Classroom Presentations

If you would like to request a classroom presentation, contact the University Career Center liaison in your academic area.

Career Content on your Syllabus
  • Consider expanding the learning objectives listed on your syllabus to also discuss transferable skills that will be gained throughout the course. Students’ academics are their best asset for internships, jobs, and graduate school, so this helps them articulate the connections between what they are learning in the classroom and their career goals.
  • Note major career events on your syllabus, like career fairs or departmental offerings related to possible career paths.
  • Add a statement to your syllabus about the importance of career planning. Here's a sample: "Your post-JMU success is important and depends on how you use your time in and out of class. The University Career Center (UCC) is a resource to help you identify and pursue activities to connect your academic and career interests. You are encouraged to complete your Handshake profile at jmu.joinhandshake.com, network at career fairs, take advantage of on-campus interviewing, career panels, and employer events throughout the semester, and schedule at least one individual meeting per year with a UCC career advisor. Learn more about how to get started at www.jmu.edu/career."
Career Exploration Assignments

Career exploration or planning assignments could include preparing a resume, cover letter, CV, or LinkedIn Profile, or researching job and internship offerings. 

If you are designing an assignment around career exploration or job search:

  • Reach out to your college's University Career Center liaison for relevant resources or feedback on your assignment. 
  • Reach out to your college's University Career Center liaison if you are considering having your students schedule an appointment or have their resume reviewed in University Career Center, because we need to make sure we can meet the need as far as student numbers and our staff capacity.
  • Scroll to the bottom of this page to see what free online tools University Career Center provides for job search, interview practice, career exploration, and more.
  • Email Libby Westly at westleek@jmu.edu if you have an assignment you'd like to share on this site for other faculty to use. 

Relevant Pages on University Career Center Website:

Handshake Assignments

Your University Career Center liaison can help you to design a class assignment around JMU's job search tool, Handshake. Handshake connects students with employers who seek to hire JMU students, offers access to on-campus interviews with employers, and allows students to sign up for workshops on career-related topics. Students can upload a resume, apply to jobs and internships, and sign up for University Career Center workshops and employer events through this system.

This video will walk students through getting started in Handshake.

Here are some ideas for Handshake assignments. Students can be asked to:

  • Complete their Handshake profile (this part only takes a few minutes, and can even be completed in class).
  • Upload a resume to Handshake.
  • "Favorite" a position in Handshake (this will send notifications when the deadlines are approaching).
  • Apply for jobs and internships across the country via Handshake.
  • Apply for On-Campus Interviews or virtual interviews for positions across the U.S. (Interviews take place in our Interview Center on the 3rd floor of the Student Success Center.)
  • You can request that students submit screenshots to verify completion of an assignment.

Watch our faculty webinar (or view the webinar slides) for more information about Handshake.

Contact handshake@jmu.edu or your University Career Center liaison with any questions.

BigInterview

BigInterview is a platform for students to conduct practice interviews using a webcam from a computer, tablet, or phone. BigInterview can make your assignments more interactive and help students gain perspective on their verbal and nonverbal communication skills, particularly in a job interview setting. With virtual job interviews and meetings becoming more common, it’s more important than ever that students be prepared to present themselves in a professional way via video interviewing. 

How it works:
BigInterview allows students to record videos of themselves answering some of the thousands of pre-recorded questions for various industries that InterviewStream provides! These videos can be shared with family, friends, or professors for feedback, and the perspective they gain can help them to communicate more effectively not only in virtual settings, but also face-to-face.

Tips for making the most of BigInterview

  • We recommend you keep your assignments short (5 questions or less) to ensure that the videos are a manageable length.
  • You can enable the setting to allow your students to “retry” questions.
  • The BigInterview platform has a place for students to receive qualitative and quantitative feedback from others on all aspects of their verbal and nonverbal communication.

Contact
To get started using BigInterview, email Libby Westly at westleek@jmu.edu to request a professor account.  The system will walk you through setting up your first class assignment, and we’re available to help throughout the process! 

If you are having technical difficulties, check out our InterviewStream Troubleshooting Guide (PDF) or the Student InterviewStream page.You can also email support@interviewstream.com or call 877-773-3164. If you are still having difficulty, email Libby Westly at westleek@jmu.edu.

Free Online Career Tools from University Career Center:

Career Guide to JMU Majors

The Career Guide to JMU Majors provides a sampling of career options for each of the majors offered at JMU. The Career Guide also provides major specific information on internship opportunities, characteristics of successful students, and websites for further exploration of potential careers.

Explore the Career Guide

FOCUS

With FOCUS, you can take self-assessment tests, compare careers, look up salary and job outlook information, see the pros and cons of different careers based on your likes and dislikes, explore common careers for certain majors, and save your results for future reference. We recommend you schedule an appointment with an academic or career advisor to help make meaning of your results.

Learn More about FOCUS

GoinGlobal

GoinGlobal is an online resource with a wealth of information about working in specific cities in the U.S. and Canada, including job search databases, job fairs, cost of living, job prospects and industry trends, and even cultural advice. It also provides information for those interested in working overseas, and those with special H1B VISA considerations who are seeking employment in the U.S.

Learn More about GoinGlobal

BigInterview

All JMU students and alumni can use BigInterview to conduct free, online practice interviews with a webcam. With BigInterview, you will have access to frequently asked interview questions, you can choose your own questions, or select a prepared interview. You can record yourself responding to each question, retry, and review the final product to improve your performance.

Learn More about BigInterview

Handshake

Handshake is James Madison University’s online career services management system that provides JMU students access to internships, full-time jobs, career fairs, workshops, information sessions, and more. With Handshake, you can: find jobs and internships, research and connect with employers, and improve your job or internship search.

Learn More about Handshake

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