Toolkit Series

Past Event 
The UCIS Career Networking trip to Washington DC creates opportunities to meet professionals during meetings at federal agencies, think tanks, and/or consulting firms, to learn the variety services offered and to imagine employment possibilities. There will be four site visits as well as an alumni reception. Students must attend all events. Sign up for the 2020 International Career Toolkit Series now!

2020 Information and Application

Together the African Studies, Global Studies, and Russian/East European Studies Centers are organizing a career networking trip to Washington D.C. on February 20-21, 2020.  Students will meet with experts and alumni in various fields in order to learn about different career opportunities and gain an insider’s perspective on the different organizations in Washington, D.C. Meetings will be arranged into four different content areas. Students must participate in one of the four tracks:

• Global Health
• Human Rights/Human Security 
• International Security and Diplomacy
• International Development

2016 Itinerary Example:

To get an idea of the schedules view the itineraries for the 2016 health and development clusters here. Students must also attend two pre-departure workshop on giving a 3 minute elevator speech and creating an effective LinkedIn site, in addition to a follow-up debriefing. Meals covered: lunch and reception food on 16th, breakfast, lunch and dinner on the 17th, RT transportation and within Washington DC and lodging in dorm setting. According to the participant evaluations from last year, the students felt the experience greatly added value to helping them identify career paths and enriched their Pitt experience. Besides being a fun trip for all, the 2016 group of students learned during their meetings ….

• The value of networking (informal and formal)
• The value of strong written and oral communication
• The value of foreign language competency
• The Importance of good resumes, cover letters, and LinkedIn profiles
• Know yourself and present key points about yourself in introductions
• Ask questions about the person you are networking with/interviewing with
• Know yourself and what you want, but also know it’s okay to change your mind
• Don’t be afraid to fail and keep trying to get the job you want
• Advanced degrees are good but experience can be more valuable
• Have business cards available

• Human Rights, Migration, Education, and Development
• Health and Environment