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Multicultural 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 some employers appreciate the unique insight multicultural students can bring to their position!
- Consider what cultural communication differences may exist in an interview and learn strategies for interview success—set up an appointment with a career counselor in your career office for help.
- Do you want to work at an organization that values diversity? Check company rankings regarding commitment to diversity at DiversityInc.
- Critically evaluate companies, such as:
- Does the organization offer diversity trainings or workshops?
- What policies does the organization have on religious observances (prayer room, etc)?
- Does the company mention Equal Opportunity and do they have any specific mention of diversity on their website and in their mission statement?
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 Multicultural Students
While there are countless online career resources for multicultural students, we have summarized the top five high-quality resources to help you as you search for jobs and internships:
INROADS “The mission of INROADS is to develop and place talented minority youth in business and industry and prepare them for corporate and community leadership.”
Monster.com Diversity Leadership Programs Helps top-tier college students bridge the gap in the transition from college to entry-level career by providing internship opportunities with over thirty different organizations.
IMDiversity.com Job bank and resources for specific diverse groups.
HireDiversity.com Links multicultural and bilingual job seekers with Fortune 500 companies.
Quintessential Careers Provides links to career and job sites focused for people from diverse backgrounds.
Connect with Professionals and Peers
Meeting with multicultural 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, community leaders or instructors if they know any multicultural 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. Research professional associations related to your field that may also be for multicultural populations. Attending organization meetings can be a way to find professionals eager to help you navigate the world of work. To find professional groups check out Weddle’s or simply Google using key words such as “Multicultural Engineers Professional Association”.
- Create an account on the online professional networking site LinkedIn.com and join groups such as the Minority Professional Network or Diversity in Minnesota. 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 a multicultural 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. 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:
|
Amy Bowe |
|
Leah Milojevic |
|
Chris Buckley |
|
Heidi J. Perman |
|
Katy Hinz |
|
Jeannie Stumne |
|
Cathy Kipper |
|
Mackenzie Sullivan |
 |
Beth Lory |
Megan Rivera |
