Utilizing Career Services
Important: COVID-19 Advising Update
The Academic Advising Center & Career Services Offices strives to best serve all who utilize our services. Due to COVID-19, our office will not be conducting in person appointments anymore as of March 18, 2020. Instead we will be offering virtual appointments via phone call, email, or video chat Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. Please note that due to the constantly evolving circumstances, it may take longer than normal to hear back, and we will be updating our website as things progress.
Drop-in Peer Advising
If you have a quick academic or career advising question, our Peer Advisors are available to chat Monday-Thursday from 9am-4:30pm and Friday from 9am-1pm through Microsoft Teams:
- Click https://teams.microsoft.com/l/chat/0/0?users=peeradvisors@uwlax.edu
- Chat with the Peer Advisors to let them know what kind of help you are looking for
Making Academic Advising Appointments
If you are assigned in our office, you can make your appointment online through Navigate, email your advisor, or email advising@uwlax.edu.
If you are not assigned an Academic Advisor in our office, you can make an appointment by calling us at 608.785.6950.
Making Career Advising Appointments
To make an appointment for career advising, you can do so online through Navigate or by calling us at 608.785.6950.
Last Updated: 9/17/20 2:45 p.m.
Online UWL Career Resources & Tools
These tools are available to you anytime and may be particularly helpful at this moment:
- Remote Career Advising Support - Our team is offering 1:1 appointments (via Teams) to support students and alumni in their career exploration and job/internship search. Schedule appointments on the AACCS website.
- Handshake - Students and alumni can apply to internships & jobs, connect with the Handshake community, and schedule career coaching appointments. Update your profile today!
- Additional Job Search Websites - Collection of tips and suggestions on building a resume
- Micro Internships - interns and recent graduates
- Employers Hiring COVID Updates (hiring, freezes, layoffs)
- Summer & Part-time Job Tips
- FlexJob - some remote positions
- skillscrush blog post - top sites for remote work
- As the job seeker, you should not be paying to access job postings.
- Job Prep Resources- Collection of tactical strategies related to resume, networking & LinkedIn, salaries, job offers, and more
- Interview Stream - Video mock interview platform (embedded in Handshake)
- Exploration Resources - Want to explore your interests and understand the possibilities? Check out these resources.
Connecting with Employers
As best as is possible, UWL’s Academic Advising Center & Career Services is continuing to facilitate meaningful connections to opportunities for La Crosse students. We are actively reaching out to recruiting employers to assess hiring needs & plans and to share virtual and remote services.
Virtual Career Events
The Academic Advising Center & Career Services Office will continue to support your ability to connect with employers.
- Virtual Recruiting Events - Employers are creating new virtual recruiting events daily and may present an opportunity to connect with employers in a new way.
Resume Support Resources
- Resume Resources
- Eagle Advantage Action Verbs - for resumes (and cover letters)
- Virtual Resume (LinkedIn) -Check out UWL's Sara Stryker's LinkedIn profile as an example.
Find a Remote Internship
- Micro Internship - Interns & Recent Graduates - short-term paid professional projects
- Covintern - a site developed by a student at Indiana University to share a crowdsourced list of current remote internship postings.
COVID-19 Search Strategies & Tools
- Graduating in the age of COVID-19 Student Guidebook
- The Muse: (6 Quick Tips) What Does The Coronavirus Mean For Your Job Search?
- Want insider advice? Here are four tips from recruiters on how to find a job online.
- Have an interview that is now virtual? Here are tips for how to make a good impression during a video interview.
- Having to change plans due to the state of the world? Here's advice on how to get an internship on a short timeline.
- Have an internship that is now remote (or always was)? Here are six ways to make the most of it.
- Finally, just curious about where to start? Here is a FAQ on how to get a job on Handshake.
- More articles like these available at Handshake's new "Get Hired Remotely" landing page
If you are looking for a summer or part-time position, we encourage you to review the resources compiled by the UWL Financial Aid Office.
Career Services has found that one of the most effective ways to reach out to students on career planning issues is by having strong relationships with the academic departments. Below are a few ways for us to connect and share information.
To gain student access to Handshake, please contact Karolyn Bald.
Overview
In support of our campus mission statement “in which the entire university community is fully engaged in supporting student success,” the Academic Advising Center & Career Services is launching a campus-wide initiative called The Eagle Advantage. This program provides a framework for students to polish the skills they already have, develop the skills they don’t, and apply them in a variety of settings. (See the attachment for the Eagle Advantage overview). By attending UWL and gaining these career-readiness skills, both inside and outside of the classroom, our students have "The Eagle Advantage," and we want students to be able to articulate what that means. We envision that "The Eagle Advantage" isn't just something that the AAC/CS office is talking about - we hope that "The Eagle Advantage" is something that student will hear about across the entire campus, throughout their entire UWL experience.
Join our working group!
Help us create a shared definition of student success on our campus, establish common goals to improve our students’ career readiness, provide and receive support in developing a culture of career readiness in your office/department, and build a library of resources and sample materials.
E-mail Amanda Blair to be added to the invitation list.
Career Services encourages faculty and staff to participate in networking opportunities with employers. Here are a few ways faculty and staff can work with employers to further the career development of UWL students.
- On-Campus Recruiting - Lunch with an employer? Occasionally employers request to meet with a faculty member for lunch in between their interviews on campus. If you are interested, please contact Rebecca Lee in Career Services at 608.785.8362.
- Employer Presentations - Employers often ask to do presentations in the classes or to student organizations. If you would be interested in hosting an employer presentation, please email or call Career Services 608.785.6950.
- UWL Career Events- View an upcoming list of events on our Welcome page. Faculty and staff are welcomed and encouraged to attend the events.
- Review the National Association of Colleges and Employers Faculty Guide to Ethical and Legal Standards in Student Hiring.
Email career@uwlax.edu or call 608.785.6950, with any questions or suggestions you have regarding connecting with employers or upcoming events.
Before Writing a Letter
- Agree to write a letter only if you can honestly write a supportive letter. If you cannot portray an individual positively or believe you do not know them well enough to comment on their skills and abilities, decline the request
- Ask the student for a due date and have them provide you with an addressed envelope.
- Job Search Recommendations: Ask for a current resume and a position description of the type of position the applicant is seeking. Ask for a summary of the candidate's professional goals.
- Graduate School Search Recommendations: Ask for a current resume, a copy of their personal statement, and any criteria requested by the graduate/professional school program (i.e. a specific recommendation form or a questionnaire).
Writing a Letter
- Begin the letter by describing how you know the individual. For how long? In what situations have you worked with or observed the individual?
- What is your evaluation of the candidate's capabilities and suitability to the profession? Identify key areas such as work performance, management and research abilities, leadership qualities, cross-cultural and interpersonal skills and, for graduate school recommendations, their ability to do research and scholarly work. It is best to provide specific examples as evidence of the candidate's abilities.
- Offer a "big picture" of the candidate's overall promise and potential.
- Try to differentiate and highlight the candidate's specific and individual strengths.
- Don't be too brief, provide relevant information and provide examples of candidate's successes.
- State your own qualifications as they relate to the profession, organization or program.
- In most cases, a letter of recommendation is one page with up to four paragraphs
- Recommendations should be printed on a high quality printer on UWL letterhead and signed.
After Writing a Letter
- Consider providing the candidate with a copy of the recommendation for their files.
- Keep a copy of the recommendation for your records.
- Ask the student to update you on the process.
Additional Resources from the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE)
Tips for Providing References
Sample letter of recommendation
Faculty Guide to Ethical and Legal Standards in Student Hiring (Word document)
Employment and Post Graduation Education Statistics for UWL Undergraduates:
Every year UWL’s Office of Institutional Research, Assessment and Planning (IRAP) collects data on UWL undergraduate employment and post-graduation status via a “First Destination” survey sent to all graduates 6-months post graduation from UWL. The data from several terms are aggregated into the annual report (Fall, J-term, Spring, and Summer).
The reports linked below provide information on each major, school, and college and include post-graduation employment, salary information and response rates. Please note that the collection was done by the Career Services Office for years prior to 2015.
- 2018-2019 (Data Visualization)
- 2017-2018 (Data Visualization)
- 2016-17 (Data Visualization)
- 2015-16 (Data visualization)
- 2014-15
- 2013-14
- 2012-13
- 2011-12
- 2010-11
- 2009-10
Internship Statistics
As a faculty member, you can support the career aspirations of your students and graduates and complement the work of career services offices on your campus. Helping students in their job and internship searches can sometimes raise unanticipated legal or ethical issues, and this short guide is intended to provide you with guidance in areas that you may encounter. Please note that this guide is not all-encompassing: You should contact your Career Services Office or institution’s legal counsel if you have concerns on how to address a particular issue.
A Faculty Guide to Ethical and Legal Standards in Student Hiring