This page offers an overview of UW-Madison’s career tools – and tips to help you use them in your career exploration. Utilize resources like Handshake for exploring job opportunities, Big Interview to practice interview skills, LinkedIn Learning to build your skill set, and more. Whether you’re in the earliest stages of exploring, building your resume, or refining your interview skills, there are tools (and advisors!) to help you along the way.
Discover Jobs You Never Knew Existed
Handshake is the best tool for UW-Madison students to connect with employers, find jobs and internships, and learn about upcoming career events – all great ways to explore career interests!
Using Handshake to Explore
- Use the job search feature to learn about careers or internships that sound interesting.
- Read up on employers in the fields/industries you’re interested in. Learn how they talk about their organization and the work they do.
- Gather ideas on how to get outside-the-classroom experiences by reviewing other students’ profiles.
Ace Your Next Interview
Big Interview lets you practice and improve your interviewing skills so you feel confident and ready. Explore sets of questions and sample answers for over 1,000 different professions!
Using Big Interview to Explore
- Getting experience is one of the best ways to explore! To get experience, you’ll need to interview – get help on how to tell your story with Big Interview.
- Curious about the kinds of interview questions most commonly asked in the fields/industries you want to explore? Check out Big Interview’s sets of questions to learn more about what employers want to know.
Bite-Sized Master Classes
LinkedIn Learning has a huge library of free online courses and resources to help you discover and develop skills that are attractive to employers and graduate schools.
Using LinkedIn Learning to Explore
- LinkedIn Learning contains lots of content from industry experts! Take a course from an expert in industries you’re curious about.
- LinkedIn Learning contains courses for both technical skills and social/emotional skills – both are extremely valuable! If you know a certain set of skills are important for the career you’re thinking about, take a course focused on that skill to see how you like it.
- Browse the library for resources on building professional skills that employers seek, such as communication, problem-solving, and teamwork.
- Search “career exploration” for content to get you started with exploring careers that might be a good fit for you.
Help AI Help You
The AI toolkit focuses on how you can use generative artificial intelligence in your career journey. Find resources to help you use AI to explore majors and careers; apply for jobs and internships; and navigate your future career and the technology-driven world of work.
Using AI to Explore
- Learn about the benefits and limitations of using AI on your career exploration journey, so you can feel confident about using these tools wisely and responsibly.
- The key to getting helpful responses from AI is to continuously fine-tune your prompts. Start with our career prompts guide, created by UW-Madison career services staff.
Your Friendly AI Sidekick
Copilot is a generative AI tool that is supported by UW-Madison and provides important data security protections when logged in with your NetID. Along with a Career Exploration Center advisor, Copilot can be your partner in exploring your career interests.
Using Copilot to Explore
- Use one or more of the career prompts from the AI toolkit to craft a personalized conversation with Copilot. A good place to start is the “Exploring Careers & Majors” section.
- You can use Copilot to ask just about anything, but we encourage you to use it to find even more resources to investigate further. For example, ask about “top companies hiring for (your career interest) in Chicago.”
Unlock Global Opportunities
GoinGlobal is an online database that provides expert advice and resources for students seeking jobs and internships worldwide. These resources are ideal for international students seeking opportunities in the United States, as well as any student who plans to move to an unfamiliar city or country after graduation.
Using GoinGlobal to Explore
- Interested in working in a particular city or country after graduation? GoinGlobal has in-depth Career Guides for 120-plus locations worldwide, filled with advice and tips on topics such as employment trends and work permit regulations.
- Each region of the world also has their own distinct workplace culture. Workplace culture contains written and “unwritten” rules, use GoinGlobal to learn more about the work/life culture of a region you’re considering working in.