Looking for any sort of job is a lot of work. Figuring out what job you want to do, finding applications, and submitting your documents is scary and time consuming, let alone trying to do it while juggling a full course load during midterm season. But luckily, UMBC recognizes all of these challenges (and more you might not be considering) and created their Career Center to guide you through the process.

If you’re not sure what you want to do: Check out our online self assessments! They range from the Traitify (takes about 5 minutes) to the Focus2 (takes about an hour). They’re a great starting point when you’re beginning to explore what you want to do with your life. After you take the assessments, you can schedule an appointment with a Career specialist here at the Career Center to discuss your results and what steps to take next towards your new career goals.

If you don’t know where you want to work: Spend a few minutes (or hours, if you like research like I do) reading up on companies. The Career Center pays for access to Vault, a site that has amazing research and reviews all in one place. If there is a company you particularly like, see if they have any upcoming events hosted by the Career Center. Stop by and chat with representatives about their experiences at work.

If you’re applying to positions: Start with UMBCworks. Use the filters to find jobs you’re interested in (as well as the ones you qualify for). After that, try looking at the links by major to find job sites for your specific field. If you want to learn more about the application process, you can make an appointment with a member of our Internships and Employment team to discuss potential places to apply and how to wow hiring managers with your application.

If you’re getting ready to interview: Research common interview questions for your field and see examples of great answers with Big Interview. After you read, try recording yourself answering those questions and send it in to the Career Center to review. We’ll give you feedback on your answers, and you’ll never even have to change out of your sweatpants! If you want more experience interviewing, you can also make a mock interview appointment with the Career Center to practice.