Welcome! The Business Career Center provides guidance and support to UIC Business students looking for internship opportunities or full-time positions upon graduation.
We help you explore, engage and experience
The UIC Business Career Center is open with all resources available to you, including advising, workshops, job and internship opportunities, career fairs, and more. Our team of experienced career coaches are here to help you learn the skills that you need to find the right business career. We help you translate your classroom experiences to the workplace.
UICcareers.com is the Business Career Center’s online career resource exclusively for UIC Business students. Other UIC career centers use the Handshake job board. UIC Business students have double the opportunities because you have access to both UICcareers.com and Handshake. Go mobile with UICcareers.com. Click the android or iPhone link below to download the Symplicity Jobs and Careers app.
UIC Business Career Conversations is a podcast hosted by career coach Jacob Schulz. Hear from students, alumni, faculty and staff about their experiences in various fields, exciting new research and how UIC Business can support the student journey to career success.
Explore
How do I learn more? Why Business? Where do I start? Who can I speak with?
Before you can figure out where you want to go, it’s important to know where you are starting from. Everyone has had experiences which contain clues as to their best career fit. Start by exploring your career options and assessing your interests. We can help you explore.
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As a student, exploring careers can help you make better informed decisions when selecting an academic major, applying for internships, and crafting your overall academic experience.
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Analyze how your interests, skills and personality fit within certain occupations. Email BCC@uic.edu for access.
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Group-style informational interviews where you can talk with an alum about their career path, current position and more.
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For students who would like to learn more about the different business majors and how they connect with different career paths/interests. Additionally, you can gain insight on the tools and resources that the Business Career Center has available to help you through your exploration process.
Engage
How can I stand out from the crowd? What does it take to be a competitive candidate?
To become a competitive candidate who employers want to hire, you need to actively engage in preparing for your career. You should have a resume that has been reviewed, conducted interview prep, know how to present yourself, and understand job search strategies. We can help you engage.
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Resume Workshop
Business students can register for these workshops where we will review how to build a strong and competitive resume. Whether you are a student who has never created one or if you’d like to enhance your resume, sign up for our session.
Online Resume Review
Upload your MS Word document to UICcareers.com. Under document type “Other Documents.” To receive feedback, please name your resume: DRAFT_FIRST LAST name. This is important as only DRAFT resumes will be reviewed.
Schedule an appointment with a Career Coach
Our team of experienced career coaches are here to help you learn the skills that you need to find the right business career. We help you translate your classroom experiences to the workplace.
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Attend a “Writing Effective Cover Letters” workshop. This workshop will help you craft high-impact cover letters which will grab employers’ attention and increase your chances of landing an interview.
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"Preparing Your Pitch" Workshop
Whether you use it when meeting someone in an elevator, while networking, or meeting employers at a career fair, it’s important to be prepared with a “pitch” to introduce yourself. In this group advising session you will learn about different types of pitches, how to create an effective pitch, and have the opportunity to practice your pitch.
Intern Ready: Pitch Out
If you would like to practice your Elevator Pitch or currently working on your Intern Ready Badge these 15-minute time slots allow you to deliver your Elevator Pitch and receive feedback from a career coach.
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Mastering Your Virtual Interviews
Learn how to prepare for virtual interviews as well as strategies for demonstrating your fit for the job. Join us for this opportunity to learn and practice your virtual interviewing skills!
Mock Interviews
During Mock Interviews, professionals from the Chicago Business Community conduct practice interviews and provide detailed feedback. For tips on interviewing, please download our Interviewing Guide.
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Students actively looking for an internship can earn the Intern Ready Badge to make an impact on employers.
The Intern Ready Badge is composed of three steps: Resume, Elevator Pitch and Mock Interview. All must be completed to earn the badge. Feedback is provided by a Business Career Center Coach through one-on-one or online appointments.
How to start?
To begin the Intern Ready Badge, go to go.uic.edu/internready and click “start”. Note: If you haven’t set up your UIC Careers profile, then you will need to do so first, before accessing the system. You can do so at uiccareers.com.
Resume
You must have a resume that is in a similar format to the BCC Resume Guide.
For feedback and approval students have two options:
- Online Resume Review: Upload your resume to uiccareers.com in a MS Word document under the “Documents” tab. You must label it as Intern Ready _ First Last Name and choose “Other Documents” as the document type.
- Career coaching appointment: Schedule at uiccareers.com or by calling (312) 996-5139.
Elevator Pitch
It is important to understand how to introduce yourself at networking events, career fairs, interviews, and more. A strong elevator pitch tells others about your unique skills, experiences, and career goals. To complete the Elevator Pitch component, you must do the following:
- Have your 30-second elevator pitch approved by a Career Coach. You have three options to get your elevator pitch approved:
- Career Coaching Appointment (Schedule online at UICCareers.com)
- Sign up for a time slot at the Intern Ready Pitch-Out event (Sign-up at UICCareers.com)
- Email an audio (MP3, WMV, VLC File) or video (MOV, WAV, VLC file) of your elevator pitch to internready@uic.edu.
We also highly recommend that you attend a Preparing Your Pitch workshop or meet with a Career Coach to learn more about the Elevator Pitch.
Interview Skills
Having strong interviewing skills is essential to obtaining an internship. To complete the Interviewing Skills Component, you will need to do the following:
- Successfully pass a Mock Interview. You have two options:
- Recording a mock interview on UICCareers.com.
- Scheduling a Career Coaching Appointment (UICCareers.com).
We also highly recommend that you attend a “Mastering Your Virtual Interview” workshop or meet with a Career Coach to learn more about interviewing skills. Please also review our Interview Guide for additional information on how to prepare for interviews.
Once you have completed these steps, email the Business Career Center at internready@uic.edu, and a member of the team will confirm if you have successfully earned your Intern Ready Badge.
Experience
How do I get an internship or full-time job?
The Business Career Center brings employers (recruiters) to campus to meet and hire our business students. Employers attend specialized and general virtual career fairs during which they are actively looking to hire students. Our career coaches can also help you maximize your internship and job search strategies. Having an internship experience is the best way to find out if your career choice is the right fit. We can help you experience.
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Internships provide excellent learning experiences in which students can grow their business knowledge, professional skills, and apply classroom learning to real world settings. To receive academic credit for an internship or major-related job experience, students must work for a minimum of ten weeks for ten to forty hours per week, or a longer period as specified by the employer.
Students must notify their internship supervisor that they are completing the internship or major-related job for academic credit. The course is a satisfactory/unsatisfactory (S/U) graded course and will not affect a student’s GPA. BA 289 never meets as a class. The class consists of the student’s work at the internship site, along with a final reflection paper assignment. If requested, students must be willing to arrange an on-site visit by a representative from the Business Career Center during the course of the internship work experience.
In order to receive credit, students must write and submit a reflection paper on their internship experience. This 3-4 page double spaced reflection paper needs to be submitted at the end of the semester and details will be posted on Blackboard. Credits earned by enrolling in BA 289 do not count towards the 120 hours required for an undergraduate degree. Up to six credit hours do count towards the 150 hours required to sit for the CPA for accounting and finance majors.
Credits do count towards the sixty-hour residence requirement for transfer students. All credits earned are listed on your permanent transcript, often requested by potential employers.
Step One
Complete and submit the BA 289 Student Application at go.uic.edu/BA289. Students will be notified whether their internship has been approved for registration in the course.
Step Two
Register for BA 289 for 0, 1, 2, or 3 credit hours (change the zero default to select the number of credits on the drop down menu) for the appropriate semester or summer term of enrollment. Students may choose the number of credit hours according to their needs.
Step Three
Write and submit the required reflection essay to Blackboard before the end of the final exam period for the semester of BA 289 enrollment. This assignment must be successfully submitted in order to receive a (S) satisfactory (passing) grade.
Virginia Lacy
BA 289/BA 589 InstructorPhone:
Email:
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University job site containing internship,entry-level and experienced hire positions. Create your student profile and upload a current resume. Register for relevant workshops.
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Learn about the “hidden job market,” strategies and resources you can use for a successful internship or job search.
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Preparing for Virtual Career Fairs
Now is the time to get ready for the specialized virtual career fairs that are taking place throughout the semester. This workshop will cover the logistics of virtual career fairs, help you prepare your elevator pitch, and guide you through the 7 steps for career fair success.”
Career Fairs
Attend Business Career Center Career Fairs to meet with recruiters and hiring managers recruiting on-campus for internship/job opportunities. We strongly encourage students to meet with their career coach prior to attending. Please note, attire is business professional.
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Submit resumes via UICCareers.com to be considered for interviews. Interviews take place in Douglas Hall. It is mandatory that you arrive 10 minutes early to check-in with the Business Career Center in DH 110. Bring hard copies of your resume.
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The UIC Library has additional resources to help you learn more about career exploration, interviewing, and resume writing. They also have an abundance of databases to help with researching various companies and industries.
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LinkedIn Learning
The University of Illinois has contracted with LinkedIn to provide members of the University of Illinois with access to over 1,200 online courses provided by LinkedIn Learning. Access is available today to all students, faculty and staff and titles are broken down into manageable segments to accommodate busy schedules. These video based tutorials are taught by industry experts and available 24/7 for convenient, self-paced learning.
Linkedin Profile Checklist
LinkedIn is a great website to build your professional network, conduct career research, and apply for internship/job opportunities. This checklist will help your profile stand out to employers.
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A database of employers, internships, and jobs. Students can access the full site using their UIC email and password.
Resume Building Workshop
Resume Building Workshop
Mastering Your Interviews
Preparing for Virtual Career Fairs Workshop
Writing Effective Cover Letters
UIC Business Accounting and Finance Virtual Career Fair
The Business Career Center hosts a variety of job and internship fairs, welcoming top employers from Chicago and beyond seeking full-time hires and interns from UIC Business. Discover exciting opportunities and register for our career fairs and events on UICcareers.com. UIC Business students can double their opportunities to connect with employers by using Handshake to register for other career fairs and events at UIC.
Register for career fairs and events
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I have never met with a Career Coach in the past and I am not sure how the BCC can support me. Where should I begin?
Attend one of our “Getting Started with the Business Career Center” presentations. We will provide you with an overview of our resources and services.
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I am not sure what I would like to do after I graduate? I am not even sure what I would like to major in, what should I do?
You should begin exploring different careers in business. Review the Career Exploration Guide and attend a Career Exploration Workshop. You will also want to schedule an appointment with a Career Coach.
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I need help with my resume. I am not sure how to create one or I am not sure if mine looks good, what should I do?
Attend a Resume Building Workshop and review our Resume Guide. Afterwards, schedule an appointment with a career coach for a resume review.
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Yes, cover letters are particularly important as they help provide employers with additional information about your skillset, background and interest in their company. Sign up for one of our Writing Effective Cover Letter workshops.
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Attend one of our Internship and Job Search Strategies workshops. Learn more about the different strategies to find an internship. You can find and apply for internships on UICcareers.com, external sites like Linkedin, Glassdoor, Indeed, and even on an employer’s website. You should also schedule an appointment with a Career Coach
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If you are looking for a part-time or on-campus position, then please reach out to the Office of Student Employment. If you are looking for a full-time job, then please refer to the above information about our Internship/Job Search Strategies Workshop, Career Fairs, and Information Sessions.
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Yes! We encourage you to attend a Mastering Your Virtual Interview workshop. Additionally, you can do a Mock Interview with our office. You can pre-record one at UICcareers.com or schedule a live one with a Career Coach. Call our office at (312) 996-5139 for additional information and assistance.
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You can attend one of our virtual career fairs online. You must register for them at UICcareers.com. We strongly suggest that you attend a Preparing for Virtual Career Fair workshop prior to attending the career fair.
Meet the UIC Business Career Center Team
