Leveraging your
Liberal Arts Degree
University Career Services, University of Houston
106 Student Service Center 1, Houston, TX 77204-3040
(713) 743-5100
ucs@uh.edu
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www.uh.edu/ucs
Preparing for a Career as a Liberal Arts/Social Sciences Major
Now that you have declared a major, you get to decide how successful you would
like to be. The key is starting to explore your resources and yourself to find the right fit for you!
The resources available at University Career Services include access to Career Counselors
who can help you with your resume, interviewing skills, and to discover new ideas for your
career. The Career Services Counselors can also utilize vocational assessments, such as the
Myers Briggs Type Indicator and the Strong Interest Inventory, to help you identify your
strengths and weaknesses, pinpoint interests, and match them with your strengths while
clarifying your values. Looking at the overlap amongst your strengths, interests, and values
can identify careers that correspond with them. One of the many benefits of a liberal arts
degree is that you have the flexibility of careers that may be directly connected, partially
connected to, or unrelated to the major. There are also handouts available on the UCS
website under “Students” to help with career exploration, preparing for the job search, and
preparing for interviews.
A key strategy for any major is building a network. Networking involves moving beyond
one’s own immediate social circle and tapping into other people’s networks, perhaps far
removed from one’s own. Being able to uncover opportunities though networking is a critical
job search skill, since jobs that are advertised tend to be extremely competitive. Around 7585% of jobs are never advertised, but you can find out about these positions through your
network of connections in your field of interest. A way to build your network and explore the
job market is to complete some informational interviews. This includes you contacting people
in the field you want to pursue and learning how they got to where they are so you can get
there too! This is explained in further depth in the handout “Informational interviewing and
networking”. Be sure to check out our University Career Advisory Network on LinkedIn to find
a willing participant!
An additional technique for exploring you options is to gain experience, be it an
internship, volunteer activity, or a part-time position. This will serve three purposes, (1) to give
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you hands on experience in what you would like to do, (2) to provide valuable experience
that can be relayed to potential employers, and (3) to change your career trajectory if you
decide you don’t like the path you have chosen. The average college graduate changes
jobs once every three years and changes career fields two or three times in a lifetime.
Deflating the Myths Regarding a Liberal Arts Education
There are several myths that surround choosing a liberal arts/social science major, some of
which you might have already heard.
“A liberal arts degree does not prepare me for the real world. I’m not qualified to do anything
but teach.”
Although teaching is a great job, it is not your only option. If you don’t want to teach,
your career options are still wide open, and having so many opportunities can be both
enlightening and challenging. An accounting major prepares you to be an accountant.
Electrical engineering courses prepare a student to be an electrical engineer. A psychology
major prepares you to be a _______? It is up to you to explore what career you would like to
have. When you consider your interests, values, skills, you will discover a multitude of career
choices!
“Companies don’t hire liberal arts graduates. The only graduates they are interested in come
from business or technical majors.”
Though there are some positions that are filled with people that have specific
technical skills or educational backgrounds, there are some employers that look beyond the
coursework when they are recruiting students. They look for transferable skills, shared values,
and the character of the student. With your liberal arts major, you are afforded the
opportunity to develop the transferable skills and broad learning abilities that other majors
tend not to develop. The secret is knowing that you have these skills and knowing how to
market them on your resume and in your interview.
“You need to go to grad school to get a job with a liberal arts major.”
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You may want to consider going to graduate school to further you education,
however, after exploring all possibilities for your future you may decide that graduate school
is not for you or not for you right now. With or without a graduate degree a person with a
liberal arts major can still find a job. You must explore yourself and your interests to find the
right fit for you. University Career Services is here to help you identify your values, skills, and
interests to discover your future career path!
The Four W’s
When you think about “Who”, “What”, “Where”, and “Why”, you begin to think outside the
classroom and into the potential careers that lay before you. For help with where to start
meet with your career counselor to clarify your career trajectory!
WHO? Who do you want to work for? Business, government, or a non-profit organization? A
small or large company? A reputable company?
WHAT? What skills do you want to use the most? Organizational skills? Writing skills?
Communication skills?
WHERE? Where do you plan on living? Does the position require travel?
WHY? Why are you interested in a particular organization or job? And how do you convey
this in a job interview?
Get to know your Selling Points
Communication
Time Management
Analyzing
Research
Leadership
Flexibility
Decision Making
Adaptability
Attention to Detail
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Initiative
Writing
Team Work
Critical Thinking
Creativity
Positive Attitude
These skills are necessary for every job; your career counselor can help you relay these skills
to your resume and to your interview. Employers want to hire students who have board
educational foundation, with a wide array of skills & abilities that they can tailor to fit their
organization needs.
Liberal arts majors don’t market to their majors, they market themselves
Just getting started in your Liberal Arts Degree?
1. Whatever major you choose to study, study it well. GPA is not the only factor
employers look at, but maintaining a high GPA is important
2. Take classes that reinforce your skills. Consider taking a computer class, public
speaking class, a writing class, or a research-oriented class
3. Get career-related experiences- This can not be emphasized enough. Internships,
part-time jobs, volunteer work, etc. Pursue any opportunity where you can to get
hands-on experience in a career you are considering. The experience can help you
decide on a profession that suits you and you will have the hands-on experience that
employers seek when looking at candidates.
4. Get involved! This looks great on your resume and employers look for students who
have gotten involved in campus or community services. Getting involved also allows
you to develop your interpersonal skills and the ability to network with those who share
similar interests and passions.
Prepare for the job search before starting it.
Take time to consider what you really want; see a career counselor to help identify what
you can do with your major and the best ways to research different career options. Take
advantage of every resource, there are probably more then you think. Try talking to
people and start building your network. Create a professional presence on LinkedIn to
help you connect with recruiters, industry professionals, and potential future colleagues.
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What if you got started late (like the semester of graduation)?
Don’t panic, your career counselors can still help you!
What if you didn’t partake in any internship? Let’s say you have to market yourself to
employers as a liberal-arts graduate virtually on the strength of the degree alone.
1. Be loud and proud of your degree- if you are beat down and defensive- your road will
be harder. Your degree is an honor! You are sought by many employers; you have a
versatile ticket to a wide range of jobs. Few jobs are out of your reach and the more
you believe in the great choice of major you have chosen, the better you will be able
to market yourself to employers. While other majors teach specialized skills, you are
not limited by a specialization. You can be trained by your employer to get the
specialized skills, but they can’t train your critical-thinking skills or problem-solving skills.
2. Sell your Passion- one unique thing that you have experienced that most others do not
is that you got to choose you’re major because you truly love the subject matter. Your
passion shows your enthusiasm, your love of learning, your commitment, and your
dedication.
3. Sharpen your Focus- your training qualifies you for a range of careers. But avoid the “I’ll
do anything” mantra. Employers want to know what you want to do, and the more
focused you are, the easier it will be to land a job! Your career counselor can help you
with all the resources the University Career Services has to offer including assessments,
to help you hone your interests, values, and skills.
4. Your skills - know them, embrace them, and market them! You have learned skills that
are universally sought by employers. You have learned to communicate effectively
through writhing and speaking. The better you understand your skills and how they are
valuable to potential employers- the easier it is to communicate these skills and land
on a career path!
5. Give your skills a boost! If it is not too late, consider taking a MOOC, on Coursera for
example, in computers or business. As a University of Houston Student, also have
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access to over 5000 free online courses via Skillport. You can also gain exposure to
business environments by conducting informational interviews. It is not too late to hone
your skills; if you are looking at job postings and a specific skill keeps popping up there
is probably a relatively painless way for you to get up to speed with that skill.
6. Let your resume sing your praises! You can utilize a skills based resume to outline the
skills that you have learned in your degree. You may not have any hands-on
experience, but you have still learned many skills that make you marketable! Your
resume can be reviewed by a career counselor to make sure you stand out.
7. Chose to write a cover letter that outlines the applicability of your skills. This allows you
to further narrate your skills and how they can apply to the job you are seeking. You
can identify the skills that you have learned in your coursework or group projects that
can make you an asset to any company. Your cover letter can be reviewed by a
career counselor to make sure your presentation is clear!
Overall maintain a positive attitude!
So much goes into getting the degree that thinking about what to do after school can be
overwhelming and it is easy to get negative. You must play an active role in your job search;
take time to develop a career focus. This includes knowing the resources available to you
from the Career Counselors, as well as resources on the website www.uh.edu/ucs, the
University Career Advisory Network (UCAN), and workshops on various topics. The career
counselors at University Career Services believe in your success if you choose to take
advantage of the resources available to you! College students should have an approach to
handling the challenges after graduation, not necessarily a solution because developing a
career is a lifelong process.
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