A
Graduate School
Advanced coursework and research in higher ed within a particular academic field with the desired outcome for an advanced degree such as a master's, PhD, PsyD etc.
A Student Worker
A student who is employed.
Volunteer
Unpaid labor meant to boost skills, experience, professionalism, engagement, passion, and/or interest within a desired industry, role, or organization
Work/Life Balance
The meaningful balance of time for both work tasks and life pursuits.
Work Environment
The culture of a particular workplace.
Skills (Name at least 3)
Languages, Problem Solving, Active Listening, Leadership, Communication, Public Speaking, Project Management, Photoshop, Google Suite, Microsoft Office Suite, Coding, Advocacy, Time Management, Organization
Recommendation Letter
The second point of consideration within an applicant’s packet for consideration for a competitive program or experience. Rec letters are usually considered before the student’s own essays and or grades. These letters are ways in which faculty members “talk across institutions” about the academic preparedness and capability of a particular applicant. These highly regarded, make or break, documents should be carefully weighed when asking from certain recommenders.
Resume
A professional record of achievements, skills, experience, and employment history. This document is typically used to highlight employability and professional suitability for a particular role, position, industry, or field. Typically one page in length, it is a skimmable document without the use of personal pronouns - (no “me’s”, or “I’s”)
A thoughtfully produced letter - three paragraphs in length to artfully convey an applicant’s suitability for a particular position.
Shadowing
Intense, intentional observation of a professional within their role and within the context of their position.
Referral / Referral Program
An employer's preferred way of establishing “good hires” by asking those within their organization to recommend others outside of the organization to open positions for employment. Some of these programs have financial incentives and reduce the labor involved in recruitment tactics and strategies.
Reference Letter
Typically used within the context of employment applications. These letters give a sense of an applicant’s employability and office culture fit for a particular position.
Fellowship
A prestigious, well-funded, mission-oriented program is accompanied with mentorship, full-time professional experience, and/or research within a particular area. Fellowships are usually one or two year in length with an accompanying project based experience and often named in honor of a significant person to which the “fellows” are considered the legacy project of that person.
Internship
Paid or unpaid professional work experience with both a learning and applied component. Internships can be for a semester, a year, as part of an on-boarding process to full time employment, and as a way to pivot from one career to another.
Apprenticeship
These are applied, instructor based experiences that often come with a prolonged period of training and observation to ensure the successful passage of a particular set of skills. When training is complete, the apprentice may be granted some kind of certification or designated degree to indicate they have a “mastery” level of knowledge upon completion of the program.
Remote/Hybrid Work Daily Double
Certain sectors of employment that allow for an employee to work remotely away from the designate office space assigned. Hybrid allows for that employee to have the option of both working from home and in person.
Informational Interview
An intentional meeting to inquire about any job related questions, industry questions, or general questions about career advice. These are typically arranged by the interviewee to be held for a small period of time in length - no longer than 20 minutes to someone who is either an expert, advanced, or knowledgeable within their profession.
Technology or “Tech” Interview
A lengthy interview process for the tech industry that may require a two to three day hiring process that may involve a project, a challenge, or test to showcase knowledge of a particular skill or experience.
Statement of Purpose
This one or more page document typically used within a competitive application process informs the selection committee about an applicant’s prepardness regarding a mission oriented program, opportunity, or experience. An SOP should highlight the ways in which an applicant understands the criteria, mission, and purpose of said competitive application.
Employee Benefits (Name at least 3-5)
Unlimited PTO - Personal Time Off - Health & Wellness Benefits - employer paid -- Family Leave Time - Time off for caring for a member of your family or introducing a new member to your family (births or adoptions)
Pre-Professional Track
Certain professions have a specific training and/or educational foundation of knowledge to be completed before one can begin on their professional “track” - an example of this is Pre-Med.
Questions not to ask during an interview. (Name at least two)
How much would I get paid? Could my parent/guardian come to my follow-up interview? What does your company do? If I'm hired, when can I start applying for other positions in the company? Who is your competition? What other jobs are available here?
Conservatory
An intense program of study whereby students elect to take several focused courses around one topic of study - usually with the performing and visual arts
CV
CV or Curriculum Vitae is the academic equivalent of a resume within the field of research, higher education, academia, fellowships, and competitive scholarships. This document may be required over a resume to highlight skills, experience, related interests, scholarship and publications one has done within their professional field of higher education.
Practicum or Field Work
Practicum or Field Work relies on a practitioner to gain professional knowledge by application within the professional environment designated for the profession - ex.Student Teachers gaining classroom experience while still attending classes for their program requirements, or resident doctors / doctors in residency pursuing their education while practicing their specialized field of medicine.