The document provides an overview of the career development process and encourages students to build a board of advisors. It explains that career development is an ongoing process of self-discovery where past experiences provide insights. Students should explore opportunities, test their strengths and interests, and learn to communicate effectively. The key is to engage fully in all aspects of the process to gain ownership over decisions. Building a board of advisors can help students learn about themselves through feedback, advice on next steps, and insights into how advisors have made their own decisions. Students should consider people from different areas of their lives, like family, friends, professors, coaches and supervisors, who can offer unique perspectives.

1. Career
Guide Uncover what drives you
D i s c ov e r
opportunities
Test your strengths
& interests in the
wo r l d
Learn to communicate
p e rs u a s i v e l y
Imagine the possibilities
Career Center | Student Affairs | Duke University
1

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3. What you will find here . . .
INDEX
Career Guide
2012-2013
5
5
6
8
9
10-13
10
It is Your Career
How to Use This Guide
About the Career Center
The Career Development Process
Your Board of Advisors
SELF-INQUIRY
Assess your Values, Skills, Interests, and Personality
12 Review your Experience
12 Next Steps and Selected Resources
13 Making Career Decisions
14-17 EXPLORATION
14 Read
14 Talk
15 Do
15 The Graduate School Option
16 Next Steps and Selected Resources
17 Making the Most of the Experience Buffet
The Career Guide is
18-21 EXPERIENCE ACQUISITION
18 Think Differently About Experience
published annually by the
19 Internships
19 Consider Professional Fellowships
Duke University
20 Next Steps and Selected Resources
Career Center
21 Nine Domains to Find Your Fit
within the
Division of Student Affairs.
22-41 SEARCH SKILLS AND STRATEGIES
22 Are You Search Savvy
24 Professional Networking
Copyright ©2012 25 Managing Your Online Reputation
26 Top Search Strategies
Duke University 28 Connect with Employers
30 Resume
All rights reserved 32 Resume Samples
34 Cover Letter
37 Interviewing
41 Next Steps and Selected Resources
43 Where to go from here
3

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4

5. IT IS YOUR CAREER
Your curiosity and abilities have been great assets.
We know that your many interests coupled with a
record of achievement in many arenas can render the
career decision-making process somewhat challenging.
Sometimes you might feel as if it is difficult to create goals when the options are seemingly
limitless. At other times, you may feel there are not enough opportunities to satisfy all of
your interests. Or perhaps you feel confident about your next step and want support in
getting there. While at Duke, you will encounter each of these scenarios, sometimes all in the
same day!
We invite you to use all of the Career Center resources in your work to identify and make
sense of all choices that interest you. Use them to take control of defining and developing
a variety of options now and into the future.
We at the Career Center recognize that “career” is more than the collection of your degrees,
occupations, and proudest achievements. We believe that it is holistic and dynamic. It is the
unique integration of a growing range of experiences, shifting influences, accumulation of
decisions, and deepening and discarded commitments. You are growing into your career with
every experience and all that you learn—about work and about yourself.
HOW TO USE THIS GUIDE
We recognize that you are coming to this guide with a point
of view and set of experiences that are uniquely yours.
Whether you’re looking for a path or already on one, use this guide as a jumping-off point
from wherever you are to wherever you’d like to be. Whether it’s a campus job, research role,
internship, fellowship, full-time or volunteer position, or any of a multitude of opportunities
available to you, the advice in this guide applies.
Be sure, however, to look beyond the guide. We’ve written this to motivate, inspire, and get
you STARTED. Turn the page to learn more about the wealth of additional resources that we
encourage you to utilize.
CAREER GUIDE // 5
5

6. aBout t
[ [
Welcome
from We’re Here
the to Help!
Director
Smith Warehouse
W elcome
to the
next stage in Career Counseling
your career Call us or stop by to schedule an appointment
development with a counselor. Use your first appointment to
process. The introduce yourself and come up with a plan to
meet your needs. Schedule online.
fact that you are reading this introductory letter implies that
(http://goo.gl/q72KX)
you are serious about getting on with your professional
development and that you are ready to take a series of Drop-In Advising
intentional steps to get there. I hope the Career Guide No appointment necessary. Use this convenient
serves as a valuable resource and that you will use it as a resource for all of your time-sensitive needs.
portal to access other campus resources available to you. Expect to spend 10-15 minutes weekday
afternoons with an advisor for your specific
questions.
One of the most harmful career myths you will encounter
during your time at Duke is that there are three or four
Workshops
“best ways to launch a career.” Not only is this not true, it We will host virtual guests and events in addition
has never been true. to traditional presentations in person. Throughout
the year, workshops will include a wide variety of
Our primary assumption is that all Duke students, topics, featuring an interesting range of guests.
undergraduate and graduate, are among the most diversely
interested and diversely able in the world. We don’t assume Career Center Library
Browse our collection of reference materials and
you need assistance figuring out what you are interested books for inspiration or help in preparation. Most
in but rather, which of your interests, abilities, academic items can be checked out.
strengths, and values you will combine and pursue after Monday – Friday, 9am-5pm
Duke. Today’s global marketplace can make those choices
difficult and exciting. On-Campus Interviews
Meet with employers who come to campus to
hire interns or full-time staff. Use your eRecruiting
I say all of this at the beginning of the Career Guide to get
account to apply for opportunities and schedule
you to read further, and to encourage you to use the Guide interviews as they become available.
as a transition point to a more active engagement with the
resources of the Career Center.
WM West Club Blvd
ain S
t H
At the Career Center, we work at the intersection of dreams 147 ill
sb
Ninth St
or
ou
gh
and reality and you can find us in Smith Warehouse—see
Broad St
Rd
Buchanan Blvd
you there soon. Erwin Rd
01
W
Ma
15-5
duke in
St
Anderson St
university
Smith
Ave
Warehouse
t
Bill Wright-Swadel
Swif
Ca Rd
me ity
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Fannie Mitchell Executive Director lvd
Du
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Duke University Career Center
6

7. t the Career Center
You are invited to take advantage of the full range of resources available to you from the
moment you arrive at Duke until after you leave. In fact, we encourage it! Having no sense
of what to do next is the perfect reason to introduce yourself. Let us be a partner in your
exploration and decision-making process.
around Campus online
Workshops and Drop-In The Career Center Website
Advising Come to You In-depth tips, strategies, and resources are Duke University
available on the website, and we’re always
We don’t spend all of our time at the Career
Center. We schedule presentations and creating more. Career Center
meetings all over campus. (http://studentaffairs.duke.edu/career) Open All Year
Monday-Friday
Information Sessions Subscriptions and Databases
We sponsor and host a wide variety of tools 9am-5pm
Attend presentations hosted by many types of
organizations to learn more about them and and databases available to Duke students.
opportunities available to you. See the Next Steps portion of each section
of this guide for specific recommendations. Smith Warehouse
For a comprehensive overview, visit Online Bay 5
Events Tools & Resources on our website.
We bring many guests to Duke, often with the Second Floor
help of fantastic campus partners. Some of our
annual events include: Social Media
Fannie Mitchell Expert in Residence Program Like the Career Center Facebook 114 S. Buchanan Blvd.
- knowledgeable professionals share their Page to learn about events at
expertise and advice with you Duke, see our favorite career- Box 90950
Career Fairs – Employers who are looking to related articles, see the week’s Durham, NC 27708
featured opportunity, and more.
hire for internships and full-time opportunities
attend to meet face to face with students.
(919) 660-1050
The Fannie Mitchell event in late January or Follow our Twitter account
early February – Many Duke alums return to where we share all of our events, career-student@
campus to discuss their careers and decisions career-related articles, and an
occasional live-tweet of a panel studentaffairs.duke.edu
made along the way. We sponsor this event in
partnership with the Duke Alumni Association. or presentation.
Duke Arts Festival – Meet and learn from alums Subscribe to our
in arts, media, and entertainment and have an We filter the web so that you
Career News newsletter
opportunity to showcase your own talents. We don’t have to. View links that
we’ve saved and sorted by topic for weekly updates.
plan this event in partnership with the Duke
Alumni Association and Office of the Vice Provost in our Delicious account. Manage your email
for the Arts. subscriptions within
Diversity Networking Dinner and Diversity Subscribe to our YouTube
account to be notified when “Administration” in
Forum - Employers committed to hiring a
diverse staff attend these annual events to meet we post videos of guests we’ve eRecruiting.
Duke students in a conversational setting. invited to campus or advice from
your peers. Our library is always
growing.
Presentations By Request Our Event calendar is
Visit our website to request a workshop. We We maintain a library of always available on our
bring a variety of presentations and discussions programs at Duke’s ITunesU
website under “Events.”
to your organization, residence hall, or group of site. Download a lecture or
friends. If you can gather a crowd, we’ll join you! presentation to listen or view
on the go.
CAREER GUIDE // 7
7

8. [ The Career
Development Process [
B
elieve it or not, you already know a lot discovery is what is fun! You will continually
about yourself and your career. Your use your past experiences to identify new
career is something you build every day insights, new options, and new steps.
with the habits you establish and break,
ideas you explore, people you meet, You already bring a set of your own
and decisions you make. All of your life preferences and life experiences to this
experiences provide you with process of continual learning and
insight into your unique decision-making. Uncover
preferences. The key what drives you, discover
to making satisfying opportunities, test your
life choices is being strengths and interests in
aware of the things the world, and learn to
you already know communicate persuasively.
about yourself and the Being fully engaged in ALL
world, and using this aspects of the cycle gives you
acquired insight when ownership and control over that
faced with an opportunity or which comes next for you.
crossroads.
Is this hard work? Yes. Is it worth it?
You can expect to cycle through a process Absolutely. The Career Center works with
of learning about yourself again and again you to make sense of the unknown or to take
during your time at Duke, and also the steps toward your goals with success. We are
entirety of your career and life. The endless your partners in all steps of this process.
8

9. Your Board of Advisors
As you learn and build your career path, meeting new people and “enlisting”
them to your personal Board of Advisors is a key strategy for success. Think
about the many people who have had (or could have!) a positive influence in
your life.
Look into the future and consider whom you might strategically seek out to
add to your board, in addition to staying in touch with those you already know. Every person you
encounter over time gets to see a different piece of you at your best (and possibly worst) and
can be called upon for insights into significant aspects of who you have been and who you are Here are some
becoming. suggestions for
insight you
Build and use your Board of Advisors to learn about yourself and to imagine and discover YOUR could gain:
possibilities. The benefits could include:
• Feedback on habits, patterns, and strengths that you haven’t noticed about yourself
• Advice on steps to take, people to meet, and resources or strategies to consider Family—know you
• Insight into how your advisors have made decisions in the past and what other options deeply and over time
they considered
• Inside information about what a typical day is like Friends—see where
• Suggestions for opportunities that might excite you you thrive and struggle
Enlist a supervisor Professors—have
insight into your
Your supervisors are great advisors, even when you no longer work at the organization. Many will
suggest you stay in touch, or you could ask if they are open to the possibility. academic mind
Staying in touch doesn’t mean having to request something every time you talk. If you come across Coaches—challenge
information or do something that might be interesting to the person, share it! The
you to overcome
sentiment, “thinking of you”, goes a long way and can be a great reason to send an
email or pick up the phone. obstacles
Here are some great updates to share. Advisors—contribute
I thought of you when: to your decision-making
• I learned something in class. process
• I saw something in the news.
• I used something I learned when working with you.
• I followed your advice. Community
• I mentioned you (or your organization) to someone. Leaders—see your
passions engaged
Enlist a professor Peers—have worked
Find something you’re genuinely curious about as a reason to talk. People, even professors (!), tend
alongside you
to be flattered when others express interest in something that is important to them.
You can use the words, “I’m trying to understand…” as a way to start these conversations.
Supervisors—have
Some other examples might include: had to give you
• You mentioned… in your lecture. I’m trying to better understand how this connects to… constructive feedback
• We worked on… in the problem set. I’m trying to understand why this technique is
preferred over…
Duke Alums—have a
• Being a professor seems interesting to me. I’m trying to better understand what it is like.
• Can you tell me about what you do? How you decided to do this? What else you have common experience
considered? Who you work with?
• This topic is very interesting to me. I’m trying to better understand the ways that it
connects to opportunities outside of academic work. Do you know about this or anyone
who might?
• I learned a bit about your research and am intrigued by… Can you tell me more about…
9

10. S
SELF-INQUIRY
E Values Interests
L
F Personality Skills
I
N
Uncover What Drives You
Through a process of self-inquiry, you will gain insight into your values, interests, skills,
personality, and what you have learned from unique experiences. These are the critical
data that will drive your career planning and development.
Q Self-Inquiry is not a one-time event. It is the best way to start thinking about your career
and a place to return when contemplating transitions and significant decisions about
your career. As you grow and change with new experiences and exposure to new ideas,
U
you will return to this process many times. The more aligned your career decisions are
with who you know yourself to be, the more likely you will feel fulfilled and successful.
Benefits of Self-Inquiry
I
You will make well-informed decisions to set yourself up for the outcomes that matter
to you throughout your career.
You will better articulate your strengths and interests to others who can offer valuable
R
guidance, connections, and opportunities.
Assess your Values, Skills, Interests, and Personality
Values, skills, interests, and personality are lenses through which you can look at your
Y
life experience. Each is a different view into you. Use these viewpoints to identify
patterns that naturally emerge through the choices you make. The exercises on the
following page can help you get started. A career counselor can help you interpret and
learn from your responses.
Remember! This is only a starting point. Look beyond the guide to other Career Center
resources for more.
10

11. Explore Your Values
Inventory Your Skills
Values are the principles that we find important
and influence the way we live our daily lives. Your skills are the abilities that you possess. Skills are developed and improved with practice and over
Our identification with specific values tends not time, though they can be influenced by a natural knack or unique talent. Communicating your skills in
to grow or diminish instantly or dramatically but a way that builds confidence requires that you give evidence of your past exposure and success.
evolve over time.
Exercise: Using the list below for inspiration, come up with ten skills that describe your current
Exercise: Rank the list of values below in strengths. Next, come up with ten that describe those you expect will be important in your fields of
order of importance for you. Use the blanks to interest. How do they compare? Note overlaps as well as gaps.
incorporate values beyond what is included here.
Communicating Clearly __________________________ __________________________
____Variety Managing a Project __________________________ __________________________
____Loyalty
Collaborating towards a Goal __________________________ __________________________
____Fun
Writing Persuasively __________________________ __________________________
____Structure
____Influence Learning Quickly __________________________ __________________________
____Recognition Researching Thoroughly __________________________ __________________________
____Creativity Innovating __________________________ __________________________
____Financial Compensation Compiling a Budget __________________________ __________________________
____Job Security
Balancing Priorities __________________________ __________________________
____Having Visible Impact
____Intellectual Stimulation
____Colleague Relationships
____Independence
____Being an Expert
____Respect Assess Your Personality
____Taking Risks
Your personality is unique to you and includes inherent traits as well as
____Relationships
habits that you’ve acquired over time in realms like gathering information,
____Learning
making decisions, and relating to others. Better understanding
____ ___________________________
characteristics of your personality can help you to articulate the
____ ___________________________
circumstances under which you thrive, or natural strengths that you can
____ ___________________________
utilize, regardless of your environment.
Identify Your Interests Exercise: Describe yourself at your best and most natural in response to
these prompts.
Interests run the range from a passing curiosity to something with consistent
and lifelong appeal. Your interests can include your passions, hobbies, and What energizes you? _ _____________________________________________
curiosities. Your career can evolve to include the interests that you have not
yet pursued as much as those to which you are already committed. _________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
Exercise: Psychologist John Holland identified these six areas of
occupational interest. Rank this list from the most to least descriptive of the
patterns in your interests. How do you gather information? ____________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
______ Realistic Practical: Enjoy practical and physical;
engage with tools, machines, and gadgets _________________________________________________________________
______ Investigative Analytical: Enjoy gathering information and
What guides your decisions?________________________________________
analysis; appreciates intellectual activities
_________________________________________________________________
______ Artistic Creative: Enjoy aesthetics and self-
_________________________________________________________________
expression; favor unstructured environments
______ Social Connected: Enjoy helping, training, and What approaches do you use to conduct your life?_ ___________________
_
counseling; thrive side-by-side with others
_________________________________________________________________
______ Enterprising Influential: Enjoy persuasion and managing; _________________________________________________________________
prefer to lead
______ Conventional Systematic: Enjoy details and accuracy;
comfortable within a chain of command
11
11

12. Review your Experience
REVIEW
W ith a little distance (or a lot!) from the collection of your past activities, you can continue to
discern the patterns and designs that make up the mosaic of your life’s experiences. And
while distance certainly comes with time, you can put some space between yourself and an ongoing
experience through active, ongoing reflection, e.g., journaling.
To get started, make a list of memorable experiences. Include experiences you consider rewarding as
well as those you consider disappointing. Make room for those that may seem irrelevant, unimportant,
or too far in the past.
Feel free to use the following list of kinds of experiences to help you brainstorm:
• On-campus jobs • Sports • Faith community
• Academic projects • Volunteer engagements commitments
• Research • Campus leadership • Hobbies/recreational
• Internships • Student clubs activities
• Study abroad • ROTC • Entrepreneurial ventures
• Political activities • Job shadowing • Vacations
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
For each experience you list, consider the following questions:
What led you to choose that experience?
Why did you choose that experience over others?
What, if anything, did you sacrifice when choosing that experience? How did you feel about making that sacrifice?
Who and/or what influenced your choosing that experience?
What did you especially like/dislike about that experience (consider activities, people, environment, etc)?
What skills and personal characteristics did you demonstrate or develop during that experience?
How was that experience connected or disconnected from other past and subsequent experiences?
What was most memorable about that experience?
Next Steps and Selected Resources:
Self-Inquiry
• Use a career counseling appointment to begin exposing patterns in your values,
skills, interests, and personality. (http://goo.gl/q72KX)
• Visit the Career Center website for an expanded set of self-inquiry exercises.
Self-Inquiry Guide (http://goo.gl/4b2MD)
• Consider the questions identified in the Nine Domains to Find Your Fit
(Page 21).
• Seek input from members of your Board of Advisors (Page 9).
12

13. Making Career decisions
REVIEW
T ake a moment to reflect on why you chose to apply and come to Duke.
This decision was likely influenced by a number of factors such as advice
from family, interest in a specific academic program, scholarships or financial
aid, campus life and sports, geographic location, a campus visit, and others.
You may wish to use the diagram below to recall the various factors that
influenced YOUR decision. Feel free to create more bubbles if necessary!
Photo: andy_cp16
Looking at the factors that were involved, mark those that were the strongest influence on this
important decision and consider the following questions:
What does this specific decision teach you about your decision-making style?
Have the influences and factors in your decision-making process changed since deciding on
Duke? How and why?
Are these the factors that drive most of your important decisions? What differs? How and why?
With hindsight, do you notice anything significant you may have overlooked at the time?
Would you bring different information to the table?
Remember! You can always choose to approach future decisions differently. This exercise reveals
some of your past patterns and you can use this information to determine how to move forward.
Taking Career Risks
In addition to all of these factors, go back and think about yourself as a risk taker. What kind of risk taker
have you been? Were there elements of deciding to be here that involved a leap of faith? What about
other options that you set aside in order to be here? Were they more risky? Less?
Taking measured risks by putting yourself out into the world to discover how you fit is a critical part of
career discovery. We encourage you to build upon a series of comfortable risks over time, and to learn to
identify your boundaries as you go. The series of decisions you make over time can be exhilarating—do
not let risk be paralyzing!
13

14. Discover Opportunities
EXPLORATION B e a savvy information consumer and research careers while approaching information
critically. Embrace a variety of sources and exploration methods to gain deeper insight into
new possibilities. Like your academic coursework, you must continuously assess the reliability,
validity, and bias of your sources. As your perspective widens, so do your choices.
Be sure to take stock of your impressions as you make new career discoveries.
• What are you motivated to explore further and why?
• Are you learning things that are different than you expected, and how do you feel about this new picture?
• Did you discover something that interested you in some ways but not in others?
• What aspects of the experience were you drawn to, and what aspects were unappealing, and why?
• What else do you want and need to know?
• Are there obvious things to learn next that will help you understand other components?
Here are some suggested strategies with increasing levels of risk and reward. Be sure to
employ all three categories to be comprehensive.
READ
Look through a professional lens. Some ideas for information sources:
You can learn a lot about your areas of interest from • Websites
your computer screen or a print publication. • Blogs
Some key patterns you’ll want to narrow in on include: • Discussion Boards
• Where do people in this field go for professional news and • Trade Journals
updates? For jobs and internships? • Reference Books
• What memberships, affiliations, or certifications are • Memoirs and Biographies
common or relevant?
• What qualities or experiences are (in)consistent in the Words of warning! Do not get stuck here. A good
histories or profiles of the people who impress you? exploration strategy will get you talking and doing, too.
TALK
Learn through others’ experiences. Ask for 30 minutes to speak with them about it at a
Explore fields of interest through conversations with time and location convenient for them (a phone call is
people whose work intrigues you. Put yourself in their also an option, but an online conversation is not).
shoes and see how well they fit! Be punctual, prepared, and professional in your
dress and demeanor for the meeting. See below for
Consider any encounter a chance to have such a suggested questions.
conversation. No need to wait for the perfect situation Take notes while being sure to focus on building
or a formal career-related event. A waiting room, rapport and making eye contact.
grocery store line, or a family gathering are all great Request referrals to others who would be willing to
places to gain insight from others about their careers. share information.
Take It to the Next Level: Informational Keep the conversation on schedule to acknowledge
Interviewing that their time is valuable!
Informational interviewing is a great conversational Express your gratitude at the conclusion of the
tool for gaining a personal and practical perspective conversation and through a thoughtful thank-you note
on your career interests and building relationships with afterwards.
individuals in fields you may choose to pursue.
Great Questions for Any Career Conversation:
With informational interviewing, the ball is in your • How did you get started in this field? Are there
court. Here are the basics: other entry points as well?
Identify individuals whose personal career path, • Will I need more formal training to apply for
organization, or broader field of work interests you. positions in this field? What organizations provide
Feel free to start with people in your inner circle. training on the job?
After all, do you really know what your uncle does at • What do you like most/least about your work?
his cool sounding job everyday or why your favorite • What qualities and skills are needed?
professor chose her field of research? • What are the possibilities for advancement?
Introduce yourself or ask a mutual acquaintance to • What new developments are expected in the field in
make an introduction to someone you do not know. the next three to five years?
Email is one appropriate way to do this. Consider friends’ • What do you read to keep informed of events,
parents, Duke alums, or professionals in your community. issues, and openings in your field?
Briefly explain your curiosity about their work. • What does a typical day look like for you?
14

15. The Graduate
School Option
DO!
You may be considering graduate school
because you are passionate about a
particular intellectual endeavor or because
you know you need a certain set of
credentials to move forward in your career
development. Depending on your goals and
You define experience.
Your opportunity to reality-test some of the thing you have learned from others is now! interests, an advanced degree may be an
Think broadly and creatively about what defines experience and you will discover ways option to consider. Before taking this step for
that you can dabble in new realms or continue to build your expertise. For example, many granted, take time to think about the reasons
writers build and maintain a topical blog to develop their craft, as well as display passion and you would pursue graduate school, what you
knowledge on a defined topic. would expect to gain, whether it is the best
way to achieve your goals, and when you
Here are some other ideas: would be ready to make the commitment of
• Ask to shadow and observe someone during a normal workday.
time and financial resources.
• Offer to volunteer for an organization, an event, or a person to develop specific abilities.
The following are some important factors to
• Develop your experience in a club to showcase your strengths.
• Invent a project and offer to do it for someone, or do it for you.
account for when considering this weighty
• Create ways you can contribute to research or work that intrigues you. decision:
• Secure an internship during the school year. • The clarity of your short- and long-term
career goals
• Your expectations around how a
“I don’t need to explore… I already know what I want!” graduate education would help you
Are you sure? We bet you’re not done yet—exploration builds upon itself, so this might be advance some of your goals
your opportunity to become more refined in your professional and personal knowledge. • Whether graduate education is the
best way to achieve your desired
You may use these questions to guide your learning in order become the most competitive outcomes and whether there are strong
candidate possible:
alternatives, e.g., licensures
Who • Your ability and willingness to take on
• Create a detailed profile of the person Where associated financial burdens
who would thrive in the role(s) to • Where are the areas of change and • Your comfort with putting other interests
which you aspire? Can you do this yet? excitement? Where do experts and goals on hold to meet the demands
• Are there areas for your own predict the field will be in the next five of your program
improvement? years, 10 years, 20 years? • Kinds of programs that would best meet
• How do I position myself to be part of your goals
What this?
• What sources of information and Whether you seek to practice a profession
that requires a specific advanced degree
relationships do the professionals in Why
or are interested in a path where there is
this field use to keep up with news, • Why do people go into this field,
a less definitive need for such, the issues
trends, and colleagues? Are you initially? Does it remain the same or
above are critical. While the majority of Duke
paying attention to these, regularly? change over time?
undergraduates eventually go on to pursue
• What are the strategies used in this field • Why do people leave or come back?
advanced degrees, such a decision should be
to identify and bring on new talent? Are there patterns to notice here? based on individual circumstances, interests,
What are there motivators, timelines, and goals.
resources, strategies, or techniques How If you have decided that an advanced degree
that you need to be aware of? • How did you decide that this was your is right for you, the next step is to contact the
best option? appropriate resource at Duke to assist you:
When • How have you challenged or tested http://trinity.duke.edu/advising/
• When are important events that I this choice? preprofessional
should make myself aware of, e.g., a • Office of Health Professions Advising
conference? • Prelaw Advising Office
• When is the typical hiring cycle? Are • PreBusiness Advising Office
there things that I should prepare for? • Pregraduate Advising
15

16. Next Steps and Selected Resources:
Exploration
• Use a career counseling appointment to devise a research game plan.
Work with a counselor to identify the best resources to use first.
(http://goo.gl/q72KX)
• Participate in The Fannie Mitchell Expert-in-Residence
Program, year-round, (http://goo.gl/310Sc) and
The Fannie Mitchell event, early spring semester,
(http://DukeExchange.com) to learn from Duke alums
visiting campus.
• Use the Occupational Network (online.
onetcenter.org), especially the “skills search”
to match job titles to your interests.
• Identify and reach out to a
variety of professionals
using DukeConnect (www.
DukeConnect.com) and by
joining the “Duke University
Alumni Network” group after
making a profile on LinkedIn (www.LinkedIn.com).
• Familiarize yourself with the variety of information resources available to you as a Duke student.
A few to get you started:
Informational Interviewing Guide (http://goo.gl/Di0rS)
Learn about the job or sector while building your network.
Job & Career Research Library Guide (http://guides.library.duke.edu/careerresearch)
A thorough overview of the best research tools available across Duke.
GoinGlobal (http://goo.gl/oO08L)
Essential insights and resources for exploring by location, domestically or abroad.
eRecruiting (http://goo.gl/4L2kF)
Register for Career News and email lists that match your interests.
16

17. Making the Most of
the Experience Buffet
P
icture a delicious buffet with your favorite dishes as well as delicacies that you
have heard of but never had the opportunity to try. Food and drink from around
the globe, each prepared to perfection. How do you approach this buffet?
Would you start at the beginning piling on everything that looks delicious as it
passes before you? But then you would be too full to enjoy your favorite dessert at
the end. You could take only a tiny taste of a few things to keep your options open,
only to find yourself still hungry in the end. Perhaps you are already imagining
another, more strategic approach as you read.
When it comes to the vast and tantalizing smorgasbord of experiences accessible
to Duke students, it is not difficult to understand why Dukies tend to behave like
hungry diners piling their plates as high as possible. We know that one of the
Photo: fazen
reasons you were admitted to Duke was because of your diverse experiences,
which demonstrated that you were an intellectually curious and interesting person.
You may deftly balance your overloaded plate, but are you getting the most enjoyment and benefit from your
meal? Or is your palete overrun by all of the flavors and textures, unable to distinguish savory from sweet, crisp
from creamy? Do you conclude your meal feeling satiated or stuffed? Well nourished or just full?
Let’s go back to the buffet. What’s your best strategy?
Scan your options. Based on what you know about your tastes and preferences, what must you have? Do you
see anything that hadn’t previously piqued your curiosity but does now? What dishes are available that you have
not seen or heard of before now?
Make your selections and enjoy. Choose a balance of nutritious and indulgent options, old favorites and
something new. Not too many selections on one plate—you can always go back for more! Taste each item on its
own, then see how the flavors blend or complement each other. Enjoy slowly and savor.
Assess your satisfaction. Are you still hungry? Was your anticipated favorite less tasty than you had hoped?
Leave it on the plate to save room to eat something else.
Go back for more. You are even more prepared this time around. You know what you like and what you have yet
to try. You have gotten feedback about the things that others have enjoyed. Your preferences are more specific
and you are scanning for particular items that will satisfy you.
Talk about the meal. After leaving the meal you are still talking about it. What did you like and why? Did you
skip anything appealing because you were no longer hungry? Would something else have helped round out the
meal for you? Would you go back for more? If so, what would you have? What would you pass over?
Your career development process is like a buffet. It entails tasting and trying, learning what you like and
what you find unappealing, and even experiencing moments of hunger and excess. You are also learning how
to satiate an appetite that changes with time, and how to get more out of your experience by discussing and
reflecting with others.
Bon appétit!
17

18. Test Your Strengths and Interests
ACQUISITION in the World
EXPERIENCE
Duke students are renowned for being
super-involved on and off of campus;
filling their schedules with research,
volunteer work, student organizations,
creative endeavors, entrepreneurial
ventures, studying abroad, internships.
You name it, Duke students are doing it!
With each experience you select, you
are choosing to develop and utilize
particular skills, work with or for certain people, function within a specific structure
and environment, acquire particular kinds of knowledge, and grapple with particular
problems. The Career Center recommends you examine each of your opportunities
to better understand:
What you want to learn or gain?
How you want to challenge yourself?
What you want to do more (or less) of?
What curiosities do you want to satisfy?
By looking at your array of choices with a critical eye, you will be well equipped to
determine your next steps, whether your goal is to enhance current knowledge and
skills or set forth in a newly-discovered direction.
Think Differently About Experience
Once you have determined what you want to learn next by reflecting on your past
experiences and future aspirations, there are many ways to pursue your immediate
goals. Opportunities abound on campus and in the local community to develop specific
knowledge and skills, to build relationships, and to generate further insight about who
you are becoming. The key is to be discerning in your choices: the value of any given
experience can only be measured in relation to YOUR unique goals and interests.
The list below suggests some of the avenues for gaining experience. Keep in mind
that no single club, project, or activity has a monopoly on the knowledge and skill
development you seek!
• Student organizations (active participation • Significant projects, in class or out
and/or leadership) • Athletics
• Community engagement and volunteering • Hobbies
• Research with a professor • Honors thesis
• Independent research • Campus and national competitions
• Job shadowing • Tutoring
• Entrepreneurial ventures • Military
18

19. Career Center advisors are eager to talk with you
about how these and other experiences may be
the right fit for your personal priorities and interests.
Internships
Think of internships as a broad set of additional experiences that may complement your
on- and off-campus activities and coursework or help you bridge gaps in your
exploration, learning, and development. Internships are most often explicitly
88% of Duke seniors
pre-professional in nature and are one more tool for gaining self-insight, responding to a 2011
knowledge and skills. survey reported having
had at least one internship
As with your other activities and courses, it is essential that you take a critical
before graduation.
approach when pursuing and selecting from the range of internship choices.
There is no objective measure for a good internship. The best internships are those that
align with your unique values, skills, interests, and personality and that make sense given what else
you have learned and experienced thus far.
As you learn more and clarify your interests with each experience, your priorities and goals will
likely change. Over time, you may choose to mix and match a variety of internship experiences
along with your coursework and other experiences to best meet your needs and interests.
Start Investigating
Internships Don’t rule out an unpaid
• Meet with a career counselor to clarify what you hope summer opportunity!
to learn from an internship and develop a personalized There are many options
strategy—the earlier you begin the conversation, the better! if you act early: Apply
Continue periodic check-in meetings throughout your
for competitive funding
exploration and search.
• Request time to talk with members of your Board of Advisors
to cover your costs, stay
for advice and perspective. Keep your advisors up to date close to home, take on
throughout your exploration and search. a part-time, paid job
• Talk to other students about their internship experiences. alongside an internship,
or build up your savings
before the summer
Consider Professional Fellowships begins.
Though many students only associate “fellowships” with academic pursuits, professional
fellowships are a great option for those seeking short-term work experience, training, and
mentorship after graduation. These competitive opportunities—found throughout the world—are
typically geared toward cultivating young leaders in various professional fields. As such, they can
serve as a fantastic springboard for your career.
For more information about post-graduate professional fellowships, make an appointment with a
career counselor and explore from our website: http://goo.gl/A0f28
For academic fellowships, e.g., Rhodes Scholars Program, the Office of Undergraduate Scholars
and Fellows at Duke and its website are excellent resources.
CAREER GUIDE // 19
19
19

20. next Steps and Selected resources:
Experience Acquisition
• Schedule a career counseling appointment to identify steps toward experiences
that strategically align with your curiosities. (http://goo.gl/q72KX)
• Create an account and set up personalized searches in each of these Duke
databases to become more aware of the options.
eRecruiting
(http://goo.gl/4L2kF)
iNet
(http://goo.gl/FSG0A)
UCAN
(http://goo.gl/4IutS)
• Use dukelist (dukelist.duke.edu) to identify volunteer, research, and work opportunities at Duke.
• Attend a career fair.
(http://goo.gl/6ERiS
• Look for leads and ideas using
these consolidated lists:
Internship Series Online
(http://goo.gl/0BKMl)
Internship Feedback Database
(http://goo.gl/hgAFk)
e-leads
(http://goo.gl/3IUQh)
20
20

21. ? ?
nine domains to find your fit
? ??
??
??
?
It is both challenging and exciting to imagine your career options. For one thing,
your career is and will continue to be multi-faceted, just like you! Whether you are
working on your next move, or figuring out your longer-term aspirations, you will
gain traction by fleshing out nine intersecting domains, or elements, that comprise
?? ? ?
your career.
Spend time with the questions below; each refers to a specific domain related to
your personal career fulfillment. You do not need to work all of this out in one sitting,
but we do encourage you to put your thoughts on paper. Free yourself to be in the
present moment with an understanding that your answers to these questions will
change over time. This can be a great starting point for an intentional conversation
?
with a career counselor or member of your Board of Advisors (Page 9).
Domains:
Knowledge:
In what areas of knowledge, intellectual, personal, experiential, can you claim a particularly strong
grasp and find great enjoyment?
What do you want to learn next?
What do you ultimately want to know?
Skills:
What can you do well?
Among your capabilities, which do you enjoy using? Which do you prefer NOT to use?
What skills do you wish to acquire in the short- and long-term?
Goals:
What do you want to accomplish in the short- and long-term?
Values:
What are your personal and work values and how do you want them to intersect with your work?
Which of your values do you want to hold in common with the people with whom you work?
Environment:
In what physical environments do you thrive?
In what physical environments do you struggle?
Relationships:
What types of relationships do you want in your work (with colleagues, managers, constituents,
customers, etc.)?
Who do you envision your colleagues to be?
Compensation:
What kind of financial compensation do you need or want?
What sorts of benefits or perks are important to you?
What do you want to learn in your work?
What are the sources of your joy?
Location:
Where do you want to be?
What geographic factors are important to you?
Challenges and Barriers:
What real difficulties do you see ahead for you?
21

22. Are You Search S
SEARCH SKILLS Characteristics of a Savvy
Internship and Job Seeker
Ready to move forward with your search? Here are a few characteristics that
successful and savvy experience seekers possess and implement throughout the
search process. These characteristics apply whether you are pursuing an internship,
job, volunteer role, fellowship, or membership in a student organization.
Successful seekers REFLECT! Time to search for an opportunity. But wait! What type
of experience are you seeking? Why? Take time to think carefully about your
skills, strengths, likes/dislikes, and what you want to learn next. Being able
to articulate the above will allow you to conduct a search with purpose and
direction, ultimately saving you time and minimizing frustration. Reflection is a
key component that should be used throughout the process.
Successful seekers conduct a TARGETED SEARCH! Pursuing any and every
opportunity you find will produce results that may not align with the direction
you would like to head with your career. Target organizations and industries that
are of genuine interest to you and tailor your approach (resume, cover letter,
proposal, and pitch) to reflect the experiences and skills most relevant and
salient for those opportunities.
Successful seekers RESEARCH! You may know the top five employers in your industry
of interest, but who are the top 10? Top 20? Don’t limit your knowledge of
the world to what you already know. Take time to expand upon this base of
knowledge and learn about opportunities and experiences that are interesting
to you. Researching organizations and employers allows you to learn about their
culture, values, and specific opportunities for career development. Your research
will help you determine whether or not there is a potential fit between you and
the opportunity or organization, helping you make an informed decision about
your next step!
Successful seekers are ORGANIZED! Some searches are especially time consuming.
You should anticipate spending several hours a week on your internship, job,
or fellowship search. The same may be true of other opportunities. Develop a
system that allows you to keep all of your contacts and notes in one place and
keep a calendar of relevant events and deadlines. Consider having an email
address, folder, or use tags dedicated to your search-related communications.
Store your search-related documents electronically in a centralized folder so they
are easy to access if needed immediately.
Successful seekers have ENDURANCE and PATIENCE! Since some searches can last
several months, be prepared to participate in a process that may not always
agree with your preferred timeframe. We are used to immediate gratification in
our society, but each organization, employer, or funder works at their own pace
for legitimate (if obscure) reasons. As a candidate for the opportunity, you will
benefit from being aware of and sensitive to this fact.
22

23. h Savvy?
Successful seekers FOLLOW UP! Following up on your applications and conversations can be the difference
between securing an opportunity and remaining in an undifferentiated pile of resumes. By following
up, you can confirm that your application is in the right hands, restate your serious interest in
the position, and demonstrate follow-through skills so important in professional roles. As with all
communications with employers, it is critical to act in a timely, professional, and courteous manner.
While you may be eager to know the status of your application, be aware that they may not be able
to provide much information at any given time. Your follow-up will nonetheless make a positive
impression.
Successful seekers MANAGE SETBACKS WITH POSITIVITY! Being told “no” in your search is never fun,
but it’s bound to happen at some point. Rejection can hinge on a number of factors, many of which
are out of the your control. While rejection can be frustrating, it is very important to remain positive
and not let a setback with one opportunity effect how you present yourself for another prospective
experience. Transform rejection into motivation, staying confident that you have many strong
characteristics to contribute.
Successful seekers project PROFESSIONALISM AND MATURITY! You are more than the sum of your skills
and previous experiences. Professionalism and maturity can take you a long way. As you connect with
people throughout your search, there are many opportunities to demonstrate this, including how you
communicate and present yourself.
23
23
23

24. Professional
Networking
Intentional, sustained, and effective networking is a
powerful tool when searching for interesting internships,
jobs, and other experiences. It can significantly augment
other methods for learning about and pursuing career
options, such as on-campus recruiting, social networking,
and online searches.
Believe it or not, networking is something you already
do well! Think about your first weeks on campus,
meeting fellow students and exchanging information
related to your discoveries about Duke life, (bus routes,
campus dining facilities, interesting activities, great
professors, etc.). By sharing information, you were
assisting or receiving help yourself (getting from East
to West Campus on time, finding something fun to do
on Thursday night, etc.). Beyond information, perhaps
you introduced your math-whiz roommate with your
calculus-confused friend for some informal tutoring.
Exchanging useful information and seeking and
creating helpful introductions are the essence of
networking.
The Value of Networking
Strategically connecting with people enables you to:
• Gain insider knowledge and insight into the career
field, industry, or organization and the day-to-day
experiences, career paths, terminology, organizational
culture, sources of industry information, and more.
• Build confidence over time in speaking about yourself,
career interests, and future goals.
• Expand the number of people you know who are
doing things you are curious about.
• Learn about opportunities, sometimes before they
become publicized (Note: Networking is NOT the
same as asking for a job).
• Refine your goals, make well-informed decisions
in your search, and make a positive impression
on employers and those who are evaluating your
candidacy.
24

25. Managing Your Online Networking Basics
Reputation With practice comes improvement. Ever hear the phrase,
“fake it ‘till you make it?” No one needs to know that you’re
You know that employers use the Internet to research potential nervous or that you’ve never done this before. On the other
job candidates. Thus, a necessary part of any job or internship hand, if it makes you more comfortable, feel free to tell people
search is to create and maintain a positive online reputation. this is new for you. It’s okay. Even after years of practice,
Use the following steps to move from damage control towards
introducing yourself to someone new can feel risky. But it is
proactive ownership of your online first impression.
worth it. Students we talk to most commonly say that their
Increase Your Awareness. Be sure you know what level of nervousness far exceeded the actual task, and that
information is or could be available about yourself online, the conversation was fun! Just remember that almost any
where it is, and what impression it may create. interpersonal encounter can be an opportunity for intentional
• Search your name (and different versions of it) on the networking.
major search engines, on different social networks, • Know yourself: skills, interests, values, personality, and
and sites where you comment. A few not-so-obvious accomplishments.
sites to check: Tumblr, Netflix, Flickr, Match, Pinterest,
• Make a list of your current relationships—personal,
Amazon, Yelp.
professional, academic, and beyond. Add Duke alums to
• Know the privacy agreement and settings for the
various online communities of which you are a your list! Your first-degree contacts will be instrumental
member. in connecting you with other people you do not yet
• Request feedback from peers and professionals on know, your second-degree contacts.
impressions based your online presence alone. Would • Do not discount individuals because you think they do
they hire you? Why or why not? not know the right people. They do not need to be in
• Familiarize yourself with sites where your potential
the area you are pursuing to have valuable relationships
colleagues or supervisors gather and participate
online. to share.
• Create a plan for reaching out to your first-degree
Protect Your Image. Ensure potential employers only see contacts and for keeping track of your communications.
information that conveys a positive image. You do not want You might want to start with people who seem to have
them to question your professionalism, judgment, or ability to the closest connections to your interest area OR with
represent their organization.
those whom you feel most comfortable with. Either way
• Adjust the privacy settings for all online accounts.
• Remove content and tags that could negatively will work. The point is to create a plan you can act on!
influence a potential employer’s first impression. • Do your homework. Learn a little bit about each person
• Hide or delete old accounts that do not best represent you contact (profession, current projects, company,
you. relevant personal information, etc.). Use the power of
• Request that information about you posted by others the Internet to your advantage.
be removed if you are opposed to it. • Draft and practice your opening communication (verbal
introduction, email, etc.). Discuss this with a friend,
Build a Professional Presence. Present your name,
accomplishments, and aspirations in ways that can be career advisor, or someone from your Board of Advisors
accessible to others. (Page 9).
• Use social networks to create and maintain a public • Make your move! Send an email first; follow with a phone
profile that represents your accomplishments and a call. Or simply CALL! Assign yourself a daily quota. Be
sense of the professional you are becoming and you persistent but not pushy.
are comfortable with the public seeing.
• Follow up! Call again within a week if you receive no
• Display a copy of your resume and a portfolio of your
accomplishments online. response. Arrange a meeting in person or by phone. Ask
• Promote your profiles and/or website, e.g., add a link for 30 to 45 minutes only. You could get even luckier!
to your email signature. • Set the tone. Know and explain why you are calling and
• Contribute to conversations relevant to your fields of what you hope to learn (industry information, career
interest through media like blogs, LinkedIn groups, exploration, job search advice, graduate or professional
and/or Twitter.
school guidance, etc.) You are NOT asking for a job.
Own Your Presence. Assert greater control of your online • Ask for referrals. One of your most important questions
identity by owning it yourself. is, “Whom do you recommend I contact for additional
• Create a personal website that serves as a professional information?”
resume and portfolio. Update this regularly with new • Send a thank-you note within 48 hours! Email is OK! A
content. personal letter can be very effective, too.
• Continue your activities online and watch your name • Maintain connections. Nurture the relationships by
and professional identity become more prominent in
staying in touch and letting them know where you land.
search engines. Set a goal to take over the whole first
page of Google when someone searches your name. • Be patient. Networking yields results that often
accumulate over time. Never stop networking!
25