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Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Queer, and Allied (GLBTQA) Students
Below are resources to help you in the career exploration and preparation process, this list is in no means exhaustive but will hopefully help you as you develop and achieve your career goals.
Things to Think About
- As you think about your career, consider what value your diverse background brings to a position and organization. Remember many employers appreciate the unique insight GLBTAQ students can bring to their position.
- Check organization rankings regarding general commitment to diversity at DiversityInc.
- Check out The Human Rights Campaign’s “Workplace” page. It includes many resources, including HRC’s Corporate Equality Index Survey, which rates organizations based on how their policies and practices support and protect GLBT individuals and families.
- Read organizations’ diversity statements and human resources policies on their web sites. Check to see if organizations offer domestic partnership benefits, or other GLBTQA-friendly policies. Look to see if organizations have GLBTQA “affinity” or “resource” groups for GLBTAQ employees and/or have GLBT-friendly benefits and workplace cultures.
- If you are transgender, consider checking out Transworkplace a networking site for transgender workplace diversity.
Getting Your Career on Track
Landing a great job after graduation, or getting into graduate school, takes more than simply going to class each day. A few tips and facts are listed below to give you some insight on what you can do now to succeed after graduation!
- Explore your Options. Explore your interests, strengths, personality, and values and how these relate to major and career options. Start by making an appointment with a career counselor in your career office.
- Get Experience. 50% of employers expect students to have 2 or more internships by graduation and graduate schools like applicants who have conducted research. Don’t know where to begin? Your career office can help you get started!
- Become a Leader. Employers rank leadership experiences as second in importance when reviewing applicants. Take a leadership role in a student organization or register for a leadership class or workshop.
- Visit Career Services. Career services staff members are experts in helping students reach their career goals. Because we regularly talk to employers in your industry, we have more insight than you will find through general online resources. Find your career office and call to schedule an appointment.
Career Resources for GLBTQA Students
While there are countless online career resources for GLBTQA individuals we have summarized the five four high-quality resources to help you as you search for jobs and internships:
TJobBank Employment site specifically designed to bring inclusive employers together with transgender candidates
Simply Hired, GLBT-friendly Simply Hired is a national job-search engine. It lets you search specifically for companies that have indicated that they are “GLBT-friendly.”
Diversity Working Diversity working is a job search engine offers you to search from 550,000 active and non-replicated diversity jobs
LGBT CareerLink Out & Equal Workplace Advocate's job search and employment networking website.
Out for Work OFW’s programs, resources and services provide assistance to students in the cultivation and enhancement of skills to explore career options, master search techniques and strategies and research employment opportunities.
Connect with Professionals and Peers
Meeting with GLBTQA professionals or others who work in your career area of interest can be a great way to get career advice and find leads on positions. Below are a few ways you can find people in industry who might be able to help.
- Ask family, friends, advisors, career counselors, community leaders or instructors if they know any GLBTQA professionals who you can speak with for advice on your career plans.
- Professional associations are groups of people who work in a similar industry that meet to conduct professional development and to network. Attending organization meetings can be a way to find professionals eager to help you navigate the world of work View a national listing of organizations created by the Human Rights Campaign at GLBT Professional and Student Associations.
- The University of Minnesota’s GLBTA Programs Office has a mentoring program specifically designed to help you find a mentor. For more information, see GLBTA Mentor Program.
- Quorum, the Twin Cities GLBT Chamber of Commerce
Has a member directory allows you to find professionals by industry area.
- Create an account on the online professional networking site LinkedIn.com and join groups such as the LGBT Professional Network - Global. Don’t know about LinkedIn? Check out our Online LinkedIn Tutorial for tips!
- Join student groups that relate to your professional goals. This is a great way to network with your peers and many groups bring in professionals in the field to speak with students.
- Attend career fairs, organization information sessions/networking events, and employer panels to expand your professional network. View campus events at GoldPASS , or for Carlson School of Management students, visit The Edge.
Feeling overwhelmed at the thought of contacting a professional? You’re not alone! Calling a stranger and asking for advice makes most students a little nervous. To get some tips to help you through this process, simply call your career center and ask for an appointment with a career staff member. We will coach you on what to say when you call a professional, what kinds of questions to ask and how to make the best impression.
Your Legal Rights
As GLBTQA student, you may have concerns about experiencing discrimination within your job search or career and how to handle this should it arise. Below you will find some resources to help you understand your rights if you encounter discrimination in a job interview or in the work place.
- To learn about what constitutes an illegal interview question and how to handle it if the situation happens in a job interview read the article title Handling Improper Interview Questions written by career experts from the National Association of Colleges and Employers. Also see the St. Paul Campus Career Center’s online workshop to help you decide if and how to disclose your gender identity or sexual orientation on a resume, in an interview, or on the job. A career staff member can also discuss these issues with you and help you make decisions.
- Laws protecting you from discrimination: Minnesota law prohibits discrimination in employment, housing, public accommodations, public service, education, credit, and business based on “sexual orientation,” which is defined to include transgender individuals. Although federal law does not protect employees from discrimination based on real or perceived gender identity or sexual orientation, many cities, counties and states do have such protections. To see if a state in which you are considering working has discrimination protections, see the Human Rights Campaign’s list of state laws
- If you experience discrimination once you are in a job, check out Dealing with Discrimination: Tips for Employees.
Campus Career Resources & Events
U of M career services offices
GoldPASS: Job and internship database for University of Minnesota students & alumni
The Edge: Job, internship and networking database for Carlson School of Management undergraduate and graduate students, and alumni
LandIt!: Job and internship database for students & alumni from any Minnesota college
Career Services Staff Can Help!
All of the career staff on campus is eager to help all students with their career goals. Those individuals listed below are members of the Career Services Diversity Committee any of them would be happy to help you with any career related questions. We are also available to help with presentations tailored t to student groups. Simply contact the staff member listed for your career center to get started:
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Amy Bowe |
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Leah Milojevic |
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Chris Buckley |
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Heidi J. Perman |
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Katy Hinz |
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Jeannie Stumne |
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Cathy Kipper |
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Mackenzie Sullivan |
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Beth Lory |
Megan Rivera |
