Next Steps After Field Study/Maximizing Your Experience
- Reflect:
- What do you think was your most significant accomplishment while you were working?
- Are there any new skills that you developed while you were at the worksite and what are they?
- Describe what you believe the ideal supervisor or work environment will be like at work now that you have work experience in your field of study?
- What tasks or areas of your field study experience did you not enjoy?
- What to do next:
- Say thank you
- Keep in touch with the connections you have made
- Take inventory of your skills
- Update your resume
- Prepare for your next internship or job search
- Take advantage of networking opportunities
Incorporating your Field Study Experience into Your Resume:
How to Describe Work Experience on Your Résumé - Steinbright Career Development Center
How to Ask for Letters of Recommendation
- Choose well
- Request recommendations from those who know you, since they will be better equipped to write a compelling recommendation for you
- Start early
- Ideally, give the person at least three to four weeks, but never less than two weeks to complete the recommendation
- Most faculty and staff are very busy and have numerous recommendations to write, so you want to be courteous
- Also, rushing them might lead to a recommendation that isn’t as polished or as positive as it could be
- Provide full information
- About the position/program/scholarship/etc.
- Description of position/program/scholarship/etc.
- About you
- Statement of why you are interested in this particular position/program/school/scholarship/etc. and how it specifically fits into your short or long‐term goals
- Your up‐to‐date resume
- Your most recent transcript
- The reason why you are asking your recommender for this particular recommendation, as well as who else will be writing recommendations on your behalf
- Request basic contact information of your recommender
- Email address
- Phone #
Staying Connected
- How to Determine if Connections are Worth Investing in
- Frequency of interactions - likelihood of them remembering and responding to you
- Strength of influence - benefits of the relationship to your career
After Graduation
- UCI DCP Resources
- Preparing for New Opportunities
- Update your resume
- Conduct informational interviews through LinkedIn and the Anteater Network
- Attend Career Fairs and Information Sessions
- Prepare an elevator pitch
Sources:
- Drexel University. “Work Experience Descriptions.” Steinbright Career Development Center. https://drexel.edu/scdc/professional-pointers/application-materials/res…
- UCI Division of Career Pathways. “Apply to Graduate School.” https://career.uci.edu/undergraduate/apply-for-grad-school/
- UCI Division of Career Pathways. “Planning Your Future: Gap Year.” https://career.uci.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/QT_GapYear.pdf
- UCI Division of Career Pathways. “Job Search Strategies.” https://career.uci.edu/job-search-strategies/
- UCI Division of Career Pathways. “Additional Job Resources.” https://career.uci.edu/undergraduate/find-a-job/external-job-resources/
- UCI Division of Career Pathways. “Planning Your Future: Informational Interviews.” https://career.uci.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/QT_InformationalInter…
- UCI Division of Career Pathways. “Networking & Communication Skills: Elevator Pitch.” https://career.uci.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/QT_ElevatorPitch.pdf