Jobs & Internships
Finding a job or internship can be a complex process. Here at the CPDC, we're here to assist you every step of the way.
TartanTRAK
The primary resouce for students and alumni to find jobs and internships is through TartanTRAK. If you have never used TartanTRAK, don't worry. Logging in is easy and your crendentials are updated automatically. All you need to do is login and begin your search.
Career Steps
If you find that you're not quite ready to jump into the job search or you're unsure about where to begin, please schedule an appointment with your Career Consultant. We're here to asssit you!
Below, please find some of the resources that we have made available for you, listed by some of the initial steps often involved in a job search.
Identify Organizations, Industries, and Career Paths of Interest
Having gained a wide variety of knowledge and experiences from the courses, labs, and internships, you probably have a good idea of those things that you will and will not enjoy. As you begin your job or internship search, consider all of the possibilities of positions within your major or field of study.
- What types of industries, issues, products or services do you find most interesting or valuable?
- Do you want to work in the business (finance, investment banking), consulting, government or the nonprofit sector? Access VAULT guides for industry overviews.
- Going Global is a web resource to help with your search for a job or internship abroad. There are country guides that give advice on how to look for positions for each country. There are also employer guides by country, and job/internship postings by country. You may access Going Global via TartanTRAK.
Create a Target List of Potential Employers
Include those organizations with which you are most interested in working (your dream companies) as well as those who might not be as obvious but who also offer a chance to work on meaningful and interesting projects. The following resources may help you identify potential employers:
- Carnegie Mellon Online Alumni Directory is a university-wide network of more than 30,000 CMU alumni
- Similar to the CMU Alumni Directory, ProNet (available to students through TartanTRAK) is a network of more than 500 CMU alumni who have volunteered to help you with career-related issues
- Hoovers is a database of millions of potential employers nationwide (not job openings); great for a specific geographic or industry search. Access Hoovers via the CMU Library Web page, by clicking on "Articles and Databases" then "A-Z" then selecting "H"
- Recruiting Business Card database contains contact information of employers that have interviewed students through the Career and Professional Development Center
- On-campus interviews, company information sessions, and job postings
- Career Fairs
- Carnegie Mellon Internship Database is a collection of more than 900 organizations throughout the United States and abroad that offer internships for students in a variety of majors and academic programs
- Post-graduation statistics include information on employers who hired last year's students
- Federal Jobs & Internships Career Success Guide (.pdf)
Develop & Implement Your Strategy
Meet with your Career Consultant to review your resume, discuss your job or internship search strategy, practice your interview skills, and identify additional resources to assist you. The Career and Professional Development Center also offers dozens of workshops throughout both the fall and spring semester designed to equip you with the tools for finding employment.
A key part of any successful job or internship search strategy is being proactive. This means sending out resumes and talking to people about opportunities. Keep in mind, thousands of other students are out there who may be jockeying for the same jobs and internships.