Office of Career and Professional Development
Helping students develop the skills they need to be competitive in the market and thrive in their careers is the focus of the Office of Career and Professional Development. We do this by providing a professional development pathway that includes a variety of curricular and co-curricular experiences.
We are always seeking opportunities to collaborate with faculty and staff to ensure students at all levels experience meaningful career and professional development opportunities throughout their time at Gies. The Office of Career and Professional Development offers services and resources including but not limited to:
Student career advising
If you have a student who would benefit from our services, sometimes all it takes is a little encouragement from you in order to get them to take the next step. Our career advisors have appointments available to discuss how students can implement their career plans. Students can schedule appointments online on Handshake @ Illinois or utilize our “Ask A Career Advisor” email advising service.
- Career/Major Exploration
- Career Planning
- Internship/Job Search Strategy
- Career Fair Preparation
- Networking
- Professional Communication (Resumes, Cover letters, etc…)
- Interviewing
Skill and professional development workshops
Throughout the academic year, the Office of Career and Professional Development offers a variety of workshops, programs, and events for students. A comprehensive list of events can be found here. Career Fairs are held in both the Fall and Spring semesters and include both virtual and in-person events.
Professional development in the classroom
Strong partnerships with organizations and individuals have a great impact on our students’ learning experience. The Office of Corporate Partnerships welcomes the opportunity to help you get corporate partners into the classroom. Whether you’re looking for a guest speaker, judge, or enrichment activity, we can connect you with the right partner.
Partnerships in building professional development into curriculum
The Office of Career and Professional Development partners with faculty to offer career-related programs in the classroom. We will work with you to determine the appropriate content and activities for your audience.
Below are popular classroom requests:
- Career Exploration
- Resumes/Cover Letters
- Interview Skills
- Job/Internship Search
- Networking
- Personal Branding
- Major/Career-Specific Career Paths (customized for the major)
- Storytelling Your Gies Experience
- Offer Negotiation
- Ethics in the Job Search Process
Student outcomes data
The Illini Success initiative gathers data about the post-graduation pursuits of bachelor’s degree recipients at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. To access both annual reports and three-year trend reports, please visit the Illini Success website.
Electronic resources
We offer many resources to help students explore majors and careers and prepare for the next step:
- Career and Professional Development Website: Visit this one-stop-shop to explore career pathways and navigate the job/internship search.
- Handshake: The campus’ job platform. Students can view job and internship opportunities, interact with recruiters and employers, and schedule career advising appointments.
- Big Interview: Our virtual interview preparation platform. Students can practice their interview skills with custom question sets and review resources for job and graduate school interviews. Interested in integrating a recorded mock interview into an assignment? Let us know!
- Management Consulted: The world’s leading resource for Consulting News and Case Interview Preparation. Students have access to their entire library of resources – 500+ cases, seven online video courses, five e-books, and countless math and case structure drill