Career Programming

CLA is excited to present its seventh annual Graduate Student Summer Internship Program. The Internship Program offers graduate students the opportunity to gain experience in a job outside the professoriate, explore how their academic training can translate into various career options, and build additional skills that are transferable across sectors and jobs. Although many students in the program intern with local community groups, students have the opportunity to undertake any internship of their choice. Students have worked with social justice organizations, community groups, government agencies, nonprofits, labor groups, for-profits, social ventures, and start-ups. The intention of this program is to provide funding for low-paid (or possibly unpaid) internships that students would otherwise not be able to accept. See examples of previous internships. 

Students accepted into the program will attend weekly 90-minute workshops, starting Sept. 24th and ending the week of Dec. 10th. Workshops will be a combination of in-person and over Zoom. Outside workshop sessions, students can expect to spend approximately 3-4 hours a week on internship-related work. Students will search for and apply to internships in fall 2026 and/or spring 2027 and undertake their internships during summer 2027.

This program is open to all graduate students, including international students, who are in research-based programs in CLA. 8-12 awardees will be funded. Workshops will be held weekly on Thursday mornings from 11:00 am to 12:30 pm between Sept. 24th, 2026, and Dec. 10th, 2026.

This four-part online workshop series offers an overview of the most important aspects of a graduate student's job search beyond academia. Each session informs and supports the other, but attendance of each session is not required. This workshop series is free and open to all of CLA's graduate students and postdoctoral scholars. Faculty and staff working with graduate students are encouraged to attend.

Self-Exploration: Skills & Values with Special Guest Hans Kabat

Thursday, January 29, 2026, 11am-12pm, Zoom

 Learn how to assess your own values and skills to align your job search with your personal priorities for a meaningful career.  

Special guest and CLA alum Hans Kabat (PhD in Political Economy), Senior Vice President, Strategy and Acceleration at Cargill, will share his perspective on pursuing a career beyond academia. Over the past 24 years, he has held a variety of leadership roles across Cargill’s global protein businesses, with 16 of those years spent outside the United States. Read more about Hans.

Facilitator: Dr. Maria Hofmann, Associate Director, CLA Graduate Student Career Services

Job Market Exploration: Networking & Market Research

Thursday, February 19, 2026, 11am-12pm, Zoom

This workshop will help graduate students strategically explore career options beyond academia. Participants will learn how to conduct research to identify target jobs and organizations, and build professional networks that support long-term career goals.

Facilitator: Mackenzie Sullivan, Director, CLA Graduate Student Career Services

Resumes, Cover Letters, and Online Profiles

Thursday, March 19, 2026, 11am-12pm, Zoom

This workshop will help graduate students learn to present their skills and experiences effectively across professional application materials. Participants will learn how to craft tailored résumés and cover letters that communicate their value to employers in industry, nonprofit, and government sectors. The session also covers best practices for creating an online profile in LinkedIn, to strengthen professional presence, and support networking and job search success.

Facilitator: Mackenzie Sullivan, Director, CLA Graduate Student Career Services

Alum Panel: Jobs Beyond the United States

Thursday, April 9, 2026, 11am-12pm, Zoom

A panel discussion with CLA grad alums who found careers in academia and beyond in other countries. Panelists:

• Justin Kracht, Psychology - Workplace Engineer, Canonical, NORWAY

• John Nordstrom, Germanic Studies - Material Planner, SICK Sensor Intelligence, GERMANY

• Anuradha Sajjanhar, Sociology - Lecturer/Assistant Professor, University of East Anglia, UK

• Hao Xu, Mass Communication - Lecturer/Assistant Professor, University of Melbourne, AUSTRALIA

CLA is excited to present its annual Graduate Student Summer Internship Program. The Internship Program offers graduate students the opportunity to gain experience in a profession beyond the professoriate, explore how their academic training can translate into various career options, and build additional skills that will be transferable across sectors and jobs. The intention of this program is to provide funding for low-paid (or possibly unpaid) internships that students would otherwise not be able to accept. Students have the opportunity to undertake an internship of their choice, working with employers that include social justice organizations, government agencies, nonprofits, for-profits, social ventures, or start-ups. See examples of previous internships. 

This program is open to all graduate students, including international students, who are in research-based programs. 

Deadline: Monday, December 15th, 11:59pm Central. Decisions will be announced by 5pm Central on January 7th. 8-12 awardees will be funded. 

This ORGP workshop supports CLA PhD students who identify as first-generation in their career development beyond the tenure track. In six meetings over the course of the spring semester 2026, a small cohort of six students will work through exercises aimed at career exploration, preparation of application materials, networking, and the interview and negotiation process. Students will receive a small stipend ($200) for their participation. (No letters of recommendation required.) Contact Maria Hofmann with any questions.

 Deadline: Monday, December 15th, 11:59pm Central, 2025

Research Statements & Postdoc Applications

Friday, September 12, 2025, 11:00-12:30pm, Zoom

An introduction to writing an effective research statement for academic positions, its typical structure and content, and what mistakes to avoid. Learn about the differences between tenure-track and postdoc applications on the humanities and social sciences and how to adjust your research statement accordingly. 

Teaching Statements & Portfolios

Friday, September 26, 2025, 11:00-12:30pm, Zoom

Learn how to write a convincing teaching statement and how to best represent yourself as an educator when applying to institutions of higher education. We will also discuss the typical components of a teaching portfolio.  

Interviews & Campus Visits

Friday, October 10, 2025, 11:00-12:30pm, Zoom

An introduction to interviews and campus visits for academic positions, their purpose, typical structure, and how to prepare.

Open to all graduate students in CLA. Faculty and staff working with graduate students welcome.

The Office of Research and Graduate Programs in the College of Liberal Arts (CLA) celebrates Graduate Student Appreciation Week the first week of April 2025! Graduate and Professional Student Appreciation Week was started in 1993 by the National Association of Graduate-Professional Students as a way to support and appreciate graduate and professional students. CLA Graduate students are encouraged to celebrate their contribution to the College of Liberal Arts through a series of professional and career development opportunities hosted by CLA.

Tuesday, April 1, 2025: In-Person Career Consultations:

Schedule an appointment with Mackenzie Sullivan, Director of Graduate Student Career Services for help with exploring career options and fit, Effective job search strategies, LinkedIn profile creation and enhancement, resumes and cover letters, interview techniques, identifying and developing relationships with faculty, professional organizations, student groups, and employers. If this date doesn’t align with your schedule, schedule an appointment when it is convenient for you!

Wednesday, April 2, 2025; 10am-12pm; Free professional headshots, coffee and snacks: 

Register to have professional headshots taken in Johnston Hall 202. CLA photographer, Johanna Heidorn will be setup to take your photo to be used for online portfolios, campus accounts and or even your commencement photo. Registration is highly encouraged, walk-ins are welcome.

Friday, April 4, 2025, 11am-12pm, Zoom: Workshop: Creating Your 5-Year-Plan, 

facilitated by Maria Hofmann, Associate Director of Graduate Student Career & DEI Initiatives. This hands-on workshop gives an introduction to the purpose of 5-year plans (or any other individual development plan) and provides a practical guide on how to get started for CLA graduate students at any stage of their programs. Faculty and staff working with graduate students are welcome to attend.

Overview

Dates: May 20-22, 2025

Participation Stipend: $300.00

Location: Liberal Arts Engagement Hub, Pillsbury Hall, Minneapolis, MN

Eligibility:

Doctoral students in the humanities and humanistic arts or social sciences at the University of Minnesota.

International students are eligible to apply.

Applicants may be at any stage of their doctoral work, but they cannot have received the doctoral degree at the time of the workshop.

HWW especially encourages students from backgrounds historically underrepresented in higher education to apply.

Deadline for Students: February 14, 2025

Deadline for Endorsing Faculty Member:  Feb 28, 2025

The Workshop

Humanities Without Walls (HWW) seeks applications from doctoral students pursuing degrees in the humanities and humanistic arts or social sciences for the HWW UMN Careers Beyond the Tenure Track Doctoral Workshop, to be held from May 20-22, 2025, in Minneapolis, MN. Selected students are expected to attend all workshop activities in person. 

HWW is a three-day intensive, student-centered career exploration program of values discernment, career exploration, and practical preparation for jobs in a variety of sectors, both beyond and within the academy. Workshop sessions intentionally lay foundations for the fellows as they do the real-time work of discerning personal career values, building community within their cohort, making professional contacts, and researching potential career paths. Participants will learn how to leverage their skills and humanities training towards careers in the private sector, the nonprofit world, arts administration, public media and many other fields. 

Participants are typically invested in the pressing issues of our time and are seeking ways to bring humanistic values, insights, and skills to their work lives, whether in the public, nonprofit, or private sector. Previous HWW Summer Workshop Fellows have come from a variety of humanistic disciplines, with experience in community building, museum curation, filmmaking, radio programming, social media, project management, research, writing, and teaching.

Students receive $300 for their participation.

Application Guidelines

Students must submit their applications on InfoReady by February 14, 2025. 

The application consists of four parts:

Application Questionnaire 

[Applicants from disciplines outside traditional humanities fields will be asked to explain how their research can be considered humanistic.]

Long-form Responses to the following questions:  (250-300 words per question)

What are your career interests or your intended career trajectory? How have your background and experiences impacted your choices?

How will this workshop help you achieve your goals? What knowledge and skills are you hoping to learn?

Upload a Resume or CV (two pages maximum) that includes relevant professional experiences (including e.g., volunteering, part-time employment, etc.).

One letter of endorsement from a faculty or staff member (e.g. your Graduate Program Coordinator). 

Contact

All questions should be directed to [email protected].

Applications closed.

This ORGP workshop supports PhD students who identify as first-generation in their career development beyond the tenure track. In six meetings over the course of the spring semester 2025, a small cohort of six students will work through exercises aimed at career exploration, preparation of application materials, networking, and the interview and negotiation process. Students will receive a small stipend ($200) for their participation. Contact Maria Hofmann with any questions. Apply by November 24, 2024.

CLA is excited to present its fifth annual Graduate Student Summer Internship Program. The Internship Program offers graduate students the opportunity to gain experience in a profession beyond the professoriate, explore how their academic training might translate into various career options, and build additional skills that will translate across sectors and jobs. The intention of this program is to provide funding for low-paid (or possibly unpaid) internships that students would otherwise not be able to accept. Students have the opportunity to do an internship of their choice, working with employers including social justice organizations, government agencies, nonprofits, for-profits, social ventures, or start-ups. See examples of previous internships.

This is a small cohort program that will enroll and fund up to 9-12 graduate students. It will kick off in November 2024 and run through the end of April 2025. Student applications are due by 11:59 p.m. Monday, September 30th, 2024.

Basics of the Academic Job Market

Friday, September 6, 2024, 11:30-1pm, Zoom

An introduction to the academic job market with an overview of typical timelines, application materials, and interviewing practices. Learn about the variety of institutions and academic positions, how to tailor your application to a specific job, and how to avoid common pitfalls. Open to all graduate students in CLA. Faculty and staff working with graduate students welcome.

The Academic Cover Letter

Friday, September 20, 2024, 11:30-1pm, Zoom

Learn about the purpose of the academic cover letter, its typical structure and content, how to tailor it to specific positions, and what mistakes to avoid. Open to all graduate students in CLA. Faculty and staff working with graduate students welcome.

Diversity Statement

Friday, October 4, 2024, 11:30-1pm, Zoom

An introduction to writing an effective diversity statement that speaks to your commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in your research, teaching, and service in an authentic and convincing way. While this workshop focuses on the diversity statement within the academic job market, most content applies to applications to non-faculty positions as well. Open to all graduate students in CLA. Faculty and staff working with graduate students welcome.

This annual workshop series has been reenvisioned and condensed to better meet the needs of our graduate students.  Sessions will be held during fall semester 2024 over Zoom. These sessions are hosted by CLA's Graduate Student Career Services Office, in conjunction with The Graduate School. 

Careers Beyond Academia: Career Exploration and Research

Thursday, September 26, 2024, 11am-12pm, Zoom

During this session, Dr. Maria Hofmann, Associate Director, CLA Graduate Student Career Services, will focus on career exploration and research. This Canvas course includes resources you may wish to refer to before or after this workshop.  

Careers Beyond Academia: Resumes and Cover Letters

Thursday, October 24, 2024, 11am-12pm, Zoom

During this session, Mackenzie Sullivan,  Director, CLA Graduate Student Career Services, will focus on preparing resumes and cover letters for careers beyond academia. This Canvas course includes resources you may wish to refer to before or after this workshop.