Josef Korbel School of International Studies - Graduate Students

• Resumes
• S.T.A.R. Method
• Cover Letters
• Personal Statements
• Interviews
• Networking
• Negotiation & Benefits

• Resumes should clearly reflect your skillset and experience while focusing on your future career goals. Each resume will eventually need to be tailored to fit a specific internship or job, and for this reason we do not recommend using a template. To get started with a general resume, check out our video library for the resume basics video. You can also find formatting and content tips, sample resumes, and a list of suggested active verbs in our resume toolkit in resources. Also check out our brief video and guide to the S.T.A.R. format so that you can write strong, effective bullet points to best highlight your experience.
• Whether you are writing resume bullets, cover letters, or preparing for an interview, it is critical to effectively communicate and demonstrate your strengths and accomplishments. S.T.A.R. (an acronym for Situation, Task, Action, Result) provides a valuable outline to concisely communicate a specific story that shows, instead of just tells, employers about your KSAs (knowledge, skills, and abilities). S.T.A.R. is sometimes called CCAR for Context, Challenge, Action, Result, but the approach is the same. Watch this introductory video to learn more about how S.T.A.R. works, and why it’s important. Then check out this resource for specific examples on how to improve your resume bullets, cover letter paragraphs and interview questions using the S.T.A.R. method.
• A well-written and targeted cover letter is a critical part of your application. It should demonstrate how you are uniquely qualified for the position and organization for which you are applying. You will likely need to draft a unique cover letter for each position to which you are applying. Start by watching this short introductory video. In our resources, you will also find a cover letter writing guide and a sample cover letter outline to help you get started. Also check out our brief video and guide to the S.T.A.R. format so that you can write strong, effective cover letter paragraphs to best highlight your KSAs (knowledge, skills, and abilities) as relevant to the position. Finally, our Writing T.R.A.P.S. resource will help you avoid common writing mistakes in your cover letters.
• Personal statements (or statements of interest) are required for many government internships and fellowship applications, including State Department internships. They demonstrate how your interests and skills make you qualified for the position or fellowship, while highlighting your relevant future career plans. In our video library, you can view information sessions with State Department Diplomats in Residence for tips on your State Department internship application.  Finally, our Writing T.R.A.P.S. resource will help you avoid common writing mistakes in your personal statements.
• We have resources available for both informational interviews and interviews for internships and jobs. An informational interview is defined as talking with people currently working in the field to gain a better understanding of an occupation or industry, and to build a network of contacts in the field. Doing this is an important part of your career journey, and you need to be prepared to make a good impression! Check out our informational interviewing guide in our resources for sample emails on reaching out, questions to ask, and much more. We also have a webinar on informational interviews in our videos. Similarly, interviews are a critical part of the job and internship search process. Learn how to prepare for interviews, find out the types of questions managers are likely to ask, and practice talking about your knowledge and skills. We also have a guide to federal interviews from OPM in our resource section. Finally, check out our video and guide to the S.T.A.R. format so that you can provide real-world examples of why you would make a great hire! You can also schedule an appointment with an advisor for a mock interview.
• More than 70% of jobs are found through networking. Increasingly, this means using tools like LinkedIn to connect with others in your field. The Korbel LinkedIn Group provides an opportunity for current students and alumni to network with each other and stay connected with the school. Linktank lists events, workshops, and jobs for students and professionals in the Washington DC area. Denver area networking groups include: Alliance for Sustainable Colorado, Mile High Young Professionals, Net Impact, Posner Center for International Development, and Women in Sustainable Energy. The LinkedIn official blog has great information about networking, and be sure to attend OCPD Career Center events with alumni to expand upon your Korbel network. We created a video about using LinkedIn as a search tool, and in our resources you can find sample networking emails for every step of your career journey.
• Congratulations on landing a job offer! Now it’s time to think critically about the offer, and where you might have room to negotiate with salary or benefits. In our resources, we have a quick introductory video and a more detailed resource about employee benefits to help you understand your job offer. We can also help you through this process in an individual meeting.

Internship and Job Data

• INTERNSHIP DATABASE: Detailed information about where past Korbel students have interned. You can sort by location, degree, and certificate. This is a great place to start your internship search!
• INTERNSHIP REVIEWS: Read what Korbel students did at their internships, including tips on how to get the internship, and whether or not past interns would recommend it.
• EMPLOYMENT DATA: On average, 93% of Korbel alumni are employed or continuing their education in the field within 12 months of graduation. Check out the many jobs and organizations around the world where you can use your Korbel degree!
• Find internship registration polices and procedures on the Korbel MA portfolio page.

• Fellowships
  Fellowships can be an incredible way to launch your career. Korbel students are very competitive for many fellowships including: Boren, Fulbright, Critical Language Scholarship, Global Health Corps, NNSA Graduate Fellowship Program (NGFP), Presidential Management Fellowship (PMF), Rosenthal, McCain Strategic Defense Fellows Program, and many more! If you are just getting started in your search, check out this fellowship database to view more than 1,000 possibilities. We host information sessions for many of these fellowships throughout the year, and the recordings from these can be found in the video library. We look forward to working with you on your fellowship applications! Finally, our Writing T.R.A.P.S. resource will help you avoid common writing mistakes in your application materials.
• U.S. Government 
  The federal government has a wide variety of jobs available in many thematic areas and locations. You may have never even heard of some of the offices and jobs where Korbel alumni have found a great career in public service. Many jobs in the U.S. federal government will require you to go through the USA Jobs portal (find tips on how to navigate USA Jobs here), although jobs at the 18 agencies in the intelligence community, except CIA, are posted at intelligencecareers.gov. Typically a different style of resume is also required! If you are ready to interview for a federal position, check out our guide to interviewing for federal jobs, a resource we’ve shortened from an OPM presentation. Many of our students are interested in serving as a Foreign Service Officer with the State Department and statement of interest writing sessions for this hiring process can be found in our video library. If you are interested in this career path, an internship with the State Department can be a great way to learn the culture of the agency and gain invaluable experience.
• UN/Multilaterals
  Multilateral organizations such as the United Nations, Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, World Health Organization, World Bank, and World Trade Organization are tasked with responsibilities that no country can address alone. At agency secretariats, field offices, and related posts, professionals work in a wide range of fields, including human rights, international peace and security, trade, global health, translation and interpretation, science and environmental affairs, and public communications. Navigating the complicated UN system means visiting a number of different job search sites as there isn’t just one online platform for all jobs. APSIA (the association of graduate schools in international affairs) has a YouTube channel with a number of videos related to working in this sector.
• Still Exploring? Career Assessment Tools
  The Association of Professional Schools in International Affairs (APSIA) puts out a career guide every year to provide information on typical career paths for graduates. They also have a YouTube channel with videos about working in a number of different fields. Additionally, our office hosts a number of employer events, workshops, and information sessions every quarter, all of which are a great way to start exploring which career paths are of most interest to you. We also administer several career assessment tools including the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and StrengthsQuest to help you learn about your personality, strengths, and values, and how to incorporate this data into your career plan. Contact us for information about these assessments.