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July 14, 2020In this issue: Preparing application materials for the pandemic job market, Documenting COVID-19 archive project, and more.
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Tips for Grads: Preparing Application Materials for the Pandemic Job Market
As our recent Tips for Grads columns have highlighted, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused major changes and uncertainty in the academic job market and across business, government, and non-profit sectors. Fortunately, your graduate education has prepared you for this moment. As graduate students you have developed many of the transferable skills that employers are seeking in these unprecedented times. Graduate school requires you to be adaptable and open-minded, but also steadfast and determined – qualities that are indispensable for organizations facing novel challenges due to COVID-19.
When preparing your application materials, you can use your CV or résumé to demonstrate the breadth of your transferable skills and your cover letter to highlight your most relevant experiences. Take advantage of your research skills to learn more about your prospective employer’s mission and values and how they are responding to the pandemic by searching online and conducting informational interviews. In addition to the job-specific skills that employers will require, the following characteristics will be critical for any successful job candidate during the pandemic:
Adaptability
Use concrete examples to illustrate how you have adapted to unprecedented situations and thrived in the face of ambiguity and uncertainty. Think of times that you have been faced with an unexpected situation professionally or academically, and how you overcame the challenge. These challenges could be recent ones due to the pandemic, or other situations that demonstrate your adaptability. Maybe you found new revenue streams for your organization, changed the direction of a research project, or pivoted to online instruction in the middle of a semester.
Remote Work Skills
As you have probably learned by now, working remotely requires a different set of skills. Use past experiences to show your technology, project management, and online communication skills. Think about how you have effectively collaborated online. This will be most impactful if you can describe how your approach has changed since moving to remote work. If you want to bolster your technology skills, all UW–Madison students can access LinkedIn Learning or attend virtual STS workshops.
With the COVID-19 situation still unfolding, it will be important for anybody entering the job market to stay current with what skills employers are looking for. For those who are not entering the job market but want to intentionally build transferable skills, the upcoming Creating an Individual Development Plan (IDP) Workshop is a great place to start.
GradConnections Weekly is looking for fresh perspectives on the graduate student experience.
If you have advice, counsel, or tips for UW grad students, you’re invited to write a guest column for “Tips for Grads.”
If you’re interested, check out our infographic for details and email gspd@grad.wisc.edu to let us know.
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DiscoverPD is an innovative tool for UW–Madison graduate students to advance their academic and professional goals. Review the nine facets of professional development, complete a self-assessment, and get a customized report and recommendations.
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Upcoming Professional Development EventsAll event times and deadlines are listed in Central Daylight Time (CDT).
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Creating an individual development plan (IDP) encourages you to think about what you need to do next – and over the next few years – so that you achieve your goals. We will discuss how to define achievable goals, identify resources, and develop strategies for implementing and sustaining your plans. Participants will begin to create a personalized plan that takes into account career interests and addresses the development of knowledge and skills for professional growth. This virtual workshop will be hosted on Blackboard Collaborate Ultra.
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- JavaScript 1
- Illustrator 1
- Excel 2: Analysis
- Excel 2: Data Visualization
- Excel 3: Macros and VBA
- Photoshop 2: Portrait Retouching and Color Correction
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Special Events & Symposia
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Documenting COVID-19 UW–Madison Archive Project
The University Archives invites you to contribute your experiences regarding COVID-19 to their collections. They are collecting digital journal and diary entries, emails, photographs, videos, voice memos and audio recordings, digital art, and other digital documentation of how the campus community has been affected. Learn more about the Documenting COVID-19 project and how to contribute.
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UW facilities gradually reopening
Memorial Library is open in a limited capacity, weekdays from 9 am - noon, to faculty, staff, and graduate students. The library has limited the number of patrons to 50 per day, by appointment only. The library is offering self-service catalog access, limited self-service scanning and materials check out. Memorial Library also continues to offer pick-up by appointment services weekdays, 1 - 5 pm. Laptops may also be checked out at Memorial weekdays, 1 - 5 pm, no appointment necessary.
The Chazen Museum of Art will reopen to the public on July 14 for limited hours Tuesday - Friday. Only the first and second floors of the Chazen building will be open to visitors at this time.
UW–Madison Campus Child Care Centers (Eagle’s Wing Child Care, Waisman Early Childhood Program, Child Development Lab) have reopened for the summer. Changes are possible if a resurgence of COVID-19 cases occurs in the area.
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Developing your Emotional Protective Equipment (EPE)
Thursday, July 16 | 3 - 3:30 pm
Online
UHS services available remotelyUniversity Health Services is committed to supporting you as we navigate the rest of the summer term. Many medical, counseling, and wellness services are available by phone and accessible online. Find out more on the UHS Remote Health and Connection webpage.
Mental Health Resources for Grad StudentsAccording to the 2019 Healthy Minds Survey, 93% of UW–Madison graduate students do not think any less of a peer who seeks mental health care, and 89% of UW–Madison graduate students who used mental health care found it helpful.
- National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: Call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or visit the National Suicide Prevention website for a chat option. Also see information on supporting your emotional well-being during the COVID-19 outbreak.
- Crisis Text Line is helpful for panic attacks and other emotionally intense moments. Text HOME to 741741; a bot will provide you with their terms of service and put you on a waitlist to text with a real person. Wait times may be long due to current anxiety/panic about COVID-19.
- SAMHSA Disaster Distress Hotline: Call 1-800-985-5990 or text TalkWithUs to 66746 to connect with a trained crisis counselor. Dedicated to providing immediate crisis counseling for people who are experiencing emotional distress related to any natural or human-caused disaster. This toll-free, multilingual, and confidential crisis support service is available to all residents in the U.S. and its territories.
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The Dean of Students Office provides resources to students struggling with a variety of issues, and can be your go-to spot for assistance as a graduate student. To contact the Graduate and Professional Student Assistance Specialist Elaine Goetz-Berman directly, email egoetz2@wisc.edu.
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Please note: Some graduate students may be ineligible to hold graduate assistantship appointments. Be sure to check with your graduate program coordinator about your eligibility before applying.
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The mission of Science Corps is to build STEM capacity worldwide while empowering the next generation of global scientists. To accomplish this mission, Science Corps places recent STEM PhD graduates to teach and develop scientific capacity in regions that lack access to quality science education. Science Corps welcomes applications from individuals who have recently completed or will soon receive a PhD in a STEM discipline, but who have not yet begun a faculty or similar level position. If you become a Fellow, Science Corps will ask you to commit six months to the program. This will allow time for acclimation and orientation, a complete school semester, and a concluding period. There is no nationality or age restriction. Science Corps will organize travel to and from the destination, room and board, a living stipend, proper visa status, travel health insurance, and additional guidance on living and working at the site. The expectation is that the entire trip will be financially neutral for the Fellow.
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