October 9, 2023
UNC Computer Science Department invites all alumni, current UNC students, faculty, and staff to connect with each other through the new virtual networking community, CS Career Connections via Heels Engage.
Through the Department of Computer Science Career Connections group on Heels Engage, members can share job opportunities, seek career support, mentor others, or seek mentorship, as well as share stories, accomplishments, and current professional endeavors.
There are a few noteworthy features found on CS Career Connections. The “Jobs and Projects from Network Members” feature allows members to post job opportunities at their place of employment, as well as announce projects for which they are seeking collaborators. The “Career Paths” feature assists members in exploring recommended career paths based on profile information, as well as connecting with other CS Career Connections members currently employed in similar roles. While this is not a mentorship program or formal recruiting tool, using these features to establish commonalities allows members to connect to share about their professional journey.
“Department of Computer Science Career Connections is the perfect place to connect our outstanding alumni with current UNC Computer Science students. Now more than ever, alumni expertise and insight are needed, and students are eager to learn how to pave the path toward a successful career in tech,” said Stephanie Johnson, Career Development Manager at UNC Computer Science.
You will look for shared career interests and/or goals with alumni and will be able to contact them, with specific questions about their professional journey.
This is not a formal mentoring program and is meant to help you ask one or two questions to alumni who might have followed a similar career path, in which you are interested. These questions can be along the lines of:
- “What experiences do you have at UNC that helped you most in your first job?”
- “Do you have any advice or tools that you use for technical interviewing prep?”
- “What is it like working at a company as large as insert company name here?”
Other Guidelines and Tips:
CS Career Connections expands the UNC Computer Science network. Establishing this online community will provide an opportunity to create valuable professional relationships, and simply learn more about others. UNC Computer Science is committed to providing creative, innovative, and useful tools for our Alumni and other members to have at hand.
Please check out the “Discussion” and “Resources” pages to explore and post any thoughts or ideas that you have. This is meant to be a fun and interactive space! For any questions or concerns, please email Stephanie Johnson at stephcj@cs.unc.edu.