CAREER AND PROFESSIONAL RESOURCES
Ready to kickstart your career journey? At USD Online, we've got the tools and support to make it happen. Check out the career and professional resources that will be at your fingertips once you join us. Let's turn those career goals into reality together!
USD's Career Development Center
As a USD Online Student, if you need job search assistance such as resume review or networking tips, the Career Development Center has career counselors who are available for 1-on-1 virtual or in-person appointments.
- The USD Career Development Center Graduate Resources
- On-Campus & Virtual Career Fairs – look for “Virtual” if not close to San Diego
- Resume & cover letter templates, LinkedIn, job search & interview tips
- Recorded Career Development Webinars - view presentations, panels, interviews, career fair preparation, and employer information sessions
- Short-term virtual internship resources paid and unpaid opportunities
- Mock interview practice resource: Big Interview
- Join professional organizations in your industry resource: CareerOnestop.org
JobScan
Many companies use bots to scan resumes for an initial screening. Jobscan uses the same scanning technology to compare your resume, cover letter, and LinkedIn profile with job descriptions and provides recommendations to increase your interview opportunities. Jobscan helps candidates optimize their documents to better align with job descriptions, making them stronger candidates.
Jobscan also has a Job Matcher feature which is an intelligent job board that matches you based on the skillsets of your resume and job descriptions instead of job titles or search queries.
USD Online students may request an invitation to join JobScan to gain free access as an online graduate student.
LinkedIn is one of the most well-known professional networking applications. You may already have a profile but wondering how to stand out to recruiters. Below are some tips and tricks to help you land your dream role.
Linkedin tips & tricks
Curate a Professional Profile
Your profile is a great space to show off your personality in a professional way. In most cases, potential employers may have already seen your resume and are looking at your LinkedIn profile to learn more about you. Find a balance between adding personal interests and elements while maintaining a professional demeanor.
- Use a professional profile picture.
- Highlight a bit of your personality in the header image.
- Do not directly copy/paste your Resume onto your LinkedIn profile! This profile is your chance to add additional information.
- Ask your colleagues to endorse you and provide recommendations on your profile.
- Take a skills assessment to show competency in related subject areas.
Engage in your Networks & Add Meaning
In your courses, you often make discussion posts and reply to your peers with meaningful commentary and discussion. When you make posts on LinkedIn, it's no different!
- Search and connect with previous and current colleagues.
- Follow companies/organizations that interest you!
- Join LinkedIn groups to join private conversations.
- When sharing content with your network, contribute some additional perspective or add meaning to generate discussion.
- Add people you know from the University of San Diego.
Job Search Effectively
There are so many jobs out there - use the tools available on LinkedIn to target your job search for the best fit.
- Search USD's Alumni Network to see if anyone is currently working at the company - if so, try to connect and learn more.
- Use the job search filters such as "job type, experience level, or date posted" to narrow your search.
- Avoid the "Easy Apply" feature if at all possible. If you see a job you like, go directly to the company's website and apply through their native system. You are more likely to be noticed this way!
Salary negotiation
It is recommended that all candidates negotiate their employment offers. Everything is negotiable, however, it is important to note that candidates may risk their offer being rescinded through the negotiation process, albeit that is a rare occurrence.
Candidates should consider the following items for negotiation:
- full benefits package
- vacation days
- office hours
- in-person/hybrid/remote work formats
- alignment with company values/culture
It is important to do research first and come prepared for a negotiation. Students should come prepared knowing what unique value they bring to the organization and the role, continue to show their excitement for working for the employer, and remain polite throughout. Candidates want a win/win outcome, and so do hiring managers. It can be helpful to understand the perspective of the hiring manager when negotiating a starting salary.
salary resources
Below are helpful resources for students to view salary data by similar titles in similar companies by geographic location:
Torero Employer and Alumni Mentors (T.E.A.M.)
The Torero Employer and Alumni Mentors (T.E.A.M.) platform is a university-wide virtual networking, mentoring, and job posting platform. Students are encouraged to use this platform to expand their professional network and leverage their fellow alumni peers to build connections in new professional spaces. You can think of the T.E.A.M. platform being USD's internal LinkedIn platform.