In addition to directly supporting students, the Feller Center's Career Planning team collaborates with BSOS faculty and staff to develop career ready graduates. Contact Crystal Sehlke, Fishlinger Director of Career Planning in the Feller Center, by email (csehlke@umd.edu) to learn more. Request access to Handshake.
Upcoming Career Planning Events for BSOS Students (share with your students)
Feller Faculty Fellows for Career Readiness: The program is designed to support full-time BSOS Faculty, who work with undergraduates, as they explicitly connect course learning and career competencies. If you are interested in this ever evolving work, please consider applying to join the first Feller Faculty Fellows Career Readiness program for undergraduate students in BSOS.
Professional Development Assignments
Students are more engaged when they see the connection between in-class learning and their post-graduation career options. Let the Feller Center help make that connection clear. Let us know your interests, and we’ll work with you to meet the needs of your students.
Tools & Resources
- Integrating Career Readiness into Coursework: Connect in-class learning to real-world applications.
- University Career Center Canvas Commons group offers assignments you may customize as needed. Import assignments into your course space in Canvas by joining the University Career Center’s group on Canvas Commons.
- Search for "Feller Center" in Commons to download BSOS-related career assignments and edit as needed.
- We can consult on how your class learning objectives complement "Competencies for a Career-Ready Workforce, NACE" and brainstorm ways that students can make the connection for employers/graduate school programs.
Career Planning Outreach Sessions
The Feller Center Career Planning staff leads short presentations on almost any pre-professional topic of your choosing for BSOS core classes. We focus on helping students see how their in-class learning is making them more marketable for post-graduation opportunities. We also offer presentations on the topics below. Request a Presentation.
- 15-minute Introduction to Career Planning Resources/Tips
- Acing the Interview
- Are You LinkedIn?
- Building Your Network
- BSOS Career Ready Career: Skills all Employers are Looking for and How to Get Them
Ace Your Interview
Did you know that failure to make eye contact is one of the most common mistakes in an interview? How do you know if you’re answering questions the best way? The Feller Center will share tips and tricks on interviewing, practice some interview questions, and review interview attire.
In this session, students will:
- Learn how to prepare for an interview and implement tips while interviewing with peers
- Understand how first impressions impact decisions
- Develop negotiation wording
Are You LinkedIn?
Whether you’re exploring careers, searching for internships, or just want to enhance your professional brand online, this session is for you. Students use LinkedIn to explore career paths, showcase their competencies/skills, make new connections, and gain skills! Are you maximizing your LinkedIn account? This hands-on session will guide you through creating or updating your LinkedIn profile and show you how to find and reach out to professionals in your field of interest.
In this session, students will:
- Build or update their profile to include the BSOS Career Readiness competencies
- Identify ways to connect with alumni and industry professionals
- Gain tips to make your profile stand out to recruiters
Building Your Network
You’ve heard it before—70% of jobs and internships are found through networking. But what does that actually mean, and how do you even get started? In this interactive session, students will learn how to connect with alumni and professionals. The Feller Center staff will break down what networking really is (hint: it’s not just awkward small talk), and highlight how to use informational interviews to build real relationships that can lead to future opportunities.
In this session, students will:
- Gain practical tips, easy conversation starters, and a better understanding of how to make networking work
- Discover how to find opportunities to meet potential employers and professionals in their field
- Identify the advantages of the UMD's Alumni network on LinkedIn and Terrapins Connect
Career Competencies: Skills all Employers are Looking For and How to Get them
Did you know employers across all industries are looking for the same 8 key skills? In this interactive session, you’ll learn about the NACE 8 Career Readiness Competencies and more importantly, how you’ve already developed many of them through classes, jobs, clubs, and more.
In this session, students will:
- Develop a plan to enhance at least one of the BSOS Career Ready competencies
- Learn how to talk about skills confidently on resumes, LinkedIn, and in interviews
- Reflect on past experiences to identify how they've used these skills
- Learn what employers/graduate schools are looking for in candidates
15-minute Career Planning Overview
Not sure where to start with your career planning? This session will introduce students to helpful tools and easy next steps to move forward with confidence, no matter their major or class year. The Feller Team will provide an overview of our key resources to jump-start students into creating a career development action plan.
In this session, students will:
- Learn about career exploration tools they have access to
- Reflect on at least one actionable step you can take after the session
- Get to know Handshake and the 3 key actions that make it work for you
Marketing Materials | Stay Informed
Inform your students how crucial gaining out of the classroom experiences are to define their career interests, as well as the positive effect they have on post-graduation opportunities with the marketing materials below.
Marketing:
- Career Event Marketing Slides to share with your class, TV Info Screens, Dept. Instagram account, etc.
Tips for Advisors/Staff:
- Internship Search Strategies for Students, an outline for guiding the conversation
- Career Planning and Development Strategies for Students with Disabilities
Stay Informed:
BSOS Career Planning Metrics
Each undergraduate BSOS student will receive the Career Planning Audit when they reach 75-89 academic credits. The Audit consists of a self-reported inventory that produces customized recommendations to help each BSOS student progress through their career development. The Career Planning Audit is included within the BSOS Academic Audit, highlighting the connection between academic and career planning preparation. If you are interested in receiving a major specific report, email Crystal Sehlke, csehlke@umd.edu.
Graduation Survey Career Outcomes for BSOS Undergraduate Majors
The University Career Center tracks the initial destinations of UMD grads through the Graduation Survey which is administered to bachelor’s degree recipients for each graduation cohort. The survey captures career-related outcomes, as well as data on participation in co-curricular activities during graduates’ tenure at the University of Maryland.
