3rd Floor Hendrix Student Center

General Questions: 864.656.6000

Make a Counseling Appointment: 864.656.0440
Office Hours: Monday-Friday 8am-4:30pm
Mission:
Engaging students in career development and
experiential learning activities that will empower
them to successfully pursue their educational and
professional goals.

Overview of Resource
Congratulations on pursuing your graduate education at Clemson University. The Center for Career and
Professional Development (CCPD) wants to support you while you begin the next steps in your career.

You can see from our mission that we aim to empower you to determine and achieve your educational and
professional goals. By providing you with resources and engaging you in career development and experiential
learning activities, you can confidently take the lead with your journey. Since you are in the driver seat, we
invite you to read over the resources in this packet and the resources hyperlinked throughout this document.
Each page summarizes what you should do each semester to optimize your career and professional success.

Your career development is a marathon, not a sprint. If you take advantage of everything that Clemson, your
academic program, and the CCPD has to offer, you can’t go wrong. Good luck and know you have support!

Your Contacts at the Center for Career and Professional Development

In conjunction with the faculty and staff in the Department of Automotive Engineering and your professional
mentors, there are staff members at the CCPD who assist all Clemson students. You will see some of us at
CU-ICAR delivering workshops and one-on-one counseling.

In addition to us, all of the counselors at the CCPD are able to assist you when you come and use our services at
Clemson’s campus. We look forward to working with you!

Troy Nunamaker, M.Ed., MHRD Kristin Walker, M.Ed.

[email protected] [email protected]
Director of Graduate & Internship Programs Assistant Director of Graduate Programs, Assessment,
& Off-Campus Internships
Josh McKee
[email protected]
Graduate Assistant for Graduate Programs & Off-Campus Internships

Connect with us on social media to receive very best and latest in career advice and internship/full-time positions.
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Everyone drive; handouts; Graduate Student Career Planning Guidelines Updated 1/2013
 3rd Floor Hendrix Student Center
General Questions: 864.656.6000
Make a Counseling Appointment: 864.656.0440
Office Hours: Monday-Friday 8am-4:30pm

Annual Career Guide - CLICK HERE - Complete resource for your career-related needs
Informational Interviews Job Search Process Verbs to Use in Resume Interview Questions
Examples of: Resumes Cover Letters Job Acceptance / Decline

Main Campus
Counseling Services
Fall and Spring Schedule
(summer hours vary – check website)

Appointments:
Monday through Friday
9 am until 12 pm
1:30 pm to 4:30 pm

Call 864-656-0440
Appointments are typically booked
a week in advance.

Drop-in Counseling Hours:

Monday through Friday
9 am until 12 pm & 1:30 pm to 4:00 pm

Online– http://career.clemson.edu/ (Under the Student tab) Click on any of the topics to go directly to the webpage.
Printable Resources Annual Career Guide InterviewStream Practice Interview System
Salary Survey Workshop/Event Information Online Workshops

Internship and Job Search Resources

ClemsonJobLink - ClemsonJobLink is your connection to employers and job opportunities. In your ClemsonJobLink
account, you can apply for jobs and sign up for on-campus interviews. At Clemson, we work with nearly 2,000
employers who recruit new college graduates from all industries. We are also part of a consortium of colleges throughout
the country who share job listings. Because of these efforts there are a wide variety of part-time, internship and full-time
job opportunities in ClemsonJobLink. Click here for more information about using ClemsonJobLink.
CareerShift - CareerShift offers the most comprehensive online resource, designed to support the # 1 request of job
seekers: an easy to use web site to conduct and organize their job search.
Going Global - A web resource designed to help candidates search for, apply and secure internship and employment
opportunities internationally. Going Global's H1B Visa Certification Database - Log into GoingGlobal and search the
database of US employers who have sponsored H1B candidates
ACINet Employer Search - America's Career InfoNet. Search for employers contacts by location, industry and job types.
Online Internship Books - Internship resource books
Reference USA Business Database - A business database of employer contacts.
Other Web Resources Sorted by Category
Everyone drive; handouts; Graduate Student Career Planning Guidelines Updated 1/2013
 GRADUATE STUDENT CAREER PLANNING
CLEMSON UNIVERSITY MICHELIN  CAREER CENTER

FALL OF FIRST YEAR - SELF ASSESSMENT

 Technical Skills Assessment - Get to know your academic advisor and professors and how they can assist
you with your career development. Discuss with them your interests, abilities, and work-related values and
how they might be aligned with career options within your industry. They can also assist you in seeing
where you need to develop technical skills to ensure you have the experience necessary to acquire an
internship in the second year of your program.

 Soft Skills Assessment - Develop positive work attitudes and transferable skills that employers are seeking
in interns and full-time hires (examples - verbal communication, written communication, teamwork,
leadership, work ethic, self-management, critical thinking, interpersonal, accountability, patience,
commitment, willingness to learn, responsibility, decision making, flexibility, etc…)

 Experience Assessment - Begin a “working copy” or the “everything but the kitchen sink” version of your
resume. This version will NOT be the document you use to apply to internships and jobs. It is a running
document of your experiences that should be formatted to look like a resume. By creating this resume, you
can easily identify areas where you need to gain more experience before applying to internships.

 Career Skills Assessment – No one is born with internship/job search skills – including how to write
resumes and cover letters or handle the interviews. Hearing information one time won’t help you learn it.
Attending workshops several times will increase your skills set when preparing to search for internships and
full-time positions. Start attending workshops provided by the Center for Career and Professional
Development. Some of these workshops are held at CU-ICAR. These workshops will be advertised to you
via email and on the Department of Automotive Engineering website. Additional workshops are held in
Clemson. Go to career.clemson.edu and click on the “Events” tab for a list and to RSVP (respond).

 Network Assessment – Begin creating a list of contacts in your industry. These people should be in a
variety of areas within your field. Changes in our career paths can happen at a moment’s notice. If you
only know people in a small area of your industry and need advice about another area, who will you
contact? When developing your list, ask yourself this critical question – how well does this person know
me? Networking isn’t about collecting business cards or how many people you “know.” Building a solid
professional network takes time, so before you start to meet with people, make a list of your contacts.

Date Area Notes

Technical Skills Assessment

Soft Skills Assessment

Experience Assessment

Career Skills Assessment

Network Assessment

Everyone drive; handouts; Graduate Student Career Planning Guidelines Updated 1/2013
SPRING OF FIRST YEAR - EXPLORATION
 Technical Skills Exploration – Continue conversations with advisors, professors, and mentors about your
technical skill development. Discuss with them your interests, abilities, and work-related values and how
they might be in line with career options within your industry. Identify where you need to develop technical
skills to ensure you have the experience necessary to acquire an internship in the second year of your
program. Imagine you are searching for an internship and begin some initial searching online for
internships and full-time positions. What technical skills are they asking applicants to have? Which ones
do you have, need, or need to further develop to meet their expectations?

 Soft Skills Exploration – Continue developing positive work attitudes and transferable skills that
employers are seeking in interns and full-time hires. We are never “finished” working on developing these
skills. When we come in contact with new courses, professors, student project groups, etc… we have to
keep developing these skills. (examples - verbal communication, written communication, teamwork,
leadership, work ethic, self-management, critical thinking, interpersonal, accountability, patience,
commitment, willingness to learn, responsibility, decision making, flexibility, etc…) Since you have
started to look at internship position descriptions, do you see any of the soft skills listed here? If employers
want to see that you have these skills, ask yourself – how can I show I have these skills on my resume?

 Experience Exploration – It’s time to update your “working copy” or the “everything but the kitchen sink”
version of your resume. As a reminder - this version will NOT be the document you use to apply to
internships and jobs. Compare your resume to the position descriptions you are seeing online. Are you able
to communicate in written form that you have the experience, skills, knowledge, abilities needed to a
qualified candidate? You will start learning how to tailor and customize your resume to specific positions.

 Career Skills Exploration – Keep attending workshops to increase your skills set when preparing to search
for internships and full-time positions. Save handouts for future use. Ask yourself – how am I
incorporating what I am learning into my career development? Take advantage of one-on-one career
counseling when someone comes to CU-ICAR or schedule an appointment with a Career Counselor for
career counseling and career information. Call 864-656-0440 or stop by the Career Resource Library - 316
Hendrix Student Center. Appointments are typically scheduled a week in advance, so plan ahead.

 Network Exploration – Now that you have a list of contacts in your industry, it is time to learn how to
conduct an informational interview. See pages 15-16 in our annual career guide for more details. Set a goal
to complete at least five informational interviews this semester. Also start developing your “elevator pitch”
about yourself and practice it at conferences or the spring career fair. Anytime you have the opportunity to
chat with someone, you should be able to explain what you are doing and what your plans are in the future.

Date Area Notes

Technical Skills Exploration

Soft Skills Exploration

Experience Exploration

Career Skills Exploration

Network Exploration

Everyone drive; handouts; Graduate Student Career Planning Guidelines Updated 1/2013
SUMMER – PLANNING AND PREPARATION
 Technical Skills Planning and Preparation – Continue conversations with advisors, professors, and
mentors about your technical skill development and how they align with companies and opportunities in
your desired area and related areas. Towards the end of the summer and beginning of the fall, you will start
to apply for spring internships. This summer and next fall are the last opportunities to develop technical
skills that you can confidently articulate to employers in your resume, cover letter, and interview.

 Soft Skills Planning and Preparation – Since you will begin to apply for internships at the end of the
summer and beginning of the fall, are you confident in how to articulate in your written documents how you
have developed your soft skills? (examples - verbal communication, written communication, teamwork,
leadership, work ethic, self-management, critical thinking, interpersonal, accountability, patience,
commitment, willingness to learn, responsibility, decision making, flexibility, etc…) When it comes to
verbally articulating these skills, scheduling a mock interview with the Center for Career and Professional
Development (CCPD) or using the online mock interview system, InterviewStream is a great way to
practice. Appointments are typically scheduled a week in advance, so plan ahead.

 Experience Planning and Preparation – It’s time to update your “working copy” or the “everything but
the kitchen sink” version of your resume and tailor/customize your resume and cover letter to each position.
Yes, this means a different resume and cover letter for every position. Apply what you learning during the
workshops. If you need assistance with how to accomplish this challenge, come in for drop-in counseling or
make an appointment with the CCPD (contact information is above). Call or check our website for drop-in
hours. Bring hard copies of your documents and the positions description.

 Career Skills Planning and Preparation – It’s time to apply what you have learned during workshops,
especially internship/job search skills. If you waste time this fall learning ClemsonJobLink, NACE
Network, Going Global, and Careershift, other students will beat you to the internships or you will miss
deadlines. If you wait to the last minute and need immediate assistance/feedback, you’ll get frustrated. Plan
ahead and show you’re proactive. Make sure you know how to tailor your resume and cover letter and can
articulate yourself during an interview BEFORE the fall semester begins.

 Network Planning and Preparation –By now, you have done a minimum of ten informational interviews.
Follow-up with them to update them on what you have been doing. Show interest in them as well. Don’t
develop a reputation for connecting or following-up only when you are asking for something. Revise your
elevator pitch to incorporate new projects and experiences. Plan to attend the fall career fair and seek out
additional networking opportunities. Remember - the quickest way to damage professional relationships is
asking for immediate favors. Also, update your networking contact list to reflect new people you have met.

Date Area Notes

Technical Skills Planning and Preparation

Soft Skills Planning and Preparation

Experience Planning and Preparation

Career Skills Planning and Preparation

Network Planning and Preparation

Everyone drive; handouts; Graduate Student Career Planning Guidelines Updated 1/2013
FALL OF SECOND YEAR – IMPLMENTATION
 Technical Skills Implementation – Continue conversations with advisors, professors, and mentors about
your skill development and alignment with companies and opportunities in your desired areas. Be critical of
how you applying to theory to practice in your courses and projects and how these skills translate to the
future. Make sure you are articulating technical skills in your resume – not just project descriptions.

 Soft Skills Implementation – You should be applying to positions by now. Make sure you articulate in
your resume and cover letter examples of soft skill development. (examples - verbal communication,
written communication, teamwork, leadership, work ethic, self-management, critical thinking, interpersonal,
accountability, patience, commitment, willingness to learn, responsibility, decision making, flexibility,
etc…) If you haven’t done so already, schedule a mock interview with the CCPD. Appointments are
typically scheduled a week in advance, so plan ahead. You will need to provide a copy of your resume, and
if you can, provide a position description that reflects the area you are pursuing.

 Experience Implementation –You should be tailoring resumes and cover letters to each position. Yes, a
different resume and cover letter for each position. If you need assistance, come in for drop-in counseling
or call for an appointment at the CCPD. Bring hard copies of your documents and the positions description.

 Career Skills Implementation – The search process can take several months. You should be comfortable
tailoring your resume and cover letter, articulating yourself during an interview, and searching strategies.
Implement skills you learned during workshops. If you waste time this semester learning ClemsonJobLink,
NACE Network, Going Global, Careershift and other search engines, other students will beat you to
internships or you’ll miss deadlines, which will make you frustrated. Avoid requesting or demanding
immediate assistance. Your last minute emergencies cannot become other people’s priorities. Remember
this is your internship/job search. People are happy to help, so plan ahead! Read position descriptions
closely to ensure you meet minimum requirements. Don’t assume you acquired a position until you actually
receive an offer. You’ll miss out on other opportunities while waiting and assuming. If you accept an offer,
it is your best interest and the interest of Clemson, your colleagues, and your professors to follow through it.
Do not accept an offer knowing that if you receive an offer elsewhere that you will tell the first company
you are no longer interested. Remember - develop a positive professional reputation in your industry.

 Network Implementation – Make sure you have contacted potential references and inform them every time
you provide a company with their names and contact information. Even though you’re using online search
strategies, 80% of internship and job opportunities aren’t posted. If you have successfully completed at
least 10 informational interviews, you may already know of some opportunities that aren’t posted. Use both
online and network strategies. Plan to attend the fall career fair and seek out networking opportunities.

Date Area Notes

Technical Skills Implementation

Soft Skills Implementation

Experience Implementation

Career Skills Implementation

Network Implementation

Everyone drive; handouts; Graduate Student Career Planning Guidelines Updated 1/2013
SPRING OF SECOND YEAR AND BEYOND – DECISION MAKING
 Technical Skills Decision Making – You are now putting into action everything you have learned both
inside and outside of the classroom. During your internship reflect on how you’re building skills employers
will expect you to have in a full-time position. Connect with advisors, professors, and mentors, about what
positions to search for that align with your career goals. Search for position descriptions and repeat the
process you went through a year ago when you started thinking about internships.

 Soft Skills Decision Making – How are you deciding to further developing these skills at your internship
site? How can you articulate these as you prepare for a full-time job search? (examples - verbal
communication, written communication, teamwork, leadership, work ethic, self-management, critical
thinking, interpersonal, accountability, patience, commitment, willingness to learn, responsibility, decision
making, flexibility, etc…) Employers are also deciding what kind of employee you would be based on your
actions. Searching for a full-time position while interning isn’t an excuse to not perform at the highest level.

 Experience Decision Making –While at your internship site, talk with your site supervisor about gaining
experience in key areas that you can share in your resume. It’s time again to update your “working” or
“everything but the kitchen sink” resume When it’s time to search for a full-time position, keep tailoring
your resume and cover letter to each position. If you need assistance, come in for drop-in counseling or
make an appointment with the CCPD. Call or check our website for drop-in hours.

 Career Skills Decision Making – Students often forget that while they are doing an internship, they will
have to simultaneously do a job search or even consider another graduate degree. It’s important to consider
what your next steps are regardless of being an international student or not. Time will run out at your
internship site, and you don’t want to have a bad internship experience because you waited until the last
minute to begin your job search – remember how long it took you to find an internship? If you are able to
attend workshops or take advantage of the drop-in or appointment counseling at the CCPD, you may. Use
workshop handouts to remind yourself of tips to maximize your opportunities for career success.

 Network Decision Making – Remember those informational interviews – it’s time to do some more. By
being at your internship site, you will get to work with and interact with new people. Complete at least five
informational interviews during your internship experience. As you begin your job search, remember to use
online and network strategies. Follow up with everyone you have done an informational interview with and
seek out additional networking opportunities with your internship site. Possibly attend the spring career
fair. Update your elevator pitch to reflect your latest projects and experiences. Update your LinkedIn
profile as well. Remember – while networking, do not directly ask for a job.

Date Area Notes

Technical Skills Decision Making

Soft Skills Decision Making

Experience Decision Making

Career Skills Decision Making

Network Decision Making

Everyone drive; handouts; Graduate Student Career Planning Guidelines Updated 1/2013
Additional Career-Related Resources Clemson University Provides
The CCPD isn’t the only campus resource you have. The following resources you may find
beneficial to your career and professional development.

Clemson Graduate Student Guidebook – Click here - Overview of Graduate Student Resources at Clemson

Clemson University Writing Center

Overview: Writing Center conferences can address all sorts of expository writing – including drafts of class papers,
resumes, reports, application essays, cover letters, seminar projects, dissertations, etc. Our tutoring services are free of
charge to all Clemson University students, staff, and faculty.

Locations and Hours: To make an appointment, visit http://clemson.edu/caah/writingcenter. We are located in three
convenient places: Academic Success Center Room 307 or Online (Monday - Thursday 9 a.m.– 5 p.m., Friday 9 a.m. – 3
p.m.), and the Cooper Library Learning Commons – 4th Floor (Sunday - Thursday 6:15 p.m. 9-15 p.m.).

Walk-in Policy: For our Cooper Library Learning Commons location, appointments are only available on a first-come,
first-served basis. For all other locations, we recommend making an appointment ahead of time.

Additional Information: Our tutors are specially trained Fellows and Graduate Students, selected for their knowledge of
Communication Across the Curriculum and teaching acumen. Learn more about us by visiting our homepage:
(http://clemson.edu/caah/writingcenter) where you can also verify our hours before traveling to the main campus.

Working Successfully on a Team – Click here - In depth examination and suggestions to build skill set

International Student Specific Resources Employment Information Forms and Documents

International Affairs Office Useful Links Advising
Click Here for Contact Information Maintaining Status New Students

Communication Strategies for International Graduate Students

Studying in a country and culture that is different from your own is a challenge. Although often not discussed or
immediately obvious, cultural norms can be very different, and understanding these differences can make a critical
difference in your experiences and success.

To help international students (and native students and faculty) understand US academic culture, Clemson’s Office of
Teaching Effectiveness and Innovation at the main campus (http://www.clemson.edu/OTEI/) has made the book
Communication Strategies for International Graduate Students available to anyone with a Clemson email address.

Written by Nadine Le Gros, a language and culture specialist at the University of Western Ontario, Communication
Strategies for International Graduate Students: Surviving and Thriving in American Academia (2011) will help
international students survive and thrive by helping them to understand what their instructors and peers do not
communicate. An overview of the book can be found here.

However, to access and download the entire book, click here.

Everyone drive; handouts; Graduate Student Career Planning Guidelines Updated 1/2013