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Diverse Students
Student Veterans

Military veterans bring demonstrated skills, leadership, and values to job search but sometimes have difficulty translating their experiences and qualifications into the language and protocols associated with a civilian job search. While much of a veteran's job search process is similar to non-veterans conducting a job search, there are a number of resources available to help veterans make the transition from military to civilian workplaces. A few links to relevant sites are listed below:

Resume Help: 

  • De-militarize your resume - it needs to be read and understood from a civilian HR standpoint. This includes spelling out acronyms and "civilianizing" your MOS. Use the Military Skills Translator at military.com to assist with this. 
  • Inventory the technical, interpersonal, and leadership skills you used during your service, including the "soft skills" like communication, problem-solving, and multi-tasking, and convey them on your resume. 
  • Schedule an appointment to have your resume reviewed. 

Job Search:

Training: 

Boots to Business - provides entrepreneurial training
Veterans Business Outreach Center (VBOC) - provides entrepreneurial services

Viterbo University Student Veteran's of America (SVA)
SVA provides student veterans at Viterbo University with the resources, support, and advocacy needed to succeed in higher education and beyond. Advisor: Sam Morris, sdmorris@viterbo.edu

People of Color

Viterbo University Breaking Barriers Diversity Club
The Breaking Barriers Diversity Club’s mission is to bring awareness to the student body and faculty about different issues involving race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, age, physical abilities, religious beliefs, political beliefs, or other ideologies. Our focus is on giving students a safe and positive environment to discuss the issues that are going on in the world today and coming up with solutions that can help affect our campus and community in a positive way. Our goal is for members of the club to understand the individuality and uniqueness of others and to embrace and celebrate each other’s differences.​  Advisors: Michelle Pinzl, mmpinzl@viterbo.edu

International Students and International Job Search

Be sure to do careful research about organizations—read the fine print, check the track record of complaints, and try to speak with someone who has been involved with the organization. Many organizations offer exemplary support and information to those planning to relocate to another country or stay in-country after their education concludes, but some have exploited or abandoned those using their services.

Information about on-campus and off-campus employment can be found on the International Student Services page. Students must notify Ken Feltz of any employment, on or off campus. Students wanting to work off campus while they are going to school must obtain Curricular Practical Training (CPT). Optional Practical Training (OPT) is a work experience performed off-campus post-graduation. Any CPT or OPT must be approved by Ken Feltz. 

Resume Help: 

  • Research resume "norms" for the country in which you are seeking employment. Some countries require identifying information like a photo, birth date, or marital status while that information is inappropriate in other countries.
  • Ensure your resume is reviewed by someone who speaks the native language of the country in which you will be applying. Verb tenses, slang words, and modern vocabulary are not easily reviewed in Google translate.
  • Schedule an appointment with career services to have your resume reviewed.  

Job Search Sites:

Study, Intern, Volunteer, or Teach Abroad:

United States Citizens Searching Internationally:

DACA or Undocumented Students

All people, no matter where they were born, should be able to work free from fear that they will be underpaid or placed in a dangerous environment. Through a variety of tactics, including know-your-rights trainings, policy analysis, and raids response, organizations across the country educate on and defend the fundamental rights of all those working in the U.S.

For Viterbo students in programs that require an internship, co-op, student teaching, clinical, field practicum, or other externally embedded experience that may request a social security number or other information, contact: 

  • Wisconsin State Licensure Policies -Wisconsin does not appear to have statewide legislation that affirmatively extends occupational and professional licensure to undocumented individuals, including DACA recipients. 
  • Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) - 9-digit number issued by the Internal Revenue Services (IRS) to enable individuals who do not have SSNs to file and pay taxes.
  • Immigrants Rising - webinar series about how to become an independent contractor/freelancer, possible funding opportunities/grants, and educational resources
  • National Immigration Law Center - updates about DACA, court cases, and other factors that impact undocumented students
  • United We Dream - the largest immigrant youth-led network featuring advocacy-related opportunities and resources related to DACA renewal fees
LGBTQ+ Community

"Entering the workforce is a rite of passage for many Americans. This rite involves unique challenges for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Americans because there is no federal law that prohibits workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity and expression." —Gen EQ Guide to Entering the Workforce

Human Rights Campaign Foundation:

Viterbo University Pride Club
We aim to create a welcoming, accepting, and safe place on Viterbo’s campus for people of all sexual orientations. Advisors:  Tyler Flockhart, trflockhart@viterbo.edu

Persons with Disabilities

Have you connected with the Accessibility Office at Viterbo? 

Ex-Offenders

Job searches can be frustrating for ex-offenders or someone with a criminal record. Almost every job application will ask about a criminal record and answering truthfully can be almost as damaging as lying. It's very important that applicants understand their rights and seek professional assistance in the form of a career services advisor.  

Neurodiverse Students

An estimated 15-20% of the world's population is Neurodivergent

(estimate originally published in Neurodiversity by the National Cancer Institute, 2022)

WHAT IS "NEURODIVERGENT"?

Neurodivergent is a term to describe an individual. This individual's brain processes, learns, and/or behaves differently from what is considered "typical." This can result in difficulty with different mental tasks, but can also bring unique cognitive strengths. Forms of neurodivergence includes ADHD, Autism, Dyslexia, Epilepsy, OCD, Parkinson’s, TBI, Dyscalculia, Dysgraphia, Dyspraxia, Tourette’s, learning differences, and more (content originally published in Neurodiversity Fact Page by Menta, 2024)

RESOURCES FOR THOSE WHO IDENTIFY AS NEURODIVERGENT

Below are a collection of resources for neurodivergent students to find methods to navigate the workforce, student organizations and career opportunities, and methods for self-development and understanding. If you identify with this group and would like access to additional support on campus, please contact ada@viterbo.edu and learn more on our Accessibility page. 

The Neurodiversity Hub is a free inclusive resource for students, employers, and universities in relation to neurodiversity, Autism, ADHD, and other cognitive and emotional differences. The Neurodiversity Career Connector has a collection of employers that are focused on neuro-diversity hiring initiatives. When job searching, you can also target companies that score well on the Disability Equality Index.

The Overlapping Skills and Strengths of Neurodiversity

Neurodiversity

 

Credit: Created by Nancy Doyle, based on work by Mary Colley. 

Neurodiversity was originally published by the National Cancer Institute.

Work Cited

Disabled World. (2022, November 29). What is: Neurodiversity, neurodivergent, neurotypical. Disabled World. Retrieved December 20, 2022, from https://www.disabled-world.com/disability/awareness/neurodiversity/