MHCID 2024 Summer Career Preparedness

• Begin creating a Master Resume and Cover Letter for Fall recruitment
  • Review samples and resources “Personal Branding & Networking” page on CODE website, with more available in the CODE Resource Library “Resume & Cover Letter” folder after registration begins in July as registration requires UCI NetID activation.

* Important Note: We encourage all students to have a readily sharable resume as early as possible for the Fall recruitment cycle for Summer. 2025 Internships. The Fall recruitment cycle may start as early as July or August 2024, and it is especially important that you are prepared for potential changes in the current job market.

• Create your CODE Account and Profile after July 1st with your @uci.edu email:  CODE is an ICS Professional Programs-exclusive online career services platform where students can register for Career Workshops, book career advising appointments, view jobs targeting MSWE students, access job search tips and resources, view salary data of alumni, etc.  Students are encouraged to use CODE as their job search tracking tool, including selecting target companies so that the Career Team can conduct employer outreach accordingly.
  • Review CODE Student Toolkit Section 1 for instructions on how to create an account, complete your profile, and access the Resource Library.
  • Create your account after July 1st; recommended by Friday, July 28th
• Attend 1 of 2 offerings of Intro to CODE & Job Search Prep Info Sessions: These workshops will provide an introduction to the career platform CODE – which is exclusive to ICS Professional Masters Program students. Learn about all the platform offerings as well as information about internship/job search preparation items for the upcoming recruitment season.
  • Option 1: Wednesday, July 31, 5:00 pm U.S. Pacific Time (Click here for Zoom link)
  • Option 2: Friday, August 2, 8:30 am U.S. Pacific Time (Click here for Zoom link)
• Complete Master Resume & Cover Letter & Upload to CODE
  • Create a Master Resume that highlights your experience and skills. You will tailor this resume to specific companies/positions during your search.
  • Scan your resume(s) through an ATS Resume Scanner and revise resume(s) based on suggestions. Here are resume scanning tools that are helpful:
    • UCI Big Interview – Resume AI: Register using your UCINetID. Navigate to My Resume > Scan Resume.
    • Jobscan.co (Non-UCI Affiliated)
    • Resume Worded (Non-UCI Affiliated)
    • Teal HQ (Non-UCI Affiliated)
  • Upload Resume(s) and Cover Letter to your CODE profile under “Application Materials” 
  • Recommended by Friday, July 28th

*Please note: Employers in CODE will not be able to find you unless you have a resume uploaded in your CODE profile. We encourage you to have an updated resume in your profile at all times throughout the academic year.

• Create a LinkedIn Account, and start building your professional network.
  • Customize your LinkedIn URL with your first & last name
  • Join your program’s LinkedIn group; approvals to join group will begin in August
    • MSWE: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/12251563/
  • Recommended by Friday, July 28th
• Create a GitHub Account that will serve as your primary hub for code. Post code and/or start/contribute to open-source projects. Join competitions to build skills or participate in discussions to begin networking.
• Create a Kaggle Account, where you can find a repository of community published data and code. Take a micro-course and/or join a competition to solve real-world problems.
  • Recommended by Friday, July 28th
• Begin practicing Coding and Behavioral Interview Questions.
  • Consider resources listed on “Interviewing” page on CODE Website or interviewing resources in CODE Resource Library after you’ve already registered
  • For SDE positions: LeetCode, Pramp.com, Google Tech Dev Guide, Front End Interview Prep and Full Stack Interview Prep by Udemy
  • For Data Science: Interviewquery.com, Data Science Interview Prep by Udemy
  • Also consider purchasing: Cracking the Coding Interview and doing practice questions in the book. This will also be helpful for full-time job search.For behavioral questions, use your UCINetID to register and use: Big Interview

• Clean up your Facebook profile and other social media accounts (e.g., Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, etc.) If you have one and remove any posts that could be viewed as “inappropriate” by employers. Be sure to set security preferences to “private.
  • Recommended by Friday, August 4th
• Attend CODE Team’s Incoming Career Kickstart Series (or plan to watch workshop recording on your own time). ALL 45 minute sessions will take place at 9:00am U.S. Pacific Time. Click below for the Zoom link at time of meeting.
  • Exploring your Career Values – Tuesday August 13th: Zoom Link
  • Completing your Skills Assessment – Thursday August 15th: Zoom Link
  • Creating a Target Company List – Tuesday August 20th: Zoom Link
  • Breaking Down Job Descriptions – Thursday August 22nd: Zoom Link
  • Tech Job Market Overview – Wednesday September 4th: Zoom Link
  • Creating your Personal Brand – Tuesday September 10th: Zoom Link
  • Setting up your LinkedIn Profile: Thursday September 12th: Zoom Link
• Attend CODE Team’s Live Virtual Resume Workshop on Wednesday, August 18th, 9:00 – 10:30 am U.S. Pacific Time (or see another available workshop date/time in September or plan to watch workshop recording on your own time)
  • Click here for Zoom link at time of meeting
• Create your Handshake Account after August 31 and after your student fees are paid: Handshake is hosted by the UCI Division of Career Pathways (DCP), and it is a campus-wide online career services platform that allows you to view job/internship listings and register for events like career fairs and company information sessions.
  • Sign up after August 31st and after your student fees are paid for Fall 2024.  Accounts are activated manually by DCP in batches after your student fees are paid, so thank you for your patience if there is a slight delay in getting access.
  • Note: You will need a Handshake account to register for the UCI Fall Career Fair and UCI STEM Career Fair.
• Start identifying and networking with US contacts for Summer 2025 internship referrals.
  • CODE Resource Library > Networking
  • Build networking outreach messages in MANGO (Tip sheets available in CODE)
  • Review CODE Student Toolkit Section 2 (CODE Resource Library > CODE Student Toolkits) for instructions on how to utilize CODE to target employers/contacts and keep a networking to-do list
• Purchase and/or pack grooming kits (including nail clippers, deodorant, etc.), clothes, and shoes for your internship and job interviews, and attending on/off-campus career fairs.
  • Google search “business professional,” “business casual,” “smart casual” attire for inspiration
• International Students:
  • Visit & bookmark www.myvisajobs.com to search for and research H1B friendly employers
  • Get familiar with UCI’s International Center as you will frequent their website for information about CPT/OPT, Social Security Number, Travel Signatures, I-20, etc.