Carnegie Mellon University

Become a Communication and Language Support Consultant

Communication and Language Support is an innovative program within the Student Academic Success Center that supports written, oral, and visual communication for all CMU students.

Consultants in Communication and Language Support offer one-on-one and small group communication tutoring and workshops to undergraduate and graduate students at CMU. Advice is based on communication research and scholarship while focused on learnable principles: knowledge and skills that are useful outside of an individual consultation. Training for a consultant position includes registration in 76-702/703, an intensive, hands-on practicum that teaches consultants to apply research and theory, including communication pedagogy, communication across the disciplines, visual communication, and other topics. Being a consultant is an opportunity to deepen teaching experience and the ability to work with genres in the humanities and STEM. Consultants typically work 5 - 7.5 hours per week.

What does a Communication and Language Support Consultant do?

In sessions with clients, consultants focus on teaching strategies for communicating research, proposals, presentations, essays, and academic application materials. They work with all CMU students, from first-year undergraduates through Ph.D. students publishing papers and dissertations. Consultants may also work with multilingual clients, focusing on gaining skills in speaking, reading, and writing.

Additional opportunities

Communication Support Consultants also learn about specific, research-backed communication strategies, ranging from writing effective emails to presenting data effectively to communicating successfully in a team. Some consultants also develop materials such as handouts or videos to add to the collection of resources available on our website. Further, some consultants develop or present workshops based on student, college, or university needs.

The benefits of being a Communication and Language Support Consultant

Being part of Communication and Language Support offers a valuable opportunity to gain marketable skills that are attractive to both academic and industry employers. Communication and Language Support consultants will receive training not just on written genres, including STEM reports, journal articles, dissertations and application materials, but also on verbal and visual projects including PowerPoint slides, data visualization, research posters, and more. You will also gain teaching skills and experience with communication pedagogy, Writing in the Disciplines, and Teaching English as a Second Language.

Qualifications

  • Excellent written communication skills: able to locate and revise patterns in texts, such as logic, structure, and clarity 
  • Clear oral communication skills: able to effectively convey revision ideas to students unfamiliar with writing concepts 
  • Strong interpersonal skills: able to confidently build rapport with and suggest revisions to a diverse range of students 
  • Adaptability: willingness to acquire new genre knowledge and an understanding of language ideology
  • Visual communication or design skills are a strong plus

Application Process

Interested parties can visit the application link to view the job description, answer some preliminary questions, and upload the following documents:
  • a résumé/CV
  • one-page statement of interest (this statement should demonstrate your qualifications for this position as well as how this experience fits into your future academic and/or professional goals)
  • sample writing (10 pages maximum, any academic genre, preferably from a recent course experience)

SUBMIT AN APPLICATION FOR AY 23-24
Application Closes: April 1