify and define your career interests at Berkeley Career Engagement and employer events. Register through Handshake to attend.
Where Do Cal Grads Go
Discover what alumni with your major do after graduation. View the interactive survey results under “Start Exploring” on Berkeley Career Engagement home page.
Participate in active growth experiences such as internships, externships, and career readiness opportunities.
Learn how to start early and optimize our many services to achieve your career goals. career.berkeley.edu
Read and download career development, employer, and industry guides. Featured resources:
• GoinGlobal: Global employer directory with thousands of listings and comprehensive guides to careers in over 40 countries.
• Firsthand: Extensive coverage of career and employment topics, including employee surveys.
handshake.berkeley.edu
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Enhance your marketability with coaching and valuable job experience before you graduate. Berkeley Career Engagement resources empower you to develop the professional confidence and background needed to secure the career opportunities you seek.
Acquire an Internship
Increase your chances of landing your first full-time job within six months of graduation with internships. Handshake connects you to tens of thousands of internship positions covering a wide range of sectors and career fields.
Build Your Experience Through an Externship
Shadow a Berkeley alum through the Cal Externship Program. Gain exposure to the workforce in a real-world setting, conveniently timed over break.
Practice with a Mock Interview Engage with Berkeley Career Engagement staff, recruiting professionals, and online tools to receive interview feedback.
Prepare Yourself with the Career Readiness Workbook
Find tips on effective job search methods, example resumes and cover letters, and how to best present yourself in an interview.
Refine Your Resume
Target and articulate your best qualities through a resume critique. Make an appointment to get guided feedback.
Polish Your Personal Statement
Meet with a career counselor to gain feedback on your personal statement for graduate and professional school.
Grow your professional network while still a student. Berkeley Career Engagement connects you to alumni, employers, and the larger professional community—practice your networking skills, discover employment leads, and forge meaningful relationships in your field of interest.
Meet Alumni Through Career Connections Networking Events
Speak with dynamic alumni in a wide range of industries about your career path opportunities.
Offered multiple times per year, these informal networking opportunities span several popular and emerging fields.
Connect with Alumni Through the Berkeley Career Network
Make professional connections through this exclusive UC Berkeley database— get recommendations based on shared interests, majors, and professional goals.
Attend Career and Internship Fairs, Forums, and Employer Info Sessions
Meet with hundreds of employers at numerous events throughout the year.
• Develop personal connections with recruiters and professionals.
• Learn about organizational cultures.
• Find out how to apply for specific jobs and internships. Access the full calendar of events by logging into Handshake.
Berkeley Career Engagement is here to support you as you launch your professional journey.
You become more competitive in the marketplace by gaining experience with these eight core competencies, which are foundational to developing a successful career. Our team can help you understand and seek opportunities for growth in these areas.
Skills and Competencies for Lifelong Career Management:
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.
Communication
Clearly and effectively exchange information, ideas, facts, and perspectives with persons inside and outside of an organization.
Critical Thinking
Identify and respond to needs based upon an understanding of situational context and logical analysis of relevant information.
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.
Leadership
Recognize and capitalize on personal and team strengths to achieve organizational goals.
Professionalism
Knowing work environments differ greatly, understand and demonstrate effective work habits, and act in the interest of the larger community and workplace.
Teamwork
Build and maintain collaborative relationships to work effectively toward common goals, while appreciating diverse viewpoints and shared responsibilities.
Technology
Understand and leverage technologies ethically to enhance efficiencies, complete tasks, and accomplish goals.
Career Readiness
Competencies are created by the National Association of Colleges and Employers.
Gain confidence about your professional goals and find success in the workplace. career.berkeley.edu
We are committed to helping all students achieve
Career:
We are dedicated to advancing equity and access to career resources for every student and recent alumni of UC Berkeley.
Our Vision
Cultivate a university-wide culture of career readiness, where every student engages in meaningful experiences, has a supportive professional community, and is empowered to achieve lifelong career success.
We provide specialized assistance for students who need unique support, including:
• first-generation college students
• graduate students
• international students
• LGBTQ+ community
• PhDs and postdocs
• pre-health students
• students with disabilities
• students with dependents
• transfer students
• veterans