Career

Professional development doesn’t start when you need a job. It starts now. That doesn’t mean you need to know the career you want after college. It means you should seek opportunities to develop skills that will serve you well in any career (like public speaking, writing, interpersonal, and analytic skills), explore what’s out there, connect with alumni, learn job search strategies, build experience by asking for more responsibility or new projects at work, seek leadership positions in clubs or volunteer organizations, and lay the groundwork for internships.

Explore different sectors and industries by checking out our Career Communities in the tab above.  Here, you will find information on the sector, student and alumni stories and advice, job and internship postings, relevant events, and many resources to help you learn more about opportunities and outcomes in that sector.  Join as many career communities as you’d like to explore!

Your SBS Career & Professional Development team can help you know yourself, explore your options, build your skills, develop a job search strategy, and connect with alumni mentors, so don’t be a stranger.  Come meet with us!

Explore your Career Pathways

SBS Pathways guides SBS students as they pursue academic, experiential, and professional development opportunities, equipping them with an impressive array of competencies needed for careers in business and nonprofit settings, graduate study, and meaningful engagement in civic life. Competencies are more than just the skills needed to perform a specific task. They involve the ability to think critically, creatively, and analytically and to apply skills and knowledge strategically across a range of contexts.

As you pursue your own SBS Pathways, you will build the following skills and competencies and learn to integrate, communicate, and apply them in various settings. These are the very characteristics employers consistently say they would like to see more of in their applicants and employees:

  • Critical Thinking/Problem Solving
  • Written and Oral Communication
  • Teamwork / Collaboration
  • Leadership
  • Work Ethic & Professionalism
  • Global/Intercultural Perspectives
  • Information Literacy

SBS Shadows Student Registration Is Open! Shadow an alum at work over winter break.

Now’s the time!

The SBS Shadows program provides one-day job shadowing experiences that give students the opportunity to spend time with alumni or other hosts in their place of work. Through observation and conversation, students will learn more about a …

By Carol Sharick
Carol Sharick Director of Career and Professional Development for Undergraduates, College of Social and Behavioral Sciences
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Here comes the dreaded “So what are your plans for after graduation?” question!

As break and the holidays approach, many of you will be around folks who care about you and haven’t seen you in a while.  They want to catch up, and in a well-meaning effort to make conversation, they may ask …

By Carol Sharick
Carol Sharick Director of Career and Professional Development for Undergraduates, College of Social and Behavioral Sciences
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Beat the Applicant Tracking System and Get Your Resume in Front of a Human

 

When you apply for a position you are qualified for, you may take for granted that you will get a fair shake from the human resources staff when they read it.

However, you may be surprised to hear how …

By David Shrauger - Ivy Exec
Ivy Exec
 Ivy Exec is your dedicated career development resource.
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Relevant Courses

These courses offered by SBS and Linkedin Learning will help you build the skills employers seek.

The Core Competencies All Employers Seek

The Core Competencies All Employers Seek

Some skills are universally sought by employers and are essential to a well functioning team.  Stand out from the crowd…
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Google Analytics 4 (GA4) Essential Training (2021)

Google Analytics 4 (GA4) Essential Training (2021)

Corey Koberg
Google Analytics 4 provides the means to track, analyze, and report on the visitors to your site and app—who they…
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Learning Data Analytics: 1 Foundations

Learning Data Analytics: 1 Foundations

Robin Hunt
Are you interested in pursuing a career in data analytics? In this course, instructor Robin Hunt brings you into the…
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Nonprofit Management Foundations

Nonprofit Management Foundations

Leslie Crutchfield
Thinking about leading a nonprofit organization? Internationally renowned author Leslie Crutchfield provides a primer on nonprofit management and leadership. She…
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Social Media Marketing Strategy: TikTok and Instagram Reels

Social Media Marketing Strategy: TikTok and Instagram Reels

Ashley Kennedy
If you’re in marketing, the only thing worse than not having a social media marketing strategy is having a bad…
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Excel Essential Training (Microsoft 365)

Excel Essential Training (Microsoft 365)

Dennis Taylor
Get up to speed with Microsoft Excel, the world’s most popular spreadsheet program. Follow along with Excel expert Dennis Taylor…
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Salesforce Essential Training

Salesforce Essential Training

Jamie Grettum
If you work in sales or are looking for a job in sales, chances are you need to know Salesforce,…
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You Need a Career Development Plan

You Need a Career Development Plan

Macmillan Publishers
You can’t navigate your way to career success without first plotting a course. Having a career development strategy can be…
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Customer Service: Managing Customer Expectations

Customer Service: Managing Customer Expectations

Jeff Toister
View Jeff’s LinkedIn Newsletter Today’s customers expect a lot. Customer service expert Jeff Toister helps frontline employees identify where they…
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Nano Tips for Using Excel with Miss Excel (2021)

Nano Tips for Using Excel with Miss Excel (2021)

Kat Norton
Welcome to our Nano Tips series, where LinkedIn Learning creators deliver impactful lessons in literally seconds. Here, join Miss Excel…
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Learning Data Science: Understanding the Basics

Learning Data Science: Understanding the Basics

Doug Rose
Many of the people who work on data science teams won’t be data scientists. They’ll be the managers and associates…
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Business Analysis Foundations: Business Process Modeling

Business Analysis Foundations: Business Process Modeling

Haydn Thomas
When you’re trying to grapple with user demands and market changes, it can be difficult to mentally zoom out and…
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Illustrator 2020 Essential Training

Illustrator 2020 Essential Training

Tony Harmer
Adobe Illustrator is the industry standard in vector drawing—for everything from minimalistic logos to full-blown illustrations. This course teaches core…
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Outlook Quick Tips (2017)

Outlook Quick Tips (2017)

Nick Brazzi
Get quick answers to your most urgent Outlook questions. These short tutorials help users work faster and smarter with Outlook,…
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Data Science & Analytics Career Paths & Certifications: First Steps

Data Science & Analytics Career Paths & Certifications: First Steps

Jungwoo Ryoo
The career opportunities in data science, big data, and data analytics are growing dramatically. If you’re interested in changing career…
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SBS College to Careers – SOCBEHAV 250

SBS College to Careers – SOCBEHAV 250

SOCBEHAV 250: College to Careers This class is all about YOU. • One credit, highly-participatory course • Learn about yourself…
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Cert Prep: PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP)®

Cert Prep: PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP)®

Kelley O'Connell
The agile approach to project management can help companies respond faster and more effectively to change. As a result, having…
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SEO Foundations (2018)

SEO Foundations (2018)

David Booth
Modern consumers navigate the world through search. From laptops, smartphones, virtual assistants, tablets, and more, they search the wild and…
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Marketing on LinkedIn: The Sophisticated Marketer’s Guide

Marketing on LinkedIn: The Sophisticated Marketer’s Guide

Alex Rynne
It’s a great time to be on LinkedIn. Businesses are seeing better engagement and ROI on LinkedIn than ever. So…
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Understanding Capital Markets

Understanding Capital Markets

Michael McDonald
Capital markets are a crucial area of finance—and investors aren’t the only ones impacted. Retirement, buying a house, and long-term…
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Professionals In-Residence / Industry Experts

Richard Pisciotta’18

Professionals In-Residence / Industry Experts
  • New York, NY
  • Publicis Health Media
Learn more from Richard >

Vinayak Rao’15

Professionals In-Residence / Industry Experts
  • San Francisco, CA
  • Facebook
Learn more from Vinayak >

Cristina Sunkel

Professionals In-Residence / Industry Experts
  • Washington, DC
  • Independent Consultant
Learn more from Cristina >
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Student Success Stories

SBS in DC Shermarie Hyppolite: “In my days at the office, I saw my future…”

SBS in Boston Student Spotlight: UMass SBS Economics major Megan Harvey’23

SBS in Boston Student Spotlight: UMass SBS Political Science major Ava Jolie Femia’24

My SBS in DC Experience: Abby Keagle

Why apply to SBS in DC: What I learned

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Featured Resources

Sample Resumes

This resource contains a variety of sample resumes that are appropriate for SBS majors.  Use these as a formatting guide.  …

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Explore Career Outcomes

The SBS Office of Career & Professional Development annually surveys graduating seniors in order to provide a snapshot of their post-graduation plans.  The survey begins just prior to graduation, and continues until six months after graduation.  Our data collection process is guided by the industry standard put forth by the National Association of Colleges & Employers, and includes information collected by the SBS Office of Career & Professional Development, the Office of Institutional Research at UMass Amherst, and by various academic departments, as well as from information that is made publicly available by students.  The SBS undergraduate outcomes knowledge rate for 2020 was 60%, though knowledge rate varies among departments.

The SBS Office of Career & Professional Development annually surveys graduating seniors in order to provide a snapshot of their post-graduation plans.  The survey begins just prior to graduation, and continues until six months after graduation.  Our data collection process is guided by the industry standard put forth by the National Association of Colleges & Employers, and includes information collected by the SBS Office of Career & Professional Development, the Office of Institutional Research at UMass Amherst, and by various academic departments, as well as from information that is made publicly available by students.  The SBS undergraduate outcomes knowledge rate for 2021 was just shy of 60%, though knowledge rate varies among departments.

  • First Destination
  • Top Employers
  • Starting Salary
  • Job Titles
  • Employment Locations
  • Top Universities
  • Degree Types
  • Fields of Study

First Destination

SBS graduates pursue a range of plans after graduation, including employment, continuing education, and volunteering/service, among others.  This graph depicts what recent SBS graduates tell us they are doing within six months after graduation.