Each Career Champion brings different experiences and areas of knowledge, so support may vary by person. In general, Career Champions can help you connect your UM experiences, career interests, and future goals.

A Career Champion may be able to help you:

• Talk through career exploration, skill development, experiential learning, or next steps
• Learn about career paths related to a field, major, or area of interest
• Identify relevant experiences, resources, events, or people
• Think about how your classes, work, and campus involvement build career readiness

You might ask:

• How does this major or field connect to different career paths?
• What kinds of experiences would help me learn more about this area?
• What did you want to do for a career when you were in college and what experiences shaped your goals?
• What did your path look like to your current role?
• Are there internships, job shadowing opportunities, research experiences, or student jobs I should explore?
• What skills are important in this field?
• What questions should I ask someone working in this career area?
• Are there campus resources, people, events, or tools you recommend?
• How can I start building relationships or experience related to my goals?
• What is one next step I could take this semester?
• Who else would be helpful for me to talk with?

Career Champions can be especially helpful when you are exploring options, trying to understand how your experiences connect to future opportunities, or looking for a place to start.

Career Champions are faculty and staff in various roles who are committed to student career success, but are not formally trained career coaches. They can be helpful resources within the classes and programs you’re already involved in and can help you explore possibilities and connect to relevant people or resources.

Career Coaches are specifically trained and/or certified in career coaching and work in that capacity formally. Schedule with a career coach when you want dedicated one-on-one support, feedback on application materials, interview preparation, or help making a specific plan.

A career coach can help you with:

• Choosing or exploring career options
• Searching for internships, jobs, or experiential learning opportunities
• Building or revising a resume, CV, cover letter, or LinkedIn profile
• Preparing for interviews
• Practicing how to talk about your skills and experiences
• Navigating Handshake, Big Interview, Forage, Parker Dewey, or other career tools
• Planning for graduate school or professional school
• Making a personalized career action plan

For individualized career coaching, schedule an appointment with Experiential Learning and Career Success (ELCS) or your College’s career office.