NAU Graduate College

Professional development series

The Graduate College teaches robust skills that graduate students need in pursuing their degree and an impacting career after graduation.

Spring 2021

Graduation & Thesis/Dissertation Workshop

Friday, February 26 from 3:00-4:00

In this interactive workshop we cover the deadlines, requirements, and steps needed to apply for graduation as well as all of the information needed for your thesis or dissertation, including the roadmap for doctoral students/master’s (thesis) students, deadlines, forms, and steps.

https://nau.zoom.us/j/82044033009
Meeting ID: 820 4403 3009
Password: 322675

March is Career Month!

All events are on Zoom:

https://nau.zoom.us/j/89945068247
Meeting ID: 899 4506 8247
Password: 117539

Details:

Kickoff to Career Month: Career Planning and Overview of March is Career Month!

Monday, March 1 from 1:00-2:00

Presenters:

• Maribeth Watwood (Dean, Graduate College)
• Robert Kellar (Associate Professor of Practice, Department of Biological Sciences)
• Christopher Boyer (Dean, College of Arts and Letters)

Career planning begins while you are in graduate school; this panel and discussion highlight some of the most important parts of career planning, such as:

• Planning your career (e.g., major steps and timeline, role of a mentor, how to consider a career change, how to protect your career from downsizing/shifts in the market)
• Pro tips for pivotal moments (e.g., going on the market and leaving a job – dos and don’ts, transitioning from one job to another, moving up a ladder)
• Professional communication pointers (e.g., making a request for time, a letter of reference, etc.; asking for a raise; email, phone, and face-to-face etiquette)

Join us for a dynamic and interactive session full of good tips about career planning. This session will culminate by highlighting the planned events for March is Career Month!

Networking & Networking Sites

Wednesday, March 3 from 9:00-10:00

Presenter: Skyla Savitch (Coordinator, Academic Success Centers)

Networking is an essential tool as you launch and move through your career. This workshop will focus on the keys to tactfully network and make your in-person and online interactions effective through some easy-to-use strategies and tips on how to begin (or continue to establish) your web presence. We will address fears of networking and the associated stigmas. This workshop will also touch on professional networking sites (e.g., ResearchGate, Academia.edu) and their importance for potential employers and colleagues looking for collaborators on (research) projects. Along with a personal website where you can customize your platform and have all control over the content, they are definitely a way for you to get your work out to a wide audience. (Please note that the March 11 and March 15 workshops will be devoted to LinkedIn, another professional networking platform.)

Finances During and After Graduate School

Friday, March 5 from 11:00-12:00

Presenter: Emy Tice (Senior Lecturer, The W. A. Franke College of Business)

Do you have the correct spending and saving habits for your life now (as a graduate student) and beyond (as you launch your career)? This workshop will give you the tools you need to be ready!

• Creating a spending plan & prioritizing debt payment
• Fixed costs v. discretionary expenses
• Money leakage
• Credit card debt & credit reports
• Money management tips for graduate students
• Money management apps
• Personal planning of major life purchases, e.g., buying or renting a home: factors to consider;
• investment basics (e.g., financial planners, the value of no load, 5 star Morning Star rated mutual funds)

Crafting Media Personas

Monday, March 8 from 12:00-1:00

Presenter: Jon Torn (Associate Professor, School of Communication)

To reach wider audiences, it can be useful to use digital tools to present your research and ideas in a visually-compelling form. You can post videos on YouTube and publicize them through Twitter or on blogs, among other tools. This workshop will delve into the advantages of digital media tools and showcase examples.

LinkedIn: Why

Thursday, March 11 from 3:00-4:00

Presenter: Rob Humphrey (Account Executive, LinkedIn)

Your professional network will undoubtedly play a significant role in your career. What better way to build your network other than with LinkedIn, the strongest professional networking platform in the world? Rob Humphrey, recovering recruiter, LinkedIn Sales MVP, and creator of the Do Work Project, is our guest speaker! He will discuss the valuable ways that LinkedIn can help you establish a network that will be a pathway to a successful career. Please note that the follow-up to this presentation is our March 15 Workshop, LinkedIn: How.

Minimizing Stress: Work-Force Centered

Friday, March 12 from 11:00-12:00

Presenter: Heather Coate (Counselor, Employee Assistance and Wellness)

Stress can impact your life at any time, including when you start your job search, and gaining an understanding of how to manage stress will positively contribute to your overall well-being. In this workshop, you will learn about the biggest stressors associated with life-changing events, the underlying thought processes that can contribute to stress, and tips for reducing those stressors and reframing one’s thought processes.

LinkedIn: How

Monday, March 15 from 1:00-2:00

Presenters:

• José Roberto Diaz Aquino (Assistant Director, NAU Career Development)
• Karina Collentine (Associate Dean, Graduate College)

LinkedIn, the world-recognized professional networking platform, is a great way to build your professional presence on the web. How do you know which sections and aspects will make a good impression on potential employers? How do you navigate this valuable platform to efficiently market yourself? Join us as we partner with NAU Career Development to show you the best ways to make a great online impression via LinkedIn, including how to utilize some key features of LinkedIn: Recommendations and Endorsements, Job searching from LinkedIn, the Alumni Finder tool, keyword and search optimization, and more; graduate student examples provided.

Do I Need a Resumé or a CV? Both?

Wednesday, March 17 from 4:00-5:00

Presenters:

• José Roberto Diaz Aquino (Assistant Director, NAU Career Development)
• Karina Collentine (Associate Dean, Graduate College)

Your resumé or curriculum vitae (CV) is the document through which you market yourself while focusing on delivering a specific message to relevant employers. Setting up your core message to highlight your relevant experience, skills, and characteristics is vital. In partnership with NAU Career Development, this workshop will discuss the differences and similarities between a resumé and a CV and guide you to building a strong resumé or CV that will help you promote yourself to the best of your ability; graduate student examples provided.

The Ins and Outs of the Cover Letter

Friday, March 19 from 10:00-11:00

Presenters:

• José Roberto Diaz Aquino (Assistant Director, NAU Career Development)
• Karina Collentine (Associate Dean, Graduate College)

Almost every application process requires a cover letter to be submitted along with your resumé or CV. The cover letter is used to communicate why you think you are qualified for the role, highlight your qualifications for the position, and give you a chance to let your personality show. The cover letter is also the means by which you can document the transferable skills that you have gained as a graduate student. In conjunction with NAU Career Development, this workshop will give you the tools to write a strong cover letter; graduate student examples provided.

3MRP Finals Competition

Thursday, March 25 from 3:30-5:00

Master of Ceremonies: Roger Bounds (Interim Dean, College of Health and Human Services)

The 3 Minute Research Presentation (3MRP) Competition provides an opportunity for NAU graduate students to present their thesis, dissertation, capstone research, scholarship, and/or creative work to an intelligent, non-specialist audience in just three minutes. This professional development opportunity is designed to increase and improve graduate students’ communication skills as well as their capacity to effectively present research, scholarship, or creative work. Watch the competition live with us through the NAU Graduate College Facebook Page.

GSG Poster Symposium Conference

Saturday, March 27 from 9:00-2:00 (tentative)

The Graduate Student Government Poster Symposium and Conference highlights a variety of programs, papers, projects, creative work, and research studies of the graduate students of NAU from all disciplines. The event provides an opportunity for students to introduce their research to those outside of their discipline, enhance their presentation skills, and represent their respective colleges.