With the start of the fall semester, we launched Callisto, the gateway to our online services and important updates, exclusively for Cal students and alumni. With nearly 25,000 registered students, it is off and running!

What is Callisto?
Logging in to Callisto grants easy, one-stop access to almost all Career Center online services and event sign ups. Callisto services go beyond employment: essential career counseling, internship, and graduate school tools are there too.

Learn More
Get to know Callisto! Learn more at http://callisto.berkeley.edu or contact Nancy McFarland, Assistant Director, Employer Relations.

While we have always provided top-notch services for students from the Colleges of Letters & Science and Engineering, this year we are redoubling our efforts by enhancing our customized portfolios of programs for them while taking into account the specialized needs and expectation of their students.

Links to Success: Career Programs for L & S
At the Career Center, our team of nine L & S career counselors gathered insights from L & S advisors to design a series of programs to meet the needs of L & S students called Links to Success (L2S).

L2S includes a variety of workshops designed to help L&S students identify their unique job-relevant skills, values, and interests, as well as employer/alumni networking events and career panels representing a broad array of fields. Our goal is to inspire L&S students to define and market their talents while actively exploring the world of career opportunities available to them. 

Learn More
To learn more about our comprehensive services, check out our webpages dedicated to the specialized needs of L&S and Engineering students or contact L & S Team Leader Dara Ziegelmeier or Engineering Team Leader Linda Hernandez.

Cal's new Diplomat in Residence
Frankie Reed

For the sixth year the Career Center is honored to participate in the US Department of State's Diplomat in Residence Program. We are proud to introduce Frankie Reed as its latest representative.

Direct from a posting in Strasbourg, France, as Consul General and Deputy Observer to the Council of Europe, Frankie will be talent-scouting for the US Department of State in an effort to recruit a new generation of foreign policy professionals.

With 25 years of experience in the Foreign Service, Frankie's diplomatic career has included formidable assignments in Cameroon, Kenya, Senegal, and Samoa, among many others. During her duty in France, she had the opportunity to work with university students who served as State Department interns.

Prior to joining the Dept. of State, Frankie, a Berkeley Law alum, practiced law and worked in print journalism. During her tenure as Diplomat in Residence, she will be engaged in efforts to identify and attract diverse talent in all discipline areas from the Cal student body and the Northwest US for a broad range of opportunities available in the Foreign Service.

There are many ways that you and your students can benefit from the Department of State's Diplomat in Residence program. This year, Reed will:

• Represent the Department of State at Career Fairs and events
• Engage in outreach to underrepresented students
• Guide candidates through the Foreign Service application and examination process
• Hold student appointments and answer staff, faculty, and student questions via email

For more information on how to involve Reed in your panel presentations, classes, or student organizations, contact her at caldip4@berkeley.edu. Please join us in welcoming Frankie to Cal!

MCB Undergraduate Advisor
Christina Yasi

Summer internships aren’t just for students! This summer Christina Yasi, one of the undergraduate academic advisors in the Department of Molecular & Cell Biology, spent quality time at the Career Center partnering with pre-health advisor Juhn Verano in order to become a better resource for her students.    

Career Center (CC): Why did you decide to learn more about the Career Center?
Christina Yasi (CY): I often refer my students to the Career Center, and I wanted to increase my knowledge of the career counseling services provided.  I'm lucky to work in an office that allows for professional development opportunities over the summer, and I felt learning more about career counseling was the best way to enhance my advising skills.

CC: What types of activities did you observe at the Career Center?
CY: I shadowed both 15 and 45 minute appointments, as well as joined the staff for their first meeting of the semester. I got to witness everything from a resume critique to in-depth career counseling. I also got a sneak peek at the many exciting things the Career Center has planned for this academic year, such as Callisto and L2S.

CC: What was Juhn Verano's role in this experience?
CY: Juhn coordinated my whole experience. He introduced me to many people at the Career Center and suggested the best way in which to structure my experience. Juhn has had a close working relationship with my office ever since he took on the role of pre-health advisor, so this was an extension of the courtesy he has always shown me.

CC: What did you learn at the Career Center that can help you on the job?
CY: Too many things to list! I am better at preparing my students for their Career Counseling appointment when I refer them because now I know what their experience will be like when they meet with a counselor. I am also making my students aware of the wealth of information the Career Center offers both online and in the InfoLab. There are also many things I learned about career counseling that are less tangible but equally important.

CC: Did you learn anything that surprised you?
CY: Career counseling isn't too much different than academic advising.  We are giving student the tools to make wise choices in regard to their futures, be it earning their degree or starting their career.

CC: Anything else you would like to add?
CY: I strongly encourage others to seek out similar experiences. This was by far the best professional development opportunity I have participated in. It has not only increased my advising repertoire, but forged an even closer working relationship between the MCB Department and the Career Center. These types of professional relationships are so valuable and you rarely see them when working at a large, decentralized institution such as Berkeley.

Internships are a very hot ticket item among Cal students. "Internships: The Tour" is our set of internship programs designed to help students kick off their own successful tours through the world of work and graduate school.

The year-long Tour builds on the success of last year’s Internship Weeks where more students than ever before engaged in learning about internships. But "The Tour" is more comprehensive, with dates scheduled far into 2009 at various campus venues covering an impressive array of topics.

Tell your students to book their seats now by logging in to Callisto to RSVP for programs like these:

Internship Tips for Transfer Students
Landing Your First Internship
Early Bird Internship Fair
Marketing/Communications Expert Series & Forum
Internship & Summer Job Fair
Law & Public Policy Internships
Going Global: Strategies for Finding Internships Abroad
Summer Internship Strategies - It’s Not Too Late!