This handout was developed in conjunction with the SNRE Career Timeline to guide students with their job search.
If you need assistance with your job search, please contact a member of the SNRE Career Services Staff (see below).

1. Identify a career path that suits your interests and skills so you can focus your job search.  Try to identify a specific career path that identifies your ideal organizational sector(s), issue/ resources area, geographic location(s), and any other highly desirable job characteristics.  Ex: I'd like to work for either an NGO or local government agency on river conservation efforts in the western U.S. that engages community input and participation.  Use SNRE's Career Exploration Tool to search a database of jobs, duties and qualifications.  Not sure what you want to do yet?  Set up a meeting with SNRE career staff to get help!
2. Start conducting informational interviews.  These are short meetings with professionals in the field.  Informational interviews can help you decide what career options are the best fit for you (it's like shopping for a career), whether a particular organization is a good fit for you, what skills employers seek when hiring in this field, what does a typical week on the job look like, etc.  Informational interviews can also help you establish a network of professionals in your field and help you uncover job or internship leads that are not advertised widely.
3. Be active on eRecruiter.  Update your profile, set up job search agents to have eRecruiter email you jobs or internships that match your interest areas, post your resume for employers to view, actively look through the job and internship database for positions that interest you, and remember to keep your resume on eRecruiter updated as employers can view your resume on the eRecruiter system.  On eRecruiter, you can also go to Employers/ Contacts to search for SNRE alums working at a particular organization.  Another great place to find green job postings is SNRE's Green Job Posting Webpage.
4. Attend professional conferences and become a member of professional organizations.  These activities will strengthen your resume and also give you excellent opportunities to network with professionals in your field.  If you volunteer at a conference you may get a reduced rate/ free registration and be more visible to professionals in attendance.  Look through participant lists and identify which ones you'd like to chat with during breaks/ meals--get their business cards and give them a copy of your resume as a way to keep in touch.
5. Use social and professional networking sites to broaden your professional network.  Join the SNRE LinkedIn Group to network with SNRE students and alumni.  Did you know that you can do a search for SNRE alum in a certain state or city by clicking on "Advanced Search" from the Members tab of the SNRE LinkedIn group? The U-M Alumni Association also has a group on LinkedIn.  LinkedInis an online networking tool that helps you expand your professional network by gaining access to the professional contacts of your friends, family, and colleagues.  
   • The Value of LinkedIn (video)
   • Networking Resources (Informational Interviews, Networking for Introverts, Networking with Social Media)
   • Networking and Mentoring Tips
6. Tell everyone about your career goals.   (Ex: Faculty Advisor, professional contacts through your master's project work, friends, family, etc.)  You never know who may have a personal connection with a potential employer.  Ask people to provide you with contacts in your field.
7. If you are lacking any key skills needed for your career, consider taking a course or workshop, selecting a master's project that will help you gain these skills, doing an internship or volunteer work to develop skills in these areas.  How do I know what skills are important?  Look at job and internship postings to see what skills you need to gain to be competitive in your field. 
8. Attend the SNRE Career Fair and U-M Career Fairs around campus and take advantage of other career fairs too.
9. How can I increase my chances of getting invited to interview for my dream job or internship?  

• Use SNRE's Resume Customization Tool
• Use SNRE's Cover Letter Template
• Get help from SNRE's Career Team!  Email your draft resume, cover letter and a link/copy of the position description to: snre.careers@umich.edu to get tips on improving your application.
  
• Refer to the SNRE Career Services Website for additional online career resources including: more resume and cover letter tips, interview practice tools, salary info, job negotiation tips. 

10. Prepare for your upcoming interview by doing a mock interview.  Set up a mock interview with a member of the SNRE Career Services Staff.  Use SNRE's SNRE's Ten Commonly Asked Interview Questions to help you prepare for an interview.  

SNRE Career Services Staff: email us at snre.careers@umich.edu for an appointment or contact us directly at

• Lisa Yee-Litzenberg, Coordinator of Student Career Services, yeeha@umich.edu, 734-615-1633
• Michelle Burdick, Internship Coordinator and Career Counselor, burdickm@umich.edu