Gaining experience

A page within Academic Advising Center & Career Services

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Are you career-ready? Employers value your college degree because your in-class experiences help you develop as a person and professional. However, your out-of-classroom experiences can enhance your skill set and make you more marketable for that first job or internship. Read on to learn how to gain experience that can set you apart!

7 ways to gain experience

Click on any of the tiles below to learn more!

Attend an internship info session

See Handshake for part-time job listings

See Ugetconnected.org for volunteer opportunities

Visit IEE for info on opportunities abroad

See MyOrgs for info on student organizationsDo research with a UWL professor

Meet with a career advisor to learn more about shadowing

Check out the Eagle Advantage to learn about the skills employers and graduate schools want to see in new graduates:

Competencies Adaptability Recognize challenges as opportunities to improve. Take risks and understand that mistakes contribute to growth. Welcome constructive feedback and use it to strengthen your performance. Embrace a growth mindset approach that allows for action, reflection, failure, and resilience for lifelong learning and development. Collaboration & Leadership Build mutually beneficial relationships and achieve common goals by understanding, valuing, and leveraging the strengths of others. Take responsibility for your own role and contributions within a team. Organize, prioritize, and delegate work. Negotiate and manage conflict without compromising group objectives. Communication Effectively articulate thoughts and ideas to others in written and oral forms. Engage in dialogue that leads to productive outcomes. Understand the impact of nonverbal communication on professional work image. Use interpersonal skills to motivate and develop others. Critical Thinking & Problem Solving Exercise sound reasoning to independently analyze issues, identify options, formulate opinions, make decisions, and overcome problems. Demonstrate originality and inventiveness when identifying possible courses of action. Account for personal biases and recognize that there may be more than one valid point of view. Digital Literacy & Technology Leverage knowledge of information and communications technology to ethically and efficiently solve problems, complete tasks, and accomplish goals. Assess sources of information to determine legitimacy and suitability. Keep up with emerging technologies and adapt tools to new purposes. Engaging Diversity Cultivate awareness of your own identity and that of others through exploration of diversity, including race, ethnicity, country of origin, ability, class, gender, age, spirituality, etc. Understand how culture and identity affects perceptions, attitudes, values, and behaviors. Appreciate multiple perspectives and participate in society as a conscious global citizen. Integrity & Accountability Take ownership of your actions and learn from your mistakes. Act with the interests of the larger community in mind. Establish personal responsibility and effective work habits (e.g., punctuality, working productively with others, time/workload management). Self-Management Identify and articulate your interests, skills, values, and experiences. Explore and make decisions about academic and career options. Establish and take steps to execute a personal academic and career plan. Manage your strengths, limitations, emotions, and biases in a variety of situations. Demonstrate the continual development of a positive personal brand.

Getting ready to graduate, and looking for that first full-time job? Go here to learn how to search for and apply for entry-level jobs.