Job Search Prep

Lindner Career Services Center is open for both virtual and in-person individual coaching appointments. For all career- and professional-related needs, students should schedule career coaching sessions through Handshake.

Schedule an appointment with your Career Advisor:

1. Go to Handshake homepage.
2. Click Career Center.
3. Click Appointments > Schedule a New Appointment.
4. Click Lindner College of Business > Lindner Career Services – Individual Coaching Appointment.
5. Pick a day that works for you, and then select a time.
6. Under Appointment medium, select your preference.

Schedule an appointment with your Career Coach:

1. Go to Handshake homepage.
2. Click Career Center.
3. Click Appointments > Schedule a New Appointment.
4. Click Lindner College of Business > Lindner First Time Appointment (Undergrad Only) or Lindner First Year Students
5. Pick a day that works for you, and then select a time.
6. Under Appointment medium, select your preference.

Be prepared for the following for your coaching session:

• Discussing job search strategies.
• Participating in mock interviews.
• Reviewing and critiquing your resumé and LinkedIn profile.
• Completing career assessments and setting goals.

During the academic year, Lindner Career Services is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Drop-in career coaching is available Monday through Friday from 1-4 p.m. during the fall and spring semesters. For drop-in coaching, visit us in Lindner Hall suite 1420.

The Lindner Career Services team adheres to university-wide policies. Please review all policies, particularly the No Show Policy, if you are participating in or plan to participate in On Campus Recruiting. If you have questions, please contact your career coach.

Lindner Career Services is excited to offer a the Lindner Co-op Scholarship Fund to students going on co-op during the summer semester. Funding is not guaranteed and will depend on both the merits of a students' application and financial need.

To be considered for funding, students must meet the following requirements:

• Must be a current undergraduate student with official degree completion after completion of co-op (no post-graduation co-ops).
• The co-op experience is reported on Handshake first and the student remains enrolled throughout the co-op semester.
• Co-op start and end dates are during the summer semester.
• A detailed budget of planned expenses is submitted. Expenses should be related to the co-op and your various funding sources (potentially). Please use the following spreadsheet: Co-op Fund Budget Template.

• Career fairs
• Employer information sessions and table events

Have questions on how to use Handshake? Access additional tips and video tutorials.

• LinkedIn Jobs
• LinkedIn Internships
• Building a LinkedIn Profile

Accessibility Resources, in a partnership with the State of Ohio's Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities (OOD) office, is proud to offer college-to-career services for our students with disabilities. Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities (OOD) provides counseling and guidance to individuals with disabilities who are seeking employment to jointly choose an employment goal based on strengths, resources, priorities, concerns, capabilities and interests. A thorough, objective understanding of your assets and liabilities, and of employment opportunities, is a prerequisite in planning. For more information and to meet with a College2Career counselor, visit UC's College to Career website.

1. Connect with your career coach to update your resumé and LinkedIn profile.
2. Create a target list of companies you would be open to working for in a future co-op or full-time job. Bookmark their company websites, follow their social media profiles, subscribe to their YouTube channels, etc.
3. Utilize the Alumni tool for Lindner on LinkedIn to find one alumnus who works at each of your target companies. Reach out using a LinkedIn message or send an email to set up an informational interview or prototyping conversation.
4. Follow Career Development/Guidance thought leaders on LinkedIn, such as:
   • Marcelo Barros - International student career expert
   • Austin Belcak - Owner of Cultivated Culture, thought leader on career prep
   • Career Contessa - Career guidance for women
   • Madeline Mann - Thought leader on career prep
   • Lindsey Pollak - Multigenerational work expert, NYT bestselling author
   • Kwan Segal - International student career expert
   • Simon Sinek - Business thought leader
   • Gary Vanerchuk - Business thought leader
5. Join a professional group of your peers:
   • Cincinnati Chamber Regional Young Professional Groups
   • ArtsWave Young Professionals
     
   • Generation NOW Cincinnati

Need help crafting a message to an employer? Want to reach out and connect over LinkedIn with a UC alum, but don’t know what to say? Look no further!

You can cut and paste sample messages in the below button and then make them your own!  Be sure to replace any highlighted text and customize the content to fit your situation. 

If you need more help, please reach out and schedule a time to meet with your major specific Career Coach. We are here to help you! 

1. Master the art of virtual interviewing.
   • Read 9 Tips for Mastering Your Next Virtual Interview.
   • Schedule a virtual mock interview with your career coach.
2. Expand your virtual network.
   • Read 3 Easy Ways to Virtually Network.
     
   • Connect with your career coach to see if they can introduce you via email to professionals in your field.
3. Keep an eye out for virtual networking events.
   • Career Services sends out weekly newsletters, all of which have information about the latest virtual networking events.
   • Attend the events that interest you and always follow up using contact information provided during the event.
4. Learn new technology.
   • Download and learn how to use platforms like Microsoft Teams and Zoom.

Browse What Can I Do With This Major? to see career paths that relate to different majors including job titles, typical employers, further education, and general notes.

As you explore, think about these questions:

• What kind of work do I think I want to do?
• Which of my skills do I like to use?
• What kind of work is likely to make me want to get up and go to work every day?
• What job titles interest me?
• In what environment, setting, or field do I like to work?

What Can I Do With This Major? is produced by the University of Tennessee Center for Career Development and is provided free of charge to University of Cincinnati students.

General Accounting Resources and Information

• Discover Accounting: includes study resources, as well as open access journals like Accounting Today
• AICPA Overview of Functions & Credentials within Accounting

CPA Information and Exam Prep

• National Association of State Boards of Accountancy: Note that each state has its own criteria/specifications for licensure and to view state-specific board information 
• This Way to CPA: AICPA's site dedicated to informing students on all things CPA Exam, as well as career options for CPAs

Professional Association Resources, Trainings, Webinars & Events

• Institute of Internal Auditors: currently offering free online training in a variety of topics such as audit management, governance and control, and technology
• The American Institute of CPAs: browse "CPE & Learning" resources including webinars, podcasts, and publications 
• Young CPA Network: a subset of AICPA that focuses on college students and young professionals; check out CPA Mentorship, Career Development, and Ways to Get Involved
• Institute of Management Accountants: currently offering 90 days of free access to trainings and certifications including IMA Data Analytics and Data Visualization Certificate and Blockchain 101
• National Society for Accountants: review potential credentials to pursue, and visit "Knowledge Center" for federal information
• Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE): offers a CFE prep course on fraud detection, prevention, and litigation at a reasonable price for students 
• Ohio Society for CPAs: offers student memberships and Accounting Careers Leadership Academy

LinkedIn Learning

As a UC student, you have free access to LinkedIn Learning. Consider participating in any of these LinkedIn classes (this is just a small sample of accounting-related coursework on the platform):

• QuickBooks Online Essentials
• Excel for Accountants
• SAP Financials
• Economics for Everyone: Understanding a Recession

Consider Volunteering

• IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance

Public Accounting Resources

• Companies like EY, Deloitte, KPMG, and PwC offer great resources on careers within public accounting, case study interviewing and industry-specific news

General Finance Resources

• Explore finance career paths.
• Learn more about the Certified Financial Planning (CFP) track.
• Learn more about the Analytic Finance Academy (AFA) track.

LinkedIn Learning - Finance

• Economics for Everyone: Understanding a Recession
• Financial Analysis: Making Business Projections
• Excel Financial Analysis
• Excel for Corporate Finance Professionals

Get connected to the Association for Supply Chain Management via their website and LinkedIn page.

Find individuals who work in Operations/Industrial Management roles and reach out for informational interviews on what they do on a daily basis. Common job titles include:

• Supply Chain Analyst
• Project Manager
• Logistics Coordinator
• Industrial Engineer
• Procurement Specialist
• Purchasing Manager
• Operations Manager
• Healthcare Administrator
• HR Manager
• Management Consultant
• Quality Assurance Specialist
• Logistics Account Executive
• Production Planner
• Materials Manager
• Production Supervisor
• Product Manager
• Continuous/Process Improvement Analyst
• Buyer
• Sourcing Specialist

Study operations management concepts on LinkedIn Learning and note them on your resume upon completion:

• Supply Chain and Operations Careers: Certification Tips and Tricks
• Logistics Foundations
• Inventory Management Foundations
• Purchasing Foundations
• SAP Transportation Management Overview
• Lean Six Sigma Foundations
• Project Management Foundations
• Agile Foundations
• SAP ERP Essential Training

LinkedIn Learning. As a UC student, you have free access to LinkedIn Learning. Consider completing any of the LinkedIn technology courses:

• Technology
• Technology - Learning Paths

International Business students should meet with the career advisor for the functional area they are most interested in pursuing professionally.

Learn something new on LinkedIn Learning.

• LinkedIn Learning is full of amazing learning opportunities. Interested in marketing on Instagram? What about developing foundations in branding (learn from Lindner’s own Drew Boyd!)? There are hundreds of marketing-related topics to choose from, and it’s free if you link from the UC Canopy site.

Earn a Google Analytics or Google Ads certification. 

• Google Analytics and Google Ads are two of the most foundational certifications for anyone interested in digital marketing. Plus, the training is free.

Get certified in social media marketing on Hubspot. 

• Hubspot Academy also has tons of resources to develop marketing skills, like this free social media certification course.

Develop your design skills.

• Download Adobe Creative Cloud for just $20/month and learn your way around Photoshop and InDesign.
• Take a free photography course through Nikon.

Get involved with professional organizations.

• Join the UC American Marketing Association and connect with the Cincinnati chapter of AMA.

Peruse sales-specific resources.

• Read HubSpot’s sales blog, Sandler Trainer blog, and the Sales Hunter Blog.
• Research CRMs like Hubspot and Salesforce.

• Marketing Over Coffee
• Marketing School
• The Sales Lab Podcast
• The Science of Social Media

UC Real Estate Center Resources

• Get involved with the UC Real Center by attending Roundtable Programs and joining the UC Real Estate Association.

LinkedIn Learning

As a UC student, you have free access to LinkedIn Learning. Consider participating in any of these LinkedIn classes (this is just a small sample of accounting-related coursework on the platform):

• Introduction to Commercial Real Estate Analysis

Professional Organizations and Virtual Events

• International Council of Shopping Centers
• Urban Land Institute

Career Coaches meet with all first-year Lindner students and all non-first-year Lindner students who have not had a coaching appointment before.

Big Interview offers a variety of tools, including:

• Mock interview practice and recording options.
• Written and video curriculum covering the entire job search and interview process.
• Mechanism for sharing videos for feedback.
• Administrative dashboard with reporting.
• Ability to customize/record questions and question sets.
• Assignments and Customer Sets (create and assign custom questions/sets).
• Resumé tool.

To set up a Big Interview account:

1. Go to to the Big Interview website and click "Register."
2. Enter your school email address, name, and password, and click “Create my Account.”
3. Log in and start using Big Interview.

Watch this short video for registration help.

Interstride offers a variety of tools, including:

• Job search engine that allows filters for keyword, country, H-1B history.
• Insights on history of international candidate hiring for American companies.
• Insights on working internationally, including cost of living, immigration and networking.
• Networking tracker with peers on the platform.
• Webinars on international job searching and visa or immigration policies.
• Resources on resumé development, networking, interviews and navigating job offers.

To set up an Interstride account:

1. Go to the Interstride website and click "Join Community.”
2. Use your UC email address to open the UC Single Sign-On portal. Log in with your information.
3. Fill out your profile and start using Interstride.