CAPD Virtual Orientation
Start here. Go anywhere.
When it comes to planning for your career, you may know exactly where you’re headed. You may have ideas that you’re excited to explore. Or maybe you’re not even sure where to start. And that’s ok. MIT Career Advising & Professional Development (CAPD) is your hub for all things career, from thinking big-picture about your life goals and career path to researching internships and preparing for interviews. Our team can help you.
After you have watched this orientation, challenge your knowledge by taking this Virtual Orientation P-Set for a chance to win a $25 gift card! This P-set is open to complete until Friday, September 6, 2024.
No matter where in the world you are starting your MIT-journey, I’d like to offer a welcome from Career Advising & Professional Development (or CAPD). My name is Kendel Jester and I am the Assistant Director of Early Career Engagement. Through this virtual orientation, I hope to cover how CAPD can support and help you navigate your future academic and professional career.
To get started, here is a list of things you can do right now to jump-start your career development. Select the item below to jump to that page.
- Hear about services offered by CAPD
- Sign-up for Handshake
- Schedule an appointment
- Register for a career event
- Stay connected to CAPD
- Learn about additional resources
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Hear About Services
You may think of us as the place to get your resume looked at, or to prepare for an interview, but there is a lot more to us than that! Career Advising & Professional Development has teams to support Career Counseling and Education, Employer Relations, Pre-Health Advising, Distinguished Fellowships, and Professional Development. Our mission is to empower students, postdocs and alumni to explore their life and career goals by helping them to develop core competencies and build professional networks. Our goal is to engage students and alumni in self-discovery to craft lives that are intellectually challenging, personally enriching, and of service to the world. And we are available to help all MIT students. If you don’t see a service you need, don’t be afraid to ask.
Regardless of where you find yourself in your career development, we encourage you to look through the resources and support available on capd.mit.edu and Handshake.
What would you like to learn about next? Select the item below to jump to that page.
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Sign-up for Handshake
Handshake is CAPD’s online career management tool, accessible by all current MIT students. If you have a Kerberos account, you can access Handshake. To get started, visit: mit.joinhandshake.com and use touchstone to login. You will be asked to complete questions to fill out your profile. These questions are voluntary and will help the system recommend jobs, events, and resources for you. You can also edit or modify these later. You may also want to spend time updating your profile, uploading your resume, and searching through all of the different menus and options available to get a sense of how to best utilize this tool throughout your time at MIT. You will find that Handshake is a great tool to find internships and jobs, research and connect with employers, schedule appointments with CAPD staff, and much more.
What would you like to learn about next? Select the item below to jump to that page.
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Schedule an Appointment
CAPD staff are all able to support you with a variety of career-related questions. Whether you are certain about pursuing industry or academia, uncertain about what you would like to do, or find yourself at any point somewhere in the middle, CAPD is able to help you navigate your needs. CAPD appointments are a great way to get tailored support on topics including major selection, job/internship search strategies, resume writing, cover letter writing, interview preparation, salary/offer negotiation, medical/graduate school, and more. Appointments vary in length, but most are between 30 minutes to an hour to accommodate your schedule. And appointments are offered year round. To schedule an appointment click on “Career Center” in Handshake. There you will see a button for Appointments and can schedule a new appointment. You will select the type of appointment you need and can see available time spots. If you have an urgent need or do not find a time that works for your schedule, email capd@mit.edu to find possible options.
What would you like to learn about next? Select the item below to jump to that page.
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Register for a Career Event
CAPD hosts speakers, panels, networking events, and workshops. Some of these are offered directly by employers and are a great opportunity to explore and connect with others to aid with your career development. Here is some information about how to find events on Handshake. First, go to the Events section of Handshake. Here you can search through different events. Many events require registration in advance, so make sure you sign up. Some events are employer sponsored and are listed on Handshake only because they may be of interest to members of the MIT community. The inclusion of any activity does not indicate MIT sponsorship or endorsement of that activity or event. If you sign up and realize later that due to a conflict you are no longer able to participate, remember to either remove your registration or email the organizer to let them know that you will no longer be able to attend. Some events may be capped, so releasing your spot may help a fellow student be able to participate.
What would you like to learn about next? Select the item below to jump to that page.
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Stay Connected to CAPD
You may be feeling overwhelmed by all of the information you have available to you, and so allow us to help you stay connected in a way that works with your schedule. All first years will begin to receive a bi-weekly newsletter of First-Year-friendly CAPD events, internships, and resources delivered right to your inbox. I try hard not to spam you, so please keep on this list for exciting events all-year-round. We also have specific newsletters for students interested in pre-health and pre-law, and you can sign-up for these on the CAPD website. You may also want to follow-us on Social Media. You can follow CAPD at MITCareers on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Likewise, you may want to periodically adjust your notifications through Handshake. Here is a guide to help you navigate how to make those adjustments.
What would you like to learn about next? Select the item below to jump to that page.
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Learn about Additional Resources
Don’t go yet there’s more, and this is incredibly manageable. You may have already seen the additional resources available on Handshake and the CAPD website, but let me point out some specific resources that can come in handy all throughout your time at MIT:
- The CAPD Handbook – A book that provides great tools to help you navigate your career. Through 70 pages, we have tools to help you choose a major, write a resume, prepare for an interview, and more. You can get a handbook when you come for an appointment with a career advisor. However, we also have these same resources right on our website when you go to the Resources & Advice page.
- Survey Data – If you’re curious about your peers, CAPD collects information about summer experiences and post-graduation plans. I highly recommend that you review this information to help you think about different pathways you would consider for your career trajectory.
- Guided Assessments – CAPD staff can also help you navigate other assessment tools. There are staff members trained in the MBTI, Strengths Finder, and the Strong Interest Inventory. To learn more about guided assessment, visit our website.
What would you like to learn about next? Select the item below to jump to that page.
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Conclusion
Congratulations! If you completed this virtual orientation, you are well equipped to find the support you need for your personal career development. Challenge your knowledge by taking this Virtual Orientation P-Set (open during Orientation). We look forward to seeing you at Orientation events in August and September, and in the meantime, feel free to revisit any of these topics:
- Hear about services offered by CAPD
- Sign-up for Handshake
- Schedule an appointment
- Register for a career event
- Stay connected to CAPD
- Learn about additional resources
You can also go on our website or on Handshake for information and support at any time. Welcome again to MIT!