Getting Started
Liberal arts students are highly sought after they graduate. The reason for this is because of the skills they develop. Think about it, when you turn the news on at night, who do you ses - alumni from the liberal arts. Once established, liberal arts students often rise through management ranks quickly. The reason for this is because by and large, liberal arts students have significantly developed analytical and communication skills. Those skills can be and are often used in every sector of employment.
This page will give you some resources to help you find those jobs. You'll see where to search, how to get your application materials together to represent all your skills, and how to prepare for your interview.
Steps of the Job Search
Get Prepared: Get on the LA&B email list to stay up to date on job openings, workshops, career fairs and more! Take some preparatory workshops. Some workshops offered at the ICC include such topics as resume writing, preparing for job fairs, interviewing skills, and how to find a job. Also, get your hands on a Career Resource Manual – it has lots of great info and will help you become comfortable with the interview process and learn some commonly asked interview questions. Something else to do is to job shadow a professional in your career of choice. We can help you do find contacts.
Write a Resume: It's the most important document in your job search, so write a good resume and have it critiqued by a student advisor or coordinator.
How can I find out about employment in the private sector?
- Use Aggie Job Link to browse through descriptions of employers who recruit and hire UC Davis students through the On-Campus Recruiting Program. Through Aggie Job Link, you can also find out about on-campus employer information meetings, and research all the for- profit companies who attend ICC Career Fairs.(From the Undergraduate page of the ICC Web site, select Internships and Jobs).
- Visit http://www.businessweek.com. Click on “Careers” and follow the links.
- Read periodicals (e.g., Sacramento Business Journal, Fortune Magazine, Wall Street Journal, etc.).
- Visit http://www.bizjournals.com for industry information and job seeking.
- How can I find out about employment in the nonprofit sector?
- Attend the Nonprofit and Community Service Career Fair during fall quarter.
- Attend the workshop, “How to Get Paid to Change the World: Internships and Careers in Nonprofits,” offered annually through the ICC.
- Visit the following Web sites:
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How can I find out about employment in government?
- Talk to government employers at Career Fairs.
- From the Undergraduate page of the ICC Web site, select Internships and Jobs to find local, state, and federal career listings.
- Go to the Internship section to find out about student positions.
- Visit the following Web sites: - Federal Government: http://www.usajobs.opm.gov
- Visit federal and state agency Web sites to learn about the agency’s purpose, job listings and requirements, exam information, the hiring process, etc.
- Stop by Room 312 South Hall to investigate internships and careers with the U.S. Forest Service.
- Visit our page on "Getting Started in Government" which offers student jobs as well as career positions.
NOTE: Most career positions in state government require you to take a civil service examination and/or complete an oral interview. You will achieve a numerical score on the exam which will then determine your eligibility for positions as they become available. This examination process can be lengthy, but worthwhile if you want to pursue a career in government.
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How can I find out about employment in education?
- Pick up a copy of names and addresses of California Public School Districts in Room 323 South Hall.
- Visit the Career and Graduate Study Resource Center, Room 215 South Hall, to consult directories of public and private schools and college catalogs for contact names, addresses, and phone numbers.
- Go to http://www.ed-join.org to search for jobs in schools, K-12.
- From the ICC Web site, select Internships and Jobs to find Jobs at UC Davis and Jobs at Other UC Schools. UC Davis students can also link to Student Employment Jobs.
- Go to the ICC Web site, select Grad/Postdoc, Scholars, then select Academic Careers, then Academic Job Search Sites for a list of helpful links to search for jobs in higher education.
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How can I find out about employers?
Once you have identified your preferred employment sector, you can then research and develop a list of potential employers. To research employers:
- Attend on-campus employer information meetings and presentations sponsored by the ICC or Career Recruiting Programs.
- Talk to employer representatives at Career Fairs.
- Consult the Book of Lists for a particular city, located near the Reception Desk on the second floor of the ICC. There you will find up-to-date information about employers in that area.
- Visit http://www.annualreportservice.com for company financial information.
- Contact the Chamber of Commerce for the city in which you are interested and request information about local employers, especially if the employer is small or privately owned: http://www.chamberofcommerce.com
- Visit the employer’s Web site.
- To generate a list of potential employers in a particular career field or industry, try these sites:
- For researching large companies, try these sites:
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What job search sites can I use?
The first preference of employers is for you to visit their Web sites. When conducting an online job search, keep in mind that, in addition to using Aggie Job Link, you can connect directly to many free job search sites. Employers’ top four favorite commercial job boards are:
For a list of the employers who offer the most entry-level jobs to college graduates, go to: www.collegegrad.com/ top employers. AND don’t forget to ask ICC Coordinators in your program area for their favorite recommendations on other industry-specific job listing sites.(Source: What Color is Your Parachute?, 2007 Ed., by Richard N.Bolles).
What if I just want a short-term, temporary position?
Many students just want to “find a job for their year off” before they go to graduate school or travel abroad. Attend the ICC-sponsored workshop “Finding a Job for Your Year Off.” Don’t overlook temporary agencies. If you want a short-term job which gives you flexibility, use the Yellow Pages of the phone book or pick up a list of local temporary employment agencies at the ICC to investigate the possibility of temporary employment. Use only “employer-paid” temporary agencies.
I know how to search for a job online. What else do I need to know?
Remember that conducting an effective job search usually requires much more than just knowing how to search the Internet. Networking, Informational Interviewing, In-Person Visits, and using our on-campus Career Recruiting Programs, and Employment Agencies are all important job search strategies. Read the articles on pages 7 and 12 as well as Job Search Strategies on page 11 for a better understanding of job search strategies that produce results!
In many cases, the job search is still a “face-to-face” process requiring interpersonal, networking, interviewing, and telephone etiquette skills plus persistence and resilience! Attend a “Job Search Strategies” workshop, offered quarterly at the ICC, to learn many more tips about the job search.
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