Career Transitions

Turning chaos into careers

Katharine Brooks, Ed.D. is the Director of Liberal Arts Career Services at The University of Texas at Austin. She is the author of You Majored in What? See full bio

June 23, 2009

The Dreaded Writing Sample

Even if you've mastered the art of the cover letter and the resume, another part of the job search process can trip you up: the writing sample. Here are five tips to make sure your writing sample doesn't end your hope of getting the job. Read More

May 31, 2009

Inspiration from Snakes, Trash, and Helen Keller

Seeking a job? Just graduated? Want to move up in your career? Hoping to make a change in your life? Pay attention to words.

Here's an experiment: Look around your office, your cubicle, your home, your room, or even your car... what words are in front of you? Read More

May 24, 2009

Job Searching Tips for Veterans

In a blog dedicated to career transitions, it somehow seems appropriate on this Memorial Day weekend to post about career and job-search issues for veterans. Read More

April 28, 2009

You Majored in What?!?!?

I call it THE QUESTION. It's a question that every college student/graduate faces unless you picked one of those "practical" majors like accounting or engineering or computer science. The employer looks over your resume and there it is: the name of your college, the date you graduated, and then...YOUR MAJOR. Read More

April 20, 2009

Graduation Looms: Are You Following Any Blogs?

College grads (and parents) I feel your pain. This is not the best year to hit the job market for the first time. On the other hand, unlike people who graduated during recessions in the 70s and 80s, you have one huge advantage: the internet. Read More

April 7, 2009

Career Advice and Banjo Playing: Deceptively Simple Advice Abounds

It's not only impossible to escape the news of the bad economy and the daily loss of jobs, it's becoming equally impossible to avoid all the advice out there, Read More

March 30, 2009

Job Seekers: Have Your Wordle'd Your Resume?

No, that's not a misspelling. Wordle is one of the most creative, fun activities you can do related to resume-writing. And let's face it: the words "resume writing" and "fun" are seldom in the same sentence. Read More

March 23, 2009

Children in a Lesser Job

Helicopter parents and college students/grads gather 'round. More than ever, you need to support each other positively in this down economy. But sometimes what looks like support can cause more damage. Read More

March 16, 2009

Career Wisdom from Bad Movies

I had planned to write about the butterfly effect on careers (see my post on chaos theory and careers), but ironically the butterfly landed on my shoulder this week in the form of the South by Southwest festival. Read More

March 10, 2009