The Career Center Job & Internship Guide is an indispensable resource for students during their job search. The Guide is reviewed and updated each year.

Welcome to the Career Center!

Wherever you are in your academic career – freshman through PhD – we are here to help you navigate your career during your years at Berkeley. From choosing a major to exploring different career options to finding internships to looking for part-time and full-time employment to preparing for graduate, law, or medical school, our first class career counselors and staff, programs, and resources are available to you every step of the way.

I encourage you to explore our website and to take the opportunity to meet with us face to face at the Career Center or during one of our many special events.

Once again, welcome. We look forward to helping you!

Tom Devlin
(510) 642-3461

Preparing for Your Search

For many, it is tempting to jump into the job or internship search feet first, but the most effective searches start with thoughtful preparation.

This chapter presents three keys to preparing for a successful search:
1. Evaluate Yourself – Gain an awareness and understanding of your interests, skills, and motivations
2. Research the World of Work – Learn what kinds of career fields, jobs and employers fit your interests and abilities
3. Make Decisions – Make choices that take into account what you want and what options are available

Visit Job & Internship Guide: 2008-2009 Download Page

You can download full publication in PDF format.

UC Berkeley Career Center
2111 Bancroft Way
Berkeley, CA 94720-4350
Monday-Friday 9am-5pm
(510) 642-1716
career.berkeley.edu

CONTENTS
2 Welcome to the Career Center
2 Services and Resources
2 Four Year Action Items
4 Preparing for Your Search
4 Evaluate Yourself
6 Research the World of Work
7 Informational Interviewing
8 Informational Interviewing: How to Say It!
9 Make Decisions
10 Internships
11 Find Internship Opportunities
13 Develop Your Own Internship
13 Search for Long Distance Internships
14 Internship Time Line
15 Internships: How to Say It!
16 Your Job or Internship Search
17 Sources for Jobs & Internships
19 Networking
20 US Jobs for International Students
21 The Long Distance Job Search
22 Resume & Letter Writing
22 5 Steps for Resume Development
26 Resume Components
27 Verb List for Resumes
28 Sample Resumes
39 Cover Letters
44 Successful Interviewing
46 Types of Interviews
47 Types of Interview Questions
48 Practice Interview Questions
51 Questions to Ask Employers
52 Sample Thank You Letter
53 Internship & Job Offers
54 Evaluating Job Offers
55 Negotiating
56 Accepting & Declining Offers
59 Employer & Graduate School Index

Evaluating an Offer Activity

1. Make a list of the criteria you were looking for when you started your search.

Examples of possible criteria include:
• interest in particular job function, e.g., management, sales, consulting, design, or an interest in a rotational program
• opportunity to work on challenging projects
• opportunity to use skills and abilities that refl ect your strengths
• a setting that will allow you to express your values
• working independently and/or as part of a team
• opportunity to travel and/or work in a certain geographic location
• job security, opportunity for advancement, and professional development
• a position that will be compatible with a particular lifestyle, e.g., not working more than 40-50 hours per week
• a position that offers certain perks, incentives, or a certain salary level

2. Look over your criteria and give them a number rank:
1) items you defi nitely want
2) items you prefer but could do without
3) nice extras to have on the job

3. Evaluate the offer by analyzing how well it meets your ranked criteria.

Does the position include most of the items you defi nitely want? Or does it only offer one or two critical factors? If you only have one or two of your criteria met, will the position bring you satisfaction or will you be looking for a new opportunity soon?

Other questions to ask yourself include:
• What are the tasks and responsibilities of the job?
• Would I enjoy the work? Is the work challenging? Is there variety in the work?
• Is there opportunity for advancement?
• Do I like the working conditions? Do I like my potential supervisor and coworkers?
• What is the organization’s reputation? Is the organization growing or downsizing?
• Do the organizational values and culture match my perspective?
• What is the compensation package? Does the salary meet my fi nancial needs?

If you need more information after answering these questions, do not hesitate to ask the employer for more details about what it is like to work for their organization.

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