Twenty Questions to Getting Started with CSO Resources

1. What does a career services office do?

At HGSE, the Career Services Office provides career management tools and programs and employment outreach for students and alumni at any phase in their career development whether for that first job or a career change at senior level positions.

2. How do I get started working with the CSO on career management?

Staff members of the CSO recommend that students (to help establish where they are on their career path continuum) explore all the Current Students sections of the CSO website, come to CSO Office Hours, attend one or many CSO sessions, and perform a Gap Analysis.

3. What are some key CSO resources and events that I should know about and use?

• Hired offers a comprehensive career management system where students and alumni may direct and track career mapping efforts for the academic year and beyond. This service is a most effective resource for accessing employer profiles and job openings, finding and managing Field Experience Program internships, signing up for interviews with on campus recruiters, submitting resumes for prospective employer review, keeping abreast of CSO events and programs, signing up for CSO Office Hours, and creating personal career management calendars.
• CareerBeam provides today's top company and industry research tools as well as international databases. Create personalized career reports and target company lists. Access company and industry insights and overviews as well as biographies of 20 million industry contacts.
• Most Active Employers List features those employers that most frequently recruit and engage with HGSE students and have multiple levels of participation with HGSE.
• Organization Profiles Index (OPI) describes and catalogues, by industry, links to the many organizations outside academia that value not only education related degrees but specifically HGSE degrees.
• Search Tools is a section of the CSO website offering worksheets that help with assessing job readiness, interacting with employers, and evaluating salaries.This section also links to online directories that aid in career and employer research.
• Tips Handouts is another section of the CSO website. It supplies a range of pdf handouts that instruct and advise on aspects of the job search such as networking, resume and cover letter construction, interviewing, salary negotiation, etc.
• Career Days offers students an opportunity to converse with industry leaders at their place of work in New York City and Washington, DC during Spring Break. Though Career Days is not a job fair, it supports students in forming an active search network and academic planning. All types of education organizations participate in this event: nonprofit, for profit, media, policy, research, and international.
• Career Expos are on campus events that allow students and prospective employers to meet in a more relaxed manner than in an interview setting. Each spring, the CSO invites private and public school representatives to participate in the K-12 Expo and nonprofit, for profit, media, international, consulting and policy firms to participate in the Social Impact Expo.
• Program Specific Career Management offers resources tailored to each individual HGSE programs.

4. What other events or programs does CSO sponsor besides Career Days and Expos?

Along with Career Days and Expos, the CSO offers events such as employer information sessions that introduce students to industries and job functions that value those with education backgrounds. We also hold small group workshops on job search essentials, such as resume or interview tips, which are critical to finding and landing a job. View our Events summary for an overview of CSO happenings or the events calendar in Hired and MyGSE for the specifics.

5. Which CSO staff member do I talk to?

All our staff are qualified to help students with any concerns. Career Services Staff Bios offers a brief introduction to our staff members and their areas of expertise.

6. How do I figure out what I want to do, or FUNCTION to perform, after I graduate?

Talk to a CSO staff member during Office Hours for quick questions and direction. Before coming in, we suggest some initial reflection aided by the assessment exercises in CareerBeam or in CSO's Career Online Workshop on MyGSE.

7. Once I figure out what I want to do, how do I find out if I have the right skills to perform this function?

Performing a Gap Analysis reveals how your abilities and experience match up to those required of your ideal job. This exercise also reveals what can be done to fill in those skill gaps.

8. How do I decide where (or in what INDUSTRY) I would like to perform this function?

We recommend researching industries through several means: (As you explore, we encourage you to create a target organization or prospective employers list.)

• Consult CSO's primer series or Career Online Workshop on MyGSE
• Review industry sections in our Organization Profiles Index and the professional associations collected in our Directories
• Talk with alumni and faculty

9. How do I expand my target organization list beyond the most well-known and highly competitive?

CSO's wealth of resources provides information on both well-known and less visible workplaces. Along with the Organization Profile Index and Directories, our Search Tools section includes access to lead generators such as the Most Active Employers List, CareerBeam and Guidestar and a needs specific Diversity page.

10. While at GSE, what can I do to boost my marketability to employers?

There are many opportunities for students to make themselves more visible and attractive to employers while still in school:

• Internships (Field Experience Program or independent) or volunteer work
• Careful thought in course selection
• Student organizations and professional interest groups
• Alumni of Color Conference
• Student Research Conference
• Research projects with faculty
• Network with faculty, alumni and fellow students through on and off campus events
• Brown bag lunches and other events featuring industry speakers
• Professional associations
• Cultivating a mentorship (we suggest exploring the Student-Alumni Mentoring Initiative (SAMI)
• Career Days
• Career Fairs

11. How do I craft or update my cover letter and resume?

Many students find the interaction of our small group advising sessions helpful in the initial stages of developing their marketing materials. Our Tips Handouts section also provides samples and overviews of cover letters and resumes. For quick feedback, feel free to come to CSO's Office Hours to show your materials to CSO staff.

12. How do I prepare for job interviews?

For insight into polishing their presentation skills, students may come to Office Hours for quick pointers on effective interviewing. Our Tips Handouts on interviews and sample interview questions are another resource for interview preparation.

13. I have a job offer! How do I negotiate salary?

Review our Tips Handouts pdf on salary negotiation, complete the Salary Evaluation worksheet on our Search Tools section, and/or come in for quick consultations during Office Hours.

14. How do I contact alumni?

Students can search for alumni in organizations, career fields or geographic areas of interest by searching in directories such as Crimson Compass Alumni Career Advisors . Participating in the Student-Alumni Mentoring Initiative (SAMI) and our Career Days events in New York City and Washington, DC are other great ways to connect with alumni.

15. How can I effectively use networking in my job search?

There are many ways to connect with interesting job opportunities. Conducting informational interviews not only provides useful hints and direction to your search but increases your visibility to members of your preferred industry or field. Networking opportunities at the CSO include Career Expos, Career Days and Information Sessions. We also suggest volunteering or interning at an organization in your chosen industry or reaching out to those you respect in your field to participate in projects or research relevant to your goals. One way to prepare for networking is by reviewing our Tips Handouts pdf on informational interviewing and networking.

16. What do other HGSE graduates do?

HGSE graduates work in a variety of industries including K-12, higher education, nonprofits, NGOs, government, consulting, media, technology and healthcare. Within those industries, they perform a range of functions. Employment Statistics, Stories of Impact and recent graduate profiles on the Program Specific Career Management pages offer a more complete picture of HGSE students after graduation. Students find the websites for each academic program another helpful resource in options after HGSE. Our Career Days trips are a great way to explore HGSE career paths firsthand.

17. What is an FEP and how do I get one?

An FEP or Field Experience Program is an internship offering an academic experience of the same caliber as an HGSE course. All FEPs offer academic credit and some include perks such as financial compensation. Visit the Field Experience Program website for the particulars and profiles of prior employer and student participants.

18. When should I look for my FEP?

You must register for your FEP according to semester course deadlines. Thus, we recommend you start looking in August for fall FEPs and in December for spring FEPs. Many organizations list FEP openings on Hired.

19. How do I find out about Licensure?

You may explore the Educator Licensure website and/or email or call our office for answers to more specific questions.

20. After I find a position, how do I let CSO staff members know?

Staff at the CSO welcome reports from students and recent graduates on their success and on any of our services that contributed to that success via e-mail. Let us know if you would like to help prospective and current students by allowing us to post a brief profile to our website by supplying a paragraph each on where you are now, where you were before attending HGSE, and how your experience at HGSE benefitted you.