Job Search Collection

Career Center
Duke Career Center • studentaffairs.duke.edu/career • 919-660-1050 •
Bay 5, Smith Warehouse, 2nd Floor • 114 S. Buchanan Blvd., Box 90950, Durham, NC 27708
Job Search Collection
Index
Job Search Strategy
Example Accomplishment Statements
STAR Method
Transferable Skills
Managing Your Reputation
First Year Career Development Checklist

Duke Career Center • studentaffairs.duke.edu/career • 919-660-1050 • Bay 5, Smith Warehouse, 2nd Floor •
114 S. Buchanan Blvd., Box 90950, Durham, NC 27708
Job Search Strategy
Networking
50% of your time will involve networking.
How will you spend the rest of your time?

Job Search Strategy, cont.
Action Steps
In order to apply what I have learned in today’s workshop, I will:
1.
2.
3.

Example Accomplishment Statements
DukeEngage Intern, Austin Foundation, Seattle, WA Summer 2010
• Created and implemented new program to encourage females to focus on positive life behaviors
• Developed and implemented curricula for 8-week fitness programs for underprivileged youth
• Collaborated with community festivals to improve the Foundation’s visibility and outreach efforts.
Energy Transfer Summer 2011
Intern: Management (CEO)
• Participated in weekly management meetings discussing company logistics, including distribution issues,
reservoir negotiations, and potential mergers and financial opportunities
• Coordinated preliminary research & negotiations for a .9 MW solar plant in southwest Texas
• Aided in the initial planning for a 40MW utility scale wind farm in Central America
Unitarian Universalist Youth Conference, Star Island, NH, Women’s Group Leader Summer 2009
• Organized 100-member youth conference on an island 7 miles off the mainland
• Strengthened staff-participant interaction through mentorship and outreach efforts
Duke University, Division 1 NCAA Football July 2008-Present
• Full Scholarship; 3 year letter winner; 3 year starter
• Dedicated 30 hours/week including weight training, practice, conditioning, film study, & meetings
• Frequently organize and set up extra player meetings and workouts
• Participated in team building exercises
Service Opportunities in Leadership, Hart Leadership Program Spring 2011 – Spring 2012
• Participated in 12-month program combining academics, service, and leadership training
• Awarded $4,000 grant to conduct research on HIV/AIDS perception in Honduras
• Taught HIV/AIDS education to classes of 30-40 children ages 8-20 to increase youth population knowledge to
reduce region’s high infection rate
Council for Children’s Rights, DukeEngage, Intern, Charlotte, NC June – August 2012
• Researched legislative and policy issues to find solutions to chronic problems facing local youth
• Wrote policy briefs and performed research for projects revolving around school readiness, juvenile
jurisdiction, and total amount of money spent on children annually in Mecklenburg County
• Tracked legislation moving through the North Carolina General Assembly
• Observed court hearings to better understand experiences of children in the criminal justice system
Chi Psi Fraternity- Durham, NC, Co-Social Chair 2008-2010
• Organized 2010 Chi-Psi Annual Formal at the Hilton in Durham for 80 guests
• Won Scholarship Award in 2009, given to one member of the fraternity who has excelled in and shown
dedication to academics
• Captained Chi Psi’s dodge ball, soccer, and softball intramural teams
Teacher, Breakthrough Collaborative – New Orleans, LA Summer 2011
• Taught 40 high-potential middle school students from low-income areas of New Orleans
• Designed courses in Science, Engineering, and Dance

Example Accomplishment Statements, cont.
Additional Accomplishment Statement Examples
Editor of School Newspaper
Instead of “edited school paper,” try:
• Researched, wrote, and collected photographs for 20 stories per semester, including 10 pieces for online edition
• Succeeded in meeting competing deadlines, which required high attention to detail
• Located and edited inconsistencies before press release dates
Office Assistant
Instead of “answer phones, schedule appointments, fax papers,” try:
• Interact with diverse array of clients, colleagues, and external partners to schedule meetings, organize logistics,
and make travel arrangements
• Communicate verbally and in writing with numerous stakeholders
• Trained 2 additional interns regarding office policies and procedures
Waiter/Waitress
Instead of “waited tables at Italian restaurant,” try:
• Prioritized and managed simultaneous responsibilities
• Acted as a restaurant sales representative, selling add-ons to achieve one of the highest per-night sales averages
• Built a loyal base of regular customers
Research Assistant
Instead of “Worked on a project titled, ‘Calcium influx in the innate immune response mediated by Toll-like
receptors,’” try:
• Collected data on 5 different biomarkers and evaluated their effectiveness
• Managed and updated databases on a weekly basis
• Collaborated with 4 team members to achieve project goals

The STAR Method
STAR is formula for creating your best response to
behavioral-based questions. Interviewers expect you to
present your thoughts and experience in this manner. Don’t
worry, however. You’ll see that the STAR method is no
different than the basics of any story composition.
“Last semester I took a psychology course
that required a group project to examine
motivation. The professor assigned each
student to a 4-person group. My group
decided to look at what motivates college
students to participate in community
service activities.”
Question:Tell me about a time when you had to provide difficult
feedback to a team member?
“As a group, we developed a plan
to distribute the work between us.
However, after the first few weeks, it
became apparent that one of our team
members was not completing her part
of the project and she missed one of our
group meetings. The rest of the team
decided that we needed to reengage her.”
“I took the initiative to set up a meeting
with her where we discussed our interest
in the project as well as the other
academic responsibilities. After talking
with her, it was clear that if we changed
her contributions to tasks that better fit
her skills and interests, she would most
likely contribute at a higher level.”
“It turned out that the team could
redistribute tasks without compromising
so every member got to work on the
pieces of the project that were of
most interest to them. In the end, we
completed the project and received
positive feedback from our professor.”
S
T
A
R
Situation
Set the scenario for
your example.
Task
Describe the specific
challenge or task that
relates to the question.
Action
Talk about the actions
that you took to
accomplish the task.
Result
Present the results
that followed because
of the chosen action.
• A strong STAR
response will
last one to two
minutes.
• Be brief in
your set-up.
Give just
enough
background or
contextual
information
for your story
to make sense.
• The result is
critical.
Everything in
your example
builds
towards this
component.
• Use the
structure of
the acronym
for direction
if you forget
what you were
saying. If all
else fails, skil
to the R, result.
A few
important
tips:

STAR Method, cont.
Organizing Your Experience
Skill,
Experience or
Characteristic
Name of
Story
Situation Task Action Result
Leadership
Ability to
Work in Teams
Analytical
Skills
Adaptability
Apply the STAR Method by using this chart to recall specific experiences that will better
support your responses in an interview.

Transferable Skills
As you begin your job search or consider careers that would be right for you, it is important to know what
you are good at and what you enjoy doing. Over the years you have developed many skills from
coursework, extracurricular activities, internships, jobs and your total life experiences. If you’ve
researched, written, edited and presented papers for classes, you’ve used skills that are not limited to any
one academic discipline or knowledge area but are transferable to many occupations.
What Skills and Qualities Are Important to Employers?
According to the 2012 National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) Job Outlook Survey, the top
10 qualities/skills employers seek are transferable skills.
1. Verbal communication skills 6. Problem-solving skills
2. Strong work ethic 7. Written communication skills
3. Teamwork skills (works well with others) 8. Interpersonal skills (relates well to others)
4. Analytical skills 9. Computer skills
5. Initiative 10. Flexibility/adaptability
Your Ten Most Preferred Skills Brief Example of How You’ve Used Each Skill
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

Transferable Skills,cont.
Communication
Exchange, transmission and
expression of knowledge and ideas
¨¨ speaking effectively
¨¨ writing
¨¨ listening attentively
¨¨ expressing ideas
¨¨ facilitating discussion
¨¨ providing appropriate feedback
¨¨ negotiating
¨¨ perceiving nonverbal messages
¨¨ persuading
¨¨ describing feelings
¨¨ interviewing
¨¨ editing
¨¨ summarizing
¨¨ promoting
¨¨ working in a team
¨¨ making presentations
¨¨ thinking on one’s feet
¨¨ dealing with public
Organization, Management
Direct and guide a group in
completing tasks and attaining goals
¨¨ initiating new ideas
¨¨ making decisions
¨¨ leading
¨¨ solving problems
¨¨ meeting deadlines
¨¨ supervising
¨¨ motivating
¨¨ coordinating tasks
¨¨ assuming responsibility
¨¨ setting priorities
¨¨ teaching
¨¨ interpreting policy
¨¨ mediating
¨¨ recruiting
¨¨ resolving conflict
¨¨ organizing
¨¨ determining policy
¨¨ giving directions
Research & Planning
The search for specific knowledge
¨¨ setting goals
¨¨ analyzing ideas
¨¨ analyzing data
¨¨ defining needs
¨¨ investigating
¨¨ extracting important information
¨¨ gathering information
¨¨ formulating hypotheses
¨¨ calculating and comparing
¨¨ developing theory
¨¨ observing
¨¨ identifying resources
¨¨ outlining
¨¨ critical thinking
¨¨ predicting and forecasting
¨¨ conceptualizing
Human Relations
Attend to the social, physical or
mental needs of people
¨¨ counseling
¨¨ advocating
¨¨ coaching
¨¨ providing care
¨¨ conveying feelings
¨¨ empathizing
¨¨ interpersonal skills
¨¨ facilitating group process
¨¨ active listening
¨¨ motivating
¨¨ developing rapport
¨¨ persuading others
¨¨ being patient
Design & Problem Solving
Imagine the future, develop a process
for creating it
¨¨ anticipating problems
¨¨ creating images
¨¨ designing programs
¨¨ displaying
¨¨ brainstorming new ideas
¨¨ improvising
¨¨ composing
¨¨ thinking visually
¨¨ anticipating consequences of action
¨¨ conceptualizing
¨¨ creating innovative solutions
¨¨ defining problems
¨¨ identifying possible causes
¨¨ multitasking
Take Stock of Your Transferable Skills
Review the lists in the following 5 categories and mark all the skills you have. Then go back and circle the
10 underlined skills you would enjoy using most. Write these top 10 skills in the spaces provided under
“Ten Most Preferred Skills” and write a brief example of how you have demonstrated each skill in a job,
class, internship, or extracurricular activity. This will help as you consider career options and as you
prepare for a job search and interviews.

Managing Your Online Reputation
Your online reputation is part of your story used in your job/internship search and
should be consistent with everything else the employer sees.
You know that employers use the Internet to research
potential job candidates. Thus, a necessary part of
any job or internship search is to create and maintain
a positive online reputation. Use the following steps
to take proactive ownership of your online first
impression.
Increase Your Awareness.
Be sure you know what information is or could be
available about yourself online, where it is, and what
impression it may create.
• Search your name (and different versions of it)
on the major search engines, on different social
networks, and sites where you comment. A few
not-so-obvious sites to check: Tumblr, Netflix,
Flickr, Match, Pinterest, Amazon, Yelp.
• Set GoogleAlerts to monitor when your name is
part of searches
• Know the privacy agreement and settings for the
various online communities of which you are a
member.
• Request feedback from peers and professionals on
impressions based on your online presence alone.
What story does it tell? Would they hire you?
• Familiarize yourself with the sites where your
potential colleagues or supervisors gather
and participate online (post articles, join
conversations through comments, etc.)
Protect Your Image.
Ensure potential employers only see information that
conveys a positive image. You do not want them to
question your professionalism, judgment, or ability to
represent their organization. Additionally you do not
want them to question the consistency of your story.
• Adjust the privacy settings for all online accounts.
• Remove content and tags that could negatively
influence a potential employers first impression.
• Hide or delete old accounts that do not best
represent you
• Request that information about you posted by
others be removed if you are opposed to it.
Build a Professional Presence.
Present your name, accomplishments, and aspirations
in ways that can be accessible to others.
• Use social networks to create and maintain
a public profile that represents your
accomplishments and a sense of the professional
you are becoming and you are comfortable with
the public seeing.
• Display a copy of your resume and a portfolio of
your accomplishments online.
• Promote your profiles and/or website, e.g. add a
link to your email signature.
• Contribute to conversations relevant to your fields
of interest through media like blogs, LinkedIn
groups, and/or Twitter.
Own Your Presence.
Assert greater control of your online identity by owning
it yourself.
• Create a personal website that serves as a
professional resume and portfolio. Update this
regularly with new content.
• Continue your activities online and watch your
name and professional identity become more
prominent in search engines.

Career Development Checklist for First-Year Students
_____ Work hard in your classes while getting to know Duke.
Your academic record will be an important piece of internship, job and graduate school application
screenings, so be sure to give proper energy and focus to your classroom responsibilities. Remember, a high
GPA is easier to maintain than a low one is to raise.
_____ Find an organization, team or club to get involved in on campus.
Begin discovering passions, meeting friends and exploring groups and causes you would like to contribute
to during your time at Duke.
_____ Explore the Duke Career Center’s website.
Counselors have developed useful content including Career Options Guides, Resume and Cover Letter
guides and the Event Calendar. You will be able to have more purposeful and productive conversations with
an advisor after exploring this interesting content.
_____ Get to know at least one faculty or staff member each semester.
Attend office hours and campus programs; ask questions and show interest. These individuals can serve as
important sources of information, events/workshops, encouragement and future recommendations.
_____ Practice good stress and time management.
The skills you develop through balancing commitments to various organizations, courses, relationships and
tasks will serve you throughout your professional life after Duke. The ability to successfully manage your
responsibilities, relationships and general health is desired by most employers.
_____ Develop your Board of Directors.
You are the chair of the board so foster good relationships with your Academic Advisor, FAC, RA, Residential
Coordinator, professor, etc. These people likely know a lot about getting the most out of your time at Duke
and have assumed their respective roles because they WANT to help first-year students. Take advantage!
_____ Acquire experience during your winter, spring and/or summer vacations.
This can include volunteering, shadowing, part-time work, internships or research. Consider all the
possibilities as you explore and define your interests and skills.
_____ Reach out to a Duke alum, personal contact or interesting professional.
This could be initiated via email, through the DukeConnect alumni database, over the phone or in person.
Conducting informational interviews is a low-pressure, high-curiosity activity to help you learn more
about career options as well as meet people to add to your network. Get started by scheduling a short
appointment or a meal with someone who has a job you think is cool. Ask them how they got where they
are today, what the rewards and challenges are of their day-to-day work are and what advice they have for
you moving forward.
_____ Get your resume up to speed.
Whether this is your first time creating a professional resume, or you simply want to update the one you
used during high school, the Career Center has resources to help with this process. See samples on our
website, come to drop-in hours to get your resume reviewed and remember to update it with each new
relevant experience.
_____ Engage with the Duke Career Center.
There are a number of ways for first-year students to take advantage of Career Center resources, whether
you are looking for individual advising or bigger programs and workshops. Turn this page over to learn
more!

LAUNCH Career Development Series
(Fall for Sophomores and Spring for First-Years)
Offered exclusively to first-years and sophomores, this
six-week series focuses on exploration of personal
and professional strengths, values, and opportunities.
Students come out of this experience with a better
understanding of who they are, what skills they offer,
how to make the most of their time in college, and how
to take advantage of resources available at Duke. Each
session involves activities, discussions, and real-world
applications. Student who complete all six sessions will
receive a Career Development Certificate.
Drop-in Advising
No appointment necessary! Bring quick questions or
printed application documents (resumes, cover letters)
to be reviewed by a career counselor or CAT (Career
Ambassador Team member). Though there are some
special drop-ins at satellite locations during different
times of the year (ex: First-Year Fridays on East in the
spring), drop-in advising is available EVERY weekday
that classes are in session at the Career Center from
1:30-4:30 p.m. in our Resource Room.
Career Counseling Appointments
Our goal is to support you as you explore career options
and locate experiential and employment opportunities.
We look forward to meeting you! Appointments
are available between 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m., Monday-
Friday. Call to schedule an appointment several days in
advance, (919) 660-1050.
Mock Interviews
Think your interview skills could use some brushing up
as you head towards applying for internships, jobs, and/
or campus leadership roles? Just want some practice
and honest feedback when it come to presenting
yourself professionally and answering questions out
loud? Never had to participate in a formal interview,
and find the idea totally overwhelming or awkward?
The Career Center is here to help! Schedule early. We
also offer a CAT-Hosted Mock Interview Day for First-
Years & Sophomores each spring.
Fannie Mitchell Expert-in-Residence Program
Gain information and inspiration from Duke alumni and
other experts. The Fannie Mitchell Expert-in-Residence
series features accomplished professionals who come
to Duke to share specialized knowledge and provide
individual career advice to students. The program’s
purpose is to stimulate new ideas and provide advising
for students who are searching for career directions.
Internship Search Resources
Duke CareerConnections
View and apply for thousands of opportunities available
around the world. You can filter to see those offered
especially for Duke students. Duke University On-
Campus Recruiting interviews are managed through
CareerConnections as well.
You should always keep an eye on CareerConnections
for opportunities and use the additional tools listed
below to connect to more internships throughout the
U.S. and beyond.
Internship Series Online
Use this national internship database compiled by
Career Education Institutes with opportunities listed
in 14 work sectors and links to internships on many
employer sites..
iNet Internship Database
This database gives you access to a full range of
internship opportunities in all industries. The iNet
Internship Network is an internship posting database
shared by Georgetown, MIT, Northwestern, Rice,
Stanford, NYU, University of Pennsylvania, Yale and
Duke.
UCAN Internship Database
The UCAN Internship Exchange is an internship
posting database shared by 21 selective colleges
and universities across the United States. This
dynamic database provides thousands of summer
jobs, internships, fellowships and other short-term
opportunities. It is searchable by area of interest,
geographic location, semester, educational level, salary
or company name.
Opportunities to Connect with the Duke Career Center

Additional Documents
Cover Letter
Curriculum Vitae
Internships
Interviewing
Job Search
Networking
Resume
Additional Resources
Career Center Skills Guides
Cover Letter Skills Guide
Curriculum Vitae Skills Guide
Internships Skills Guide
Interviewing Skills Guide
Networking Skills Guide
Resume Skills Guide
Strategic Search Skills Guide

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