For a lot of us, taking UMBC’s language requirement is a pain. Learning a language is difficult, time- consuming, and a tedious task. I know people who chose not to major in Global Studies simply because they don’t want to take a language all the way up through the 300 level.

However, for others, learning different languages is rewarding, fun, and eye-opening. I’m bilingual, and while I may not have the most adept tongue in my second language, I know anytime that I have a successful, somewhat extensive conversation with my grandmother, I feel pretty proud of myself.

For those of you in the second group that find yourself interested in learning new languages, or even for those of you with cross-cultural or international career interests, the Language Career and Internship Fair is a great opportunity for you to see what types of jobs you can have post-graduation.

The Language Career and Internship Fair is an off-campus event that the University of Maryland, College Park (UMCP) has sponsored. UMCP has been so kind to invite UMBC students to attend (yes, on occasion they can be nice to us). It is on Wednesday, October 19, from 11 AM to 3 PM. The location is:

If you’re concerned about transportation, check out UMBC’s transit schedule here. The MARC Camden line can take you straight into College Park. You do not have to pre-register for the fair, just come dressed professionally and with plenty of resumes in hand!

What are some steps you can take to prepare you for the fair? If any of you saw my previous post about UMBC’s Fall Career and Internship Fair, you’ll find that a lot of this information is  similar, but that’s because it’s important!

1. Get your resume reviewed! We can help you get your resume into its best shape so you can advertise yourself in the best way possible. Drop-in hours at the Career Center are 2-4 PM, Monday-Friday (2nd floor of the Math and Psychology building), and 6-8 PM Tuesday and Wednesday in the Library’s Writing Center.
2. Check out who’s coming to the fair here. Research the employers and see who you’re interested in visiting. Make sure to check out their job descriptions and announcements! The best way to show an employer that you are interested in a position is showing that you took the time to research the company and job requirements. Plus, job descriptions and announcements can often tell you what specific characteristics an employer is looking for in an employee. By researching beforehand, you can plan how you can tailor your experience to fit those characteristics.
3. Create your 30- second commercial. Not sure what that is? Find tips on how to make one here.
4. Dress to impress! Take a few extra minutes to plan out what your outfit for that day will be. Business attire is suggested. I find myself googling what “business formal” vs. “business casual” is every single time I have an interview, so here’s a link to help save you some time.There are a number of career paths you can take for every single interest that you have. Don’t knock out a subject you are passionate about just because you don’t think you can make a successful career out of it.

Take the time to research potential careers, go to networking events like the Language Career and Internship Fair, and  talk to a Career Specialist in the Career Center. We are here to help you make the most out of your college experience and extend your success into your future.

Do you like free food? Did you miss the Fall Career and Internship Fair? Are you worried about finding an internship? Do you want experience networking with employers? If your answers to any of these questions were “yes,” then consider registering for UMBC’s Diversity Recruitment Event! The event, co-hosted by UMBC’s Career Center and the National Society of Black Engineers, is on Wednesday, October 19, 2016, from 5 to 8 PM in the UC Ballroom.

Pre-registration is required, and today (October 12), is the last day to do so. You can click here to register for the event.

The Diversity Recruitment Event is like the Fall Career and Internship Fair, but it is smaller, with 32 employers registered to attend. This is great news for students! There are more opportunities for you to network with representatives and make a memorable impression.

Not only that, but you have a chance to get career advice from someone who knows what you are going through. That’s something that I lose sight of a lot; these professionals have valuable experiences that they got only after they were once just like me; a college student living off of Salsaritas and gummy worms. They know our struggle and can give us advice on how to get where we want to go.

There’s a false misconception that the Diversity Recruitment Event only invites employers looking to hire STEM majors. There are plenty of companies coming that want to recruit students from allmajors. Plus, you never know where exploring your options can take you. You might find out you’re interested in a subject you never even considered because you learned of different career paths or opportunities you can take when you study that subject.

You can find a list of employers coming to recruit you here. Take the time to do your research if you choose to attend the event! The best way to tailor your experiences to what an employer is looking for is by researching what they want in a candidate. You can do this by looking at their job descriptions and announcements.

Make sure to dress professionally (here are some tips to help you with that) and bring plenty of resumes to distribute to the employers! The other day I went to an information session, and the representative told us all that she would email us directly, even before submitting an application, simply because we gave her a copy of our resumes at the networking event. If you want your resume looked at beforehand, drop in hours are 2-4 PM at the Career Center (2nd floor of Math & Psych), and 6-8 PM Tuesday and Wednesday in the Library’s Writing Center.

There’s also a number of different prizes you can win and a free dinner. I’m pretty sure there’s a group of students on campus who make it their mission to find all the free food on campus, so take note of that.

Again, pre-registration is required and today is the last day to do so. Take advantage of this amazing opportunity organized by your school! You never know what you’ll learn about yourself and what you want to do with your future when you go out and talk to people who actually work in the field that you’re interested in.

Life would be so much easier if someone could tell us what we were good at. Imagine if we all could sit under a “sorting hat” and be told what characteristics dominate our personalities, what kind of person we are, or even have the chance to see what kind of person we don’t want to be (I’m looking at you, Lucius Malfoy).

Figuring out our skills and talents is hard. There have been so many times where I’ve laid in bed, staring at my ceiling, thinking about how I’m not exceedingly good at anything, but instead mediocre at everything. I’ve doubted my career path so many times, even the one that has been my dream since I was 15 years old, simply because I don’t know if I have what it takes.

How are we supposed to articulate our strengths to employers, whether it be through cover letters, interviews, resumes, or personal statements if we don’t know them? What steps do we take to discover what they are? Do we just learn as we go, or is there a way we can know, now?

These are just some of the resources the Career Center offers students to help them find out things like how they learn, what they are good at, or potential career paths that might fit their personality:

Career Assessments:

The Dependable Strengths Workshop:

On Friday, October 7, from 1-5 PM, the Career Center is hosting a Dependable Strengths Workshop for Arts, Humanities, and Social Science majors in Commons 329. While this workshop already has reached its maximum registration limit, be sure to register early for the next one on January 13. Seats fill quickly! Why in the world would so many people care to spend 4 hours of their Friday at one of these workshops?

The Dependable Strengths Workshops are meant to help clarify your career goals and allow you to pick a path that fits what your interests are. You learn how to market your degree, identify your strengths, and how to articulate those strengths and transferable skills to employers. This critically acclaimed program is meant to boost your confidence and help you determine what your assets are.

Finding out what you’re good at is especially important for college students. Now is the time when you are forging your future and deciding where your career will take you. Knowing what your strengths are will help guide you. I know that it’s difficult to understand what those characteristics are, but if you take the initiative and use the tools at your disposal, you’ll be making sure you don’t end up in Slytherin House when you’re clearly a Gryffindor.