Dear Students, 

First, I hope you and your family are in good health. During these uncertain times, you may naturally have concerns about your career plans, especially if you are participating in an internship or transitioning into the workforce after graduation. I want to make sure that you all know that our Career Center team is here for you. 

Although the road ahead may not be easy, times of historic change can also be times of personal change and betterment.

There is no need to hit pause on your job or internship search. Practicing self care and staying proactive and positive can go a long way to reducing stress and can set you up to be ahead of the game when the dust settles. Remember that you are not alone and that many students are sharing a similar experience. Reflect on your values and career aspirations while taking some proactive steps:

Meet virtually with a UMBC Career Specialist.

Schedule a phone or virtual appointment with a career specialist via UMBCworks. We support a multitude of appointments including resume reviews, job/internship search assistance, interview prep, graduate school assistance, and major decision making.Sometimes uncertainty can stop you in your tracks. Meeting with one of our career specialists can reduce stress and reinvigorate your career planning. 

Update your resumé or curriculum vitae (CV).

Fine tune this document by relaying your personal brand and experience, and consider adding remote capabilities and tools to the skills and project descriptions.

Master LinkedIn and expand your network.

This is the time to spruce up your profile and become a LinkedIn expert. Update your summary and let recruiters know you are interested and looking for opportunities. Connect with professionals in your field along with UMBC alumni for career advice. Over 68,000 alumni are currently on LinkedIn.

Continue to apply to internships and jobs.

Research industries and companies that are hiring now, such as those in the following article published by The Muse. Log into UMBCWorks and check out what jobs and internships are available including remote options. 

Perfect your interview techniques - practice makes perfect.

Right now, you may have extra time, so become a great interviewee. Check out the Career Center website and use free tools such as Big Interview to become an interview pro.

Attend virtual Career Center events.

Speak face-to-face with employers via virtual information sessions, webinars, and upcoming major specific recruiting events. April is Career Month and the list of programs continues to grow.

Follow up on your applications.

Several employers are continuing to review their intern and entry-level hiring plans making decisions to move positions to remote work, delay start dates or, unfortunately, cancel their programs.It is important to reach out to employers, but use empathy in your follow-ups to check in on your status.

Develop multiple career plans- A, B, and C.

Reflect on your values and the dreams that inspire you. If your first-choice opportunity is no longer available, consider alternatives to boost your experience and marketability. Have the courage to create a new set of ideas about what’s possible. Could you propose a virtual internship, start freelancing online, conduct an independent research project, or build career-relevant skills through graduate studies, certificates, or online learning platforms? Reflect on your options and schedule a virtual appointment with one of our career specialists for additional guidance.

About a year ago, Lorraine Mirabella wrote a Baltimore Sun article, “Get ready for Gen Z, employers. First hint: They're not millennials.” Mirabella shared:

The first wave of Generation Z, those born after 1996 and more than 60 million strong, will start moving from college to career this year. These newest workers are … independent, pragmatic and super-connected.

I am confident that these three qualities, along with your UMBC grit will position you well in this extraordinary time.

Sincerely,

Christine Routzahn

Director

UMBC Career Center

Global Pathways for Students (GPS) program connects 20 - 25 globally minded, rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors to international companies here in Baltimore. The program aims to expose these students to a wide array of companies, careers, and opportunities in international business.  The goal is to keep global talent local and to help these students build their professional networks.  Due to current conditions, GPS will be virtual for this year’s program and will run from May 27^th to June 5^th.

We expect the virtual program to offer all of the same transformative content, plus more and we’re extremely excited. Some of this year’s participating companies include: Lockheed Martin, Stanley Black & Decker, Ciena, and McCormick & Company. Here’s a quick video recap highlighting last year’s program.  

For more information visit:  http://www.wtci.org/gps/. The application deadline is April 30^th so please apply sooner than later! There is a $250 program fee, but WTCI is aware of the financial implications of COVID-19 on many students and have scholarships available to subsidize the program cost for students in need.

Join us for Virtual URCAD, April 22-29, 2020!

You will be able to view student presentations and interact with the presenters.

URCAD.umbc.edu

Christine Abraham | Information Systems

The Interpretability of Machine Learning and How it Relates to Image Recognition

Mentor: Jianwu Wang

Adam Afilaka| Information Systems

Comparative Analysis of Hyperledger and Etherum Blockchains

Mentor: Karuna Joshi

Sonali Ghante, Harveer Kaur, Muhsina Helal | Information Systems

Where Will a Guest Book Their First Travel Experience?

Mentor: James Foulds

Lauren Haden| Information Systems

Ice Layer Tracking in Radar Imagery with Active Learning

Mentor: Maryam Rahnemoonfar

Aaleyah Lewis | Information Systems

Conflict Mediation at Scale: Leveraging Big Data to Mediate Online Conflicts

Mentor: Susan Fussell

Faizah Pirzada| Information Systems

A Qualitative Study of Assessing the Usefulness and Usability of Home Care Quality Toolkit by Home Health Care Agencies

Mentor: Gunes Koru

Katherine Sublett | Information Systems

Integrative Platform for Predictive Health Outcomes

Mentor: April Householder

Jordan Troutman | Information Systems

Subset Feature Selection with Considerations of Fairness

Mentor: James Foulds

Uchendu Uchendu| Information Systems

Nonlinear Granger Causality Discovery Using Xgboost

Mentor: Jianwu Wang

Mei-Lian Vader| Information Systems

Use of Voice Activated Assistants By Individuals Who Are Blind

Mentor: Ravi Kuber

Student Services and Support

Academic Continuity