September 24, 2021
Career Services is very excited for the return of students on-campus. To help students navigate their career journey through the 2021-22 academic year at UCSB, we would like to highlight some updated procedures for key services within our department.
Document Review: Critiques of Resumes and Cover Letters
Document Review is a guided service for UCSB students to raise their resumes, cover letters, and CVs to the next level. To create or receive feedback on a resume, students can login to the VMock platform, which is available 24/7 for instant AI feedback as well as written feedback from an advisor (average response within 3 school days). For feedback on a cover letter or CV, students can submit a Google Form to receive written feedback from an advisor across 30+ criteria in three Professional Development competencies (average response within 3 school days).
Please note that resume and cover letter critiques are no longer available during drop-in advising. Individual appointments for resumes and cover letters become available to students once reaching a score of 85+ through Document Review.
Interview Skills: Prepare for Job, Internship, and Graduate School Interviews
Another expanded service helps students prepare for upcoming interviews and receive feedback 24/7. Utilizing the Big Interview platform to engage in a self-guided tour with video lessons on must-know questions as well as 1000+ industry-specific questions, students can increase their delivery, content, and self-confidence through Interview Skills.
If students wish to practice through a mock interview, they can submit an assignment on Big Interview based on the type of interview they are conducting. Once the assignment is submitted, students receive instant AI feedback on the delivery of their responses with over 10 criteria. In addition, students will receive detailed feedback on the content of their responses with written feedback from an advisor. Individual appointments for interview preparation become available once students complete their assignment within the platform.
FOCUS® 2: Self-Assessment for Major and Career Exploration
In compliance with the UC Presidential Policy on Gender Recognition and Lived Name, effective August 3, 2021, Career Services has indefinitely discontinued its offerings of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and Strong Interest Inventory to students. During the 2021-22 academic year, Career Services will continue to evaluate the inclusivity of these assessments, as related to binary gendered results. Moving forward, the FOCUS® 2 assessment will serve as the primary platform for all undergraduate students to assess their interests, personality, strengths, values, and more, as they explore major and career options at UCSB.
Career Advising: Career Peer Advising and Career Path Advising
Effective for the 2021-22 academic year, students can begin their first step through our Career Advising services by meeting with a Career Peer Advisor, available from Mon.–Fri., 9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. (drop-in) and Mon.–Fri., 11:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m. (appointment). During their 15-minute Career Peer Advising session, students can receive a referral for a 30-minute Career Path Advising appointment to dive further into their individual plans with a Career Counselor specialized in their field or industry of interest.
Events: Workshops, Speaker/Panels, Info Sessions, and Career Fairs
Students can continue to participate in a range of events with varied topics and formats, including virtual and in-person mediums. Event types include Workshops related to professional development topics like resumes and cover letters, job and internship search strategies, networking, graduate school exploration, interviewing, and much more. Speaker/Panels are also offered with personal perspectives from industry specialists and UCSB alumni, as well as a large volume of Info Sessions with the nation's top employers and graduate schools. Several major Career Fairs will be provided this quarter based on industry, in order to help create students find employers and opportunities that relate to their interests.
All events are advertised on Handshake, and we strongly encourage students to check their UCSB email accounts for weekly event announcements from Career Services.
If you have any additional questions about the 2021-22 updates to student services, please contact joann.salvador@sa.ucsb.edu. Career Services is energized to continue to support the success of every UCSB student during the return to campus, and we encourage students to engage with Career Services in the various formats offered. We extend a warm welcome back to our Gauchos and wish everyone a productive fall quarter!