Career & Professional Development Workshops

These workshops offer limited customization and focus on building foundational career and professional development skills. Sessions are primarily presenter-led and include interactive activities throughout to encourage engagement and learning.

Workshop Options:

• Resume 101
  • Never made a resume? No worries! This workshop will cover the basics of a resume including formatting, design, organization, and content. Students will leave this workshop feeling confident they can craft a well-designed and organized resume.
• LinkedIn/Branding
  • You’ve likely heard the expression, “it’s all about who you know.”  But finding those connections and people can be tough—LinkedIn can help!  This workshop will help you identify core pieces of your professional brand, develop a quality LinkedIn profile, and gain confidence and understanding for how you can use LinkedIn to network with others in your desired industry/field.
• Career Days Prep*
  • How do I stand out at Career Days? How do I make the most of the event? What should I bring?  These are all frequent questions students ask the Career Center when preparing for Career Days.  The workshop will provide tips and tricks for preparing for Career Days and making the most of the event while you’re there and after.
• Job Search Kickstart*
  • Knowing where and how to start an internship or job search can sometimes feel confusing. This workshop will help you gain an understanding of the job search process and develop a plan for launching your own job or internship search.
• Building a Network
  • Not sure how to build your network? Learn how to build your network and understand how to maintain that network. This workshop is great preparation for those who may be attending a conference or other networking event.
• Interviewing – Utilizing STAR Stories
  • We all have a story to tell, and if you’ve made it from applying to interviewing for a position, the employer wants to hear yours. This workshop will teach the basics of preparing for interviews and how to craft meaningful stories that highlight your skills and abilities for a role.
• Understanding Offers and Salary Negotiation
  • You earned the job offer, now what? Most students are nervous to negotiate their first job offer. This workshop will offer a general overview of interpreting a job offer, crafting professional counteroffers and emails, how to research salary benchmarks, and basics for what can and cannot be negotiated.
• Professional Written Communication Best Practices
• Career Center-VIP Introduction & Services
  • This workshop provides an overview of the Career Center and the Vallejo Irvine Program (VIP) for Professional Development, including services, signature programs, and resources. Request this workshop for your classroom, student organization, or staff to learn more about the Career Center and how we can support you.

Advanced workshops build on foundational career and professional development concepts through deeper exploration and discussion. These sessions are well suited for graduate students, student leaders, and those seeking to expand their knowledge.

Workshop Options:

•  Advanced Resumes*
  • This workshop is designed for anyone who has a resume and wants to take it to the next level. This workshop covers specifics for resume tailoring, aligning resumes to specific job descriptions, articulating our skillsets and abilities, and other forms of resumes (CV’s, federal resumes, etc.). The Career Center recommends sequencing Resume 101 and Advanced Resumes when possible.
• Translating Skills to Industry*
  • Curious how to best communicate the amazing skills, knowledge, and abilities you’ve developed to employers and your professional networks? Want to learn what employers are looking for in candidates? This workshop covers what professional competencies employers seek in candidates, and in what ways to best translate your experiences and accomplishments into a value proposition.
• AI for the Job Search
  • AI can be an amazing tool for exploring career paths, developing application materials, and ensuring professional communication when working with employers. This workshop will help you understand ways to integrate AI successfully into your career planning and job search, as well as challenge you to consider the ethics of utilizing these tools.

These workshops place less emphasis on content delivery and more on hands-on practice, discussion, and skill development. Participants will have opportunities to actively apply and strengthen career and professional development skills in a supportive learning environment.

Workshop Options:

• Team Collaboration and Communication
  • Learn what makes a strong working group and build in time to practice team-building and collaborative skills through fun and engaging activities!
• Peer-to-Peer Mock Interviews
  • What builds interview skills? Practice! This facilitated activity focuses on practicing interviewing skills through peer-to-peer mock interviewing. Get a quick overview of the STAR method and apply learnings in a safe learning environment with student peers.
• Small-Talk and Networking Practice
  • Small-talk often feels uncomfortable or disingenuous for many folks and thus can lead to feelings of dread when it comes to networking events. This workshop will provide strategies for effective small-talk, and provide built in practice to grow this important skill, leading to more confident networking and verbal communication skills!
• Elevator Pitches
  • Whether prepping for Career Days or other networking events, elevator pitches are an important part of making a strong first impression. This activity-based workshop covers an overview of elevator pitches, provides a structure, and gives ample opportunity to practice!

Need to miss a class due to a planned or unexpected absence? Request a workshop! The Career Center and Vallejo Irvine Program (VIP) for Professional Development will work with faculty to provide a career and professional development workshop that benefits students. Faculty may request any of the workshops listed above or utilize our asynchronous Canvas resources, listed below, which include professional development activities designed for reflection and applied learning.

Request a workshop or asynchronous Canvas resources by emailing careercenter@mines.edu 

Asynchronous Canvas Resources & Activities

The Career Center and VIP have developed grab-and-go resources that faculty can incorporate into their courses or use in place of a class session. These activities help students connect their academic experiences to career readiness and effectively communicate their knowledge, skills, and value to employers. **Offerings include:

• Conveying classroom learnings into resume bullet points
• Coming Soon: Using STAR interview responses with classroom learnings

**Please note that this is a new program currently under development. We look forward to expanding our offerings in future semesters!