Texas ’22 and Beyond

Texas '21 and Beyond

Congratulations, Class of 2022! We celebrate your achievements at the Forty Acres and are here to help you plan for what comes next. Longhorns are resilient, and you are leading the way —blazing new trails through uncertain times and toward great future potential. Below are resources to help you connect to opportunities, articulate your strengths, and adapt to the new career landscape.

 

Who’s Hiring

Employers are interested in hiring UT graduates and the skills you possess. Learn which companies and organizations are currently hiring, who is on the best place to work list, and how to access thousands of currently open job postings.

Job Market Outlook

  • Austin: Austin has made up all of 2020’s pandemic-related job losses and currently has 47,000 more jobs than it had in February 2020. Austin ranks as the 2nd best performing major job market over the last 12 months and since the beginning of the pandemic. [Austin Chamber of Commerce]
  • Texas: The Texas labor market appears to have rebounded from the pandemic, with rapid population growth driving a demand for jobs. The state ended 2021 with about 13.06 million nonagricultural jobs — about 89,600 more jobs than in February 2020, before the onset of the pandemic, according to the Texas Workforce Commission. [Texas Tribune]
  • U.S.: The economy has recovered more than 90 percent of the 22 million jobs lost at the peak of the pandemic’s lockdowns in the spring of 2020 — a far swifter rebound than forecasters initially expected. Job openings and the number of workers voluntarily leaving their positions remain near record levels — measures showing that demand for workers is the highest in decades — and many employers have complained of a shortage of job candidates. [New York Times]

Looking for more insight into the current job market? Check out these resources!

Four Trends Shaping Talent Acquisition in 2022 | Forbes

When the Future of Work Means Always Looking For Your Next Job | Time

How Much Money Gen Z Makes in Every State | Yahoo Finance

First Look: Climate, Environment Shape GenZ | Axios

With the Job Market Booming, It’s a Good Time to Graduate | NPR

 

Companies & Organizations Hiring Now

Check out these curated job posting lists to find an opportunity today:

HireUTexas: Explore the 30,000+ current job and internship listings available on any given day

Handshake: 500 Companies Hiring Students on Handshake Right Now

Job Feeds: Explore job and internship postings curated by industries and interests

Job Feeds for Graduate Students: Explore job and internship postings curated by STEM and Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences

2022 Best Places to Work

Explore this year’s list of best places to work, according to:

Skills & Training

Whether you are graduating or continuing on in your college journey, you should always make time to learn new skills and have new experiences.

Learn about skills that could help future-proof your career, and the skills driving employment recruiting today and in the future.

Explore the following resources where you can connect with training and course opportunities.

  • LinkedIn Learning: UT Austin has a subscription to LinkedIn Learning, an online educational platform that helps you discover and develop business, technology-related, and creative skills through expert-led course videos. With more than 5,000 courses and personalized recommendations, you can discover, complete, and track courses related to your field and interests.
  • Khan Academy: Khan Academy offers practice exercises, instructional videos, and a personalized learning dashboard that empower learners to study at their own pace in and outside of the classroom. They also partner with institutions like NASA, The Museum of Modern Art, The California Academy of Sciences, and MIT to offer specialized content.
  • edX: Founded by Harvard University and MIT in 2012, edX is an online learning destination and MOOC provider, offering high-quality courses from the world’s best universities and institutions to learners everywhere.
  • Udacity: With industry giants—Google, AT&T, Facebook, Salesforce, Cloudera, etc.— Udacity offers classes and programs designed so professionals can become Web Developers, Data Analysts, Mobile Developers, etc.
  • UN Institute for Training and Research: UNITAR offers open and free trainings and courses to enhance the effectiveness of the UN through diplomatic training, and to increase the impact of national actions through public awareness-raising, education and training of public policy officials.
  • The Center for Professional Education (UT Austin): Designs and delivers professional education and training to individuals interested in improving their professional skills, earning a credential or making a career change.

Job Search Strategies

While it is certainly a refreshing change to see the job market booming once again, conducting a successful and fulfilling job search may require slightly different skills and preparation than it would have over the past 2 years. More opportunities for graduating students means candidates need to be savvy about evaluating employers and job offers, negotiating, and determining their employment priorities and values.

Resumes & Cover Letters

Visit us for help tailoring and targeting your resumes and cover letters for job or internship opportunities.

Interviewing

Even as some organizations have returned to in-person or hybrid work situations over the past year, virtual interviews continue to be a popular recruiting trend. It is important to be familiar with how to navigate and best prepare for this interview experience. Virtual interviews can be through various platforms such as Zoom or Skype, and can be live or asynchronous (recorded). Be sure to test your technology (microphone, camera, internet connection) before the interview. Utilize a virtual background if needed to minimize distractions, and ensure lighting is set to illuminate your face. Ensure the camera view is angled to mimic the view of an in-person interview. Finally, wear appropriate attire such as business professional or business casual to convey professionalism.

Looking for more tips and tools to improve your interview skills? Check out these resources!

In-Person and Phone Interviewing Tips and Resources

Webinar: Interviewing in a Virtual World: What to Expect and How to Excel

Practice Your Interview Skills through Big Interview

15 Virtual Interview Tips | LinkedIn

How to Succeed in a Virtual Interview | Indeed

Video Interview Tips | LinkedIn Learning

Evaluating Job Offers & Negotiating

Negotiating a job offer can be new and intimidating for many college students. However, the more information you have about what to expect and how to prepare, the more confident you will feel in the process. Check out these resources to learn more about negotiating.

Workshop: Job Offer Negotiations and Personal Budgeting (free pizza) | Apr 19, 5-6pm | FAC 2.236 | Come learn about the art of negotiating a job offer and developing your own personal budget. Texas Financial Wellness and Texas Career Engagement are partnering to provide you with the information you need to approach the negotiation and budgeting process. Come with questions, leave with answers and enjoy free pizza along the way.

How to Negotiate Salary as a Recent Graduate | SHRM

How to Negotiate Salary: 4 Essential Tips for College Grads | Best Colleges

10 Tips for Negotiating Your First Job Offer | CNBC

Longhorn Networking

Leverage the power of the UT network by connecting to employers, alumni, friends of UT, and other professionals to explore career paths, make professional contacts, and tap into the hidden job market.

HookedIn

UT students can join HookedIn, the official UT Austin social networking platform designed to connect students, alumni, employers, and friends of UT for career connections and mentorship.

LinkedIn

You can find more than 426,000 UT alumni on LinkedIn, the world’s largest professional networking site. Take our online LinkedIn Masterclass to learn how to create an effective profile and to share your professional goals.

Explore more networking resources here.

Deciding on a Virtual or In-Person Workplace

One factor that job seekers are considering more than ever is whether they prefer a virtual or in-person work environment. The past few years have shown us that many roles can be successfully completed outside of the office, but that does not always mean that is the best option for all employees. When evaluating which environment may be the best fit for you, consider some of these pros and cons of working remotely:

Pros of working remotely:

  • Studies show people can be more productive when working from home
  • Can find work opportunities that were once only centered around bigger cities
  • Lower operational cost (parking, gas, etc. )
  • Can lead to better work-life balance
  • No physical barriers that are in office (cubicles)

Cons of working remotely:

  • Since everyone has a different living situation, working from home can create inconsistent work environments amongst coworkers
  • Upfront cost may be higher for office needs (ex. Need to buy a desk for home)
  • Studies show increase in loneliness and lower mental well-being
  • Harder to bond and communicate with co workers
  • There can be greater interruptions and distractions depending on your living situation
  • Miss out on impromptu mentoring

In the end, there are benefits and challenges to any work environment. Think about your own preferences and needs and determine what would work best for you. Can’t decide? You can always seek out a hybrid position that provides the opportunity to work in both environment types!

In-Office vs. Remote vs. Hybrid Work Two Years Later | Forbes

Remote vs. In-Person Work | Forbes

New Graduates, You Should Actually Go Into the Office | The Washington Post

Choosing Where to Live (Particularly When Working Remotely)

Working remotely offers endless possibilities and unprecedented flexibility in independently choosing where you live. Historically, the location of your employer/organization/institution or your role has decided where you will live and career trajectory based on your industry or job function. The power of choice gives you the autonomy of creating equilibrium between lifestyle and career. The factors that impact each individual vary drastically, but the resources below (this list is not exhaustive) will provide an opportunity to define and determine factors that impact you and your overall satisfaction. Proactively focusing on criteria such as how to choose, cost of living and variable pay, cultural fit/amenities, time zone and proximity, and connectivity infrastructure will help you feel empowered in making this complex decision.

Making a Decision

Cost of Living and Variable Pay

Cultural Fit/Amenities

Time Zone and Proximity

Connectivity Infrastructure

Transitioning Back into the Workplace After Working from Home

While working remotely has been a difficult adjustment, many of us have grown accustomed to our current routine – working and studying from home. We must now prepare for a return to “normalcy.” Pandemic-related transitions come amid expected stressors associated with finishing your degree and seeking full-time employment. If you are feeling apprehensive and uncertain, you are not alone.

You may also feel excited by the prospect of connecting in person and being able to do some of the things you enjoy. Most people are likely experiencing a combination of feelings and need to make multiple preparations, both mentally and practically, to adjust to this “new normal.” The following recommendations may be helpful:

  • Realize that some level of anxiety is expected. As a new graduate, you are facing multiple life transitions in addition to preparing for re-entry; of course, you feel some anxiety! It may be helpful to consider the roots of your anxiety. Are you nervous about adverse health consequences of being in closer contact with others? Are you feeling anxious about socializing? Are you feeling a return of previous anxiety-related issues due to multiple stressors? Maybe you are not sure why you are feeling this way. Speaking to a professional can help. For information about locating mental health professionals, check out the APA’s Psychologist Locator,or Psychology Today Therapist Finder, or find additional therapy resources from UT’s Counseling and Mental Health Center.
  • Be patient with yourself (and others). Give yourself time to readjust. Seek support and ask for help. Talk with your supervisor and other trusted colleagues. Understand your benefits; Employee Assistance Programs, wellness programs, and health insurance may provide valuable resources to help you maintain your physical and mental health and well-being.

Recognize that not everyone feels the same about re-entry; not everyone has the same resources or the same logistical challenges. Others may have faced differing levels of health and financial stress, grief, or racial trauma; all of the things that have made this last year so challenging. Consider ways to demonstrate compassion and support. Research has shown benefits for both the giver and receiver of compassion. Check out how to:

  • Integrate stress management and self-compassion into your life. There are numerous free resources to help you find stress management or mindfulness exercises that might work for you. View UT CMHC’s recommendations for Virtual Mindfulness and Stress Reduction Activities, and view an extensive resources from resources from Dr. Kristen Neff,an expert in self-compassion.
  • Consider what new WFH habits you may want to take with you. You have likely learned much about yourself over the last year. Maybe you learned that taking more frequent breaks is energizing, or you found a new way of efficiently managing certain work tasks while at home? Have you learned that you work best when you only look at email in the morning and late afternoon? Take these new skills with you in your upcoming endeavors!
  • Ask for help if you need it. Transitions are challenging for everyone. Support can make all the difference in helping you develop resilience.

Continuing on to an Advanced Degree

Longhorns make great graduate students – and eventually great writers, innovators, academics, researchers, scientists, lawyers, physicians, artists, and various other professional and thought leaders. Explore the resources and services that can help you make a decision, prepare, and navigate the admissions process for your first advanced degree, or to expand on your current graduate education – whether you are considering graduate school, law school, or a health profession.

Professional and Graduate School Planning

Virtual Career Resources

There are many virtual career resources available as you as a student and as an alumnus. Start using these resources today!

Schedule a Career Appointment

May 2022 graduates have full access to career advising through the end of the spring semester, after which, most alumni have access to career advising for up to one year beyond graduation.

Schedule an Appointment to discuss your post-graduation goals and develop a personalized strategy. The university offers various types of advising and coaching:

  • Career Counseling for All Majors: Get help deciding what you want to do, what is fulfilling to you, and what your next move might be, as well as exploring mindfulness, stress management and resiliency in the job search. (Alumni access up to one year beyond graduation)
  • Career & Internship Coaching Around Identity: Explore career topics through the lens of identity. (Alumni access up to one year beyond graduation)
  • Industry-Specific Career & Internship Coaching: Tailored career coaching help searching for jobs and internships, crafting tailored resumes and cover letters, preparing for interviews, and exploring online recruiting systems. (Alumni access determined by individual college/school)

Graduate students can schedule an appointment to meet confidentially with a graduate-specific career advisor from Texas Career Engagement, the College of Natural Sciences, or the College of Liberal Arts. Advisors work individually with graduate students and postdoctoral scholars on a wide range of career-related topics to help them explore and prepare for careers in academia, nonprofit, government, and industry.

Alumni Resources

Congratulations on becoming a Texas Ex!

Graduation Celebrations: Connect with virtual celebrations across the university, including university-widecolleges and schools, Senior Countdown, and the following diversity celebrations: Lavender Graduation, Black Graduation, GraduAsian, and Latinx Graduation.

Texas Exes Membership: Every graduating undergraduate student has been gifted a one-year membership in the Texas Exes by your college’s or school’s dean. Explore your membership benefits.

Alumni Engagement: Many campus resources and services are available to alumni for defined periods of time depending on your college or school. Visit our alumni page to learn about:

  • Lifetime access to HireUTexas job board, which includes career-oriented opportunities across a variety of industries, and to various online resources and tools
  • HookedIn, the official UT Austin social networking platform designed to connect students, alumni, employers, and friends of UT for career connections and mentorship
  • College- and school-specific resources available to alumni

Job Boards

UT Austin provides multiple job and internship resources, including the campus-wide HireUTexas job board, college and school job boards, general job posting sites, and career networking. Visit the Job & Internship Postings page to access:

  • HireUTexas – the university’s all-inclusive job board
  • HireUTexas Job Lists – a curated selection of lists featuring industry- and interest-specific job postings
  • Colleges & Schools – a directory of college- and school-specific job boards with opportunities tailored to disciplines
  • General Job Search Engines – a directory of national, publicly-available search engines

Graduate students can visit our Graduate Student Get Experience page to access curated lists of advanced degree job feeds for STEM jobs and Humanities, Arts & Social Science Jobs.

Self-Guided Exploration & Preparation Tools

From exploring one’s own professional interests, to researching possible career paths, to preparing for the job/internship search process, and more; our Online Career Resources page can serve as a go-to for any stage of your career development.

  • Explore Majors & Careers
  • Articulate Career Competency
  • Watch Career Education Videos
  • Take a Career Assessment
  • Take a LinkedIn Master Class
  • Practice Interview Skills
  • Explore International Careers
  • Explore LinkedIn Learning Professional Development
  • Explore Occupations

Graduate students can visit our Graduate Student Job Search Resources page to access graduate student-specific resources, including ImaginePhD and VersatilePhD.

Pre-Recorded Webinars and Presentations: Visit our undergraduate digital resource library or our graduate events calendar event resources section to access video and downloadable resources on a variety of career and professional development topics.

Additional resources available through your College or School: Explore our campus career center directory to find resources from your colleges and schools related to career planning, resumes, cover letters, networking, online presence, interviewing, salary negotiations and more.

Advanced Degree Graduates

Graduates of advanced degree programs have tailored resources, programs and services tailored to your academic and industry career goals.

Entrepreneurship: A Career Path for Advanced Degree Students and Scholars – Session Recording

Workshop Series: Building Your Own Professional Website | Monday, May 23; Tuesday, May 31; Monday, June 6 & Monday, June 13 | 3-5 p.m. | In-Person

Join us for an interactive, skills-based workshop series open to currently enrolled PhD and Masters students, and postdocs in the College of Liberal Arts (COLA) seeking to create and maintain a website for the purposes of professional development.

Info Session: PhD Pathways Fellowship Program Info Session for Humanities, Social Sciences and Arts | Wednesday, April 27 | 12:30 – 1:30 p.m. | Virtual

Conference: 9th Annual Online Career Conference for PhDs – Beyond the Professoriate  | Saturday, May 7 and 14 | 10 a.m. – 2:45 p.m. | Virtual

Alumni@Work Career Conversations – Explore what Advanced Degree Alumni from UT Austin do, and where they work.  Watch this series of short video interviews with alumni from all disciplines to learn more about specific career paths, making the transition from academia into a new industry and tips and strategies to best position yourself for potential career options.

Financial Wellness

As you prepare to leave the Forty Acres, there are lots of things for you to consider – including financial wellness. All UT Austin students have access to Texas Financial Wellness, an office dedicated to helping you improve your financial health and security. Through one-on-one counseling and workshops, Texas Financial Wellness can give you the tools and resources you need to make healthy financial decisions during your academic career and beyond graduation. Explore Texas Financial Wellness programs, services and resources.

Texas Career Engagement and Texas Financial Wellness have teamed up to offer students a Job Offer Negotiations and Personal Budgeting workshop on April 19, 5-6p in FAC 2.236. Join us to learn about the art of negotiating a job offer and developing your own personal budget. Texas Financial Wellness and Texas Career Engagement are partnering to provide you with the information you need to approach the negotiation and budgeting process. Come with questions, leave with answers and enjoy free pizza along the way!


Past Events