Navigating Career Conversations for the Humanities and Social Sciences

Goals Discuss where students are and how we can help Explore common misconceptions Provide activity ideas to guide career conversations Share some of the UW resources available

Where students are The concept of career is a source of anxiety Think picking a major sets students on career path Struggle to identify skills, strengths, and interests Hear external messaging that their major is useless

How can we help? Dive in to career conversations Help students make values based decisions Integrate career myth busting into discussions about major Teach strategies and build confidence

Myth #1: I don’t have any marketable skills Many students don’t know how to talk about their skills and strengths A major concern by employers that students don’t know how to translate skills to a job description

Activity 1: Skills brainstorm What skills do your students have as Humanities and Social Sciences students? Brainstorm a list with a partner Share out

What skills do employers seek? According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers: Critical thinking Communication Collaboration Leadership Professionalism

Activity 2: Skills storytelling Look at the list of skills employers seek Tell your partner about an experience where you demonstrated one of those skills Work Volunteer Student activities Classes Should be a complete story: Task, actions taken, and the result of the work

Myth #2: My major defines my future Significant source of anxiety Too limiting Overwhelmed by too many options Goal to help students think more broadly Connect experiences Identify what they enjoy Identify what are they good at

Activity 3: What do you enjoy? Brainstorm a list of all the things you are good at Add to the list the things you love to read about, talk about, or do If I spoke with a past professor, what would they tell me about you? If I spoke with your friends, what would they tell me about you?

Activity 3: What do you enjoy? Building confidence Combine skills and strengths list to help expand options People find job satisfaction in many ways Day to day work activities Mission or values of a company Working with likeminded people Reframe career in a positive way

Myth #3: There are very few jobs for people with my major In student minds: Law, Society, and Justice major = Lawyer English major = Editor Spanish major = Translator Need to disrupt this idea and help students think more creatively Seeing the winding paths of alumni with the same major can help

Activity 3: Alumni LinkedIn Tool Discover companies that hire recent graduates Learn about the many pathways possible with a major Work backwards: How did an alumni build their way towards a career path that sounds interesting? Set up career conversations with alumni to learn more, build a network, and eventually find jobs

UW Resources Advisers and career coaches Mentorship programs Small group career coaching Career Launch Internships Workshops Drop-ins

Questions?