Currently appointments with career advisors are being held through Microsoft Teams. Request an Appointment and a staff member will reach out to you to schedule an initial 30 minute appointment based on your availability. Subsequent appointments may be scheduled for more than 30 minutes.

Don’t stress! Being undecided is very common. Take time to evaluate your interests, values, and skills. Career assessments are helpful tools that can also connect you to possible majors and careers. Also, thoroughly explore and research UWM majors and careers.

It is highly recommended that you meet with a CPaRC career advisor for individualized support on making a decision on a major and career direction.

The majority of on-campus jobs are posted on Handshake. As a UWM student, all you need to do is sign in with your ePanther ID and password, then filter for on-campus jobs.

Most on-campus jobs will require a resume and some will also ask for a cover letter. If you need assistance with your resume and cover letter, check out our Resume Guide and schedule an appointment with a CPaRC career advisor for feedback.

It’s important to complete at least one internship during your college career to build skills in your desired field. Below are some first steps.  

• Speak with advisors and faculty in your major to learn about the support they provide for finding an internship and options for doing an internship for class credit. 
• Watch Handshake regularly for internships posted by employers specifically looking for UWM students.
• Attend career fairs to speak with employers hiring for internships.
• Use various keywords to search for internships on Google, Indeed, and LinkedIn.
• Network! Speak with professionals in your field and current and past students to learn about internship opportunities.
• Use LinkedIn alumni search. Search for alumni in your field and view their profiles to see internships they held. LinkedIn is also a great way to connect with these individuals for advice

Schedule an appointment with a CPaRC career advisor for more ideas and support with resume writing and interviewing.

Absolutely! Handshake, Big Interview, career fairs, and all our online resources are always available to UWM alumni. If you do not have access to Handshake or Big Interview, please email careerplan@uwm.edu and we will get you set up!

Career advising sessions are also available to you. The number of sessions depends on the number of years since you graduated. However, if you and the career advisor you are working with feel you may need additional sessions this can be requested with approval from the director.

To properly verify new employers, CPaRC takes about 2-3 business days to approve all Handshake account registrations and job postings.

We offer several recruitment options for employers:  

1. Job Postings: Listing your open internships and jobs on Handshake provides you the opportunity to enhance your brand and connect with UWM students and alumni.
2. Job and Career Fairs: These events provide you the opportunity to connect with hundreds of talented diverse students and promote your organization’s mission and opportunities. To learn more about participating in a job or career fair, please visit: https://uwm.edu/careerplan/careerfairs/
3. Employer Partner Program:This program provides various packages which allow you to connect with our students through social media promotions, targeted emails, career/job fair participation, and more.
4. On-Campus Tabling Sessions (Temporarily Unavailable): Staffing an information table on-campus allows you to educate students on your organization and opportunities. Tabling sessions are available to employers for free if you have an approved Handshake account and at least one posted job.
5. Virtual Employer Coffee/Lunch Hour: This online session allows you to educate students on your organization and opportunities. Employers are required to have active internship and employment opportunities and provide a company logo. Please contact Olivia Cross, Associate Director of Employer Relations, at 414-229-4486 or orcross@uwm.edu. Provide at least 2 weeks prior notice to participate. This opportunity is only available to employers once a month.
6. Virtual Candid Conversations: This online session provides students the opportunity to listen and have conversations with employers about their career path/journey, how they leveraged their degree, etc. Please contact Olivia Cross, Associate Director of Employer Relations, at 414-229-4486 or orcross@uwm.edu. Provide at least 2 weeks prior notice to participate. This opportunity is only available to employers once a month.

Attending job and career fairs increase your brand’s exposure on campus to a diverse student body. Hundreds of students and alumni attend these fairs which provide you the ability to get a sense of a student’s talent and professionalism in-person rather than just on paper. This is a great opportunity for filling internship, part-time job, and full-time job positions. To learn more, please visit: https://uwm.edu/careerplan/careerfairs/

CPaRC has developed a Job Shadow Program compromised of employers volunteering their time for informational interviewing, on-campus interviewing/resume reviewing, and/or on-site shadowing opportunities for students. These programs help to guide students in their career while also increasing a company’s brand presence at UWM.

Short answer: No. Handshake is designed specifically for UWM students and alumni for them to create their own profiles and apply for on and off-campus jobs. Your student automatically has an account – so we suggest you help guide your student with creating their profile. It’s important for them to take ownership of the process, but you certainly can help them!

As soon as possible! We recommend students visit us at least once every semester, twice would be preferable. Students should come a few weeks before they pick classes for the next semester to make sure they’re on the right track. Even if students do not know exactly what they’re looking for when they come in, career counselors can help gauge where the student is at and guide them towards good career-related activities. When students visit CPaRC early and often, they are setting themselves up to be more marketable, competitive, and confident in their career path.

The UWM Career Planning & Resource Center (CPaRC) conducts a survey of all recent graduates each December and May to assess their post-graduation plans.

Some of the information we gather:

• What are UWM graduates doing – are they working, continuing their education, volunteering, etc.?
• Where are UWM graduates going – what employer, college, city, state, and country do they intend for work, study and residency?

View graduation data: https://uwm.edu/careerplan/uwm-graduate-data/

Ultimately you and your student can best answer this question. Each student is unique as far as personality, academic skills, adjusting to change, managing time, etc.

If your student does decide to work during their freshman year, we recommend they consider an on-campus job. There are many benefits to working on-campus including the ease of getting to work, flexible work schedules, and making new UWM friends. Plus, research has shown that students that work on-campus 20 hours a week or less get better grades than those that do not work.

Your student can view and apply for on-campus jobs on Handshake, our employment platform for on and off campus internships and jobs.

We strongly recommend that students seek out multiple opportunities to develop transferable and career specific skills. These opportunities can include internships, part-time jobs, volunteering, undergraduate research, study abroad, leadership programs, and involvement in organizations at UWM and in the community.

A career advisor can help your student identify which opportunities would be most related to their career goals.

We encourage your student to also utilize Handhsake, our employment platform, to explore on and off campus internships and jobs.