About SuccessWorks

SuccessWorks helps L&S students with every step of the way to getting jobs, internships, or into grad school. Through one-on-one career advising, events, and resources, we help you explore your career options, create application materials, build experiences while at UW-Madison, and get the opportunities you want when you’re ready.

Vision:

To inspire all L&S students to imagine and realize their dreams for success.

Mission:

Drive undergraduate student engagement in career readiness activities to increase job and graduate school outcomes for every L&S student’s success.

Visit SuccessWorks

Third floor, University Book Store Building
Office Hours: Monday – Friday, 9:00am – 4:30pm
Email: successworks@wisc.edu
Phone: (608) 262-3921

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Annual Impact Report

'22-'23 Student Engagement Summary

“The full long-term value of a world-class education from the College of Letters & Science is unlocked by attentive career advising, caring mentorship by alumni, and connections with employers for job shadows, research and internships. This is the space where SuccessWorks helps students discover the magic spot at the intersection of ‘what can I do with my major?’ and ‘what do I want to do when I graduate?'”

Eric M. Wilcots
Dean & Mary C. Jacoby Professor of Astronomy
College of Letters & Science

“SuccessWorks is an incredible resource that really helps L&S majors prepare for post-graduate jobs, through in-depth personalized appointments, relevant assistance, and timely help.”

Emma Fischer
Molecular & Cell Biology, ’22
Applications Scientist, Promega

SuccessWorks News

SuccessWorks Marks First-Gen College Celebration With Virtual Alumni Career Panel

“As SuccessWorks recognizes the annual First-Generation College Celebration, we’re excited to share more about our dedication to serving the diverse and talented community of first-gen students at UW-Madison and feature the stories of some of those students who work right here in our office.”
November 8, 2023

Steps to Success: Annual Impact Report

“Building from another year of sustained growth in student engagement, SuccessWorks has a multi-pronged approach, developing new online trainings, alumni mentorship and experience-based programs that scale up our student reach.”
October 1, 2023

Employers, Students Eager to Connect at Career Fair

“‘Employers are really seeking UW–Madison students,’ said Angie White, executive director of SuccessWorks at the College of Letters & Science. ‘We often get calls months in advance about when our career fairs will be scheduled.'”
September 21, 2023

SuccessWorks Internship Fund Helps Students Translate Classroom Skills to Careers

“This summer, SuccessWorks is financially supporting 72 College of Letters & Science students across more than 35 majors for in-person and remote internships that bring skills learned in the classroom to Wisconsin and the world.”
July 17, 2023

Angie White Named Executive Director of SuccessWorks

“‘I am thrilled to name Angie White as the next Executive Director of SuccessWorks,’ says Eric Wilcots, Dean of the College of Letters & Science. ‘Angie has demonstrated extraordinary leadership, deep understanding of the career services landscape, and a profound commitment to the success of our students.’”
June 26, 2023

SuccessWorks Helps L&S Students Translate Majors Into Careers

“A Letters & Science degree gives students the critical preparation they need to thrive in a rapidly changing global workplace, teaching them communication, critical thinking, leadership and problem-solving skills, all of which we know employers are seeking.”
February 28, 2023

Fall Career Programs for Every L&S Student

“SuccessWorks fall career programs and events are for every Letters & Science student with any interest, any major or any background. These in-person and virtual opportunities are valuable from a student’s first year through senior year, and beyond.”
September 7, 2022

Consulting Is Everywhere – Launch a Great Career With Any Major

“​​Everyday is different as a consultant,” says Lina Ahmed, Senior Analyst, Talent Services at Ovative Group…“ It is so great to be able to work on things you will see immediate results for and also know that some of the work you are currently doing will impact things in weeks, months, or even years down the line.”
June 2, 2022

What You Can Do With Your L&S Major

“Check out Major Skills & Outcomes Sheets to explore your major’s transferable skills, alumni job titles, frequent employers of your majors and words of advice from alumni in your major who have found success following their passions.”
March 29, 2022

SuccessWorks Social Justice Internships Support Students, Local Organizations & Non-Profits

“Through the Community Impact Internship Program, SuccessWorks is partnering with Dane County non-profits and small businesses engaged in social justice work to create meaningful semester-long internship opportunities for undergraduate students.”
March 18, 2022

Spring Career Strategies for Every L&S Student

“Students are turning out for these programs in record numbers, with over 7,000 L&S students participating at least once in the fall semester. SuccessWorks spring 2022 programs are geared to meet this growing demand through a mix of in-person and virtual programs.”
February 1, 2022

Preparing for Career Fairs: Four Key Tips From Recruiters

“SuccessWorks surveyed employers to learn what advice they have for students planning to attend the career fair and easy ways students can impress recruiters during and after the fair. Here is what we learned are the four key ways to stand out and succeed.”
December 3, 2021

Seniors, Recent Graduates Optimistic About Post-Pandemic Job Search

“‘Sometimes the jobs won’t be what you expected because the fields are brand new,’ Karabin said. ‘It’s important for students to be flexible as they look at positions, but it’s exciting to see how many new roles and new types of technologies are coming into use for students.'”
The Badger Herald
October 27, 2021

Job Market Uncertain for Future College Graduates

“Rebekah Paré saw the pandemic’s affects on the job market for graduates first-hand at UW-Madison. She is the Executive Director of SuccessWorks at the College of Letters and Science. She said one-on-one career advising rose 25% this past year, compare the the year prior.”
Spectrum News 1
September 14, 2021

SuccessWorks is Back for in-Person Career Advising & Events

After a year and a half of virtual career services, SuccessWorks is opening its doors to students on the third floor of the University Book Store for the Fall semester.
September 7, 2021

Virtual Summer Internships 2.0: How Can Employers Improve from Last Year?

“There has been a 6,000 percent increase in internship postings this year compared with last year,” said Rebekah Paré, associate dean at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and executive director of SuccessWorks, a professional development center at the school. “The numbers are still below pre-pandemic levels, but there have been significant opportunities in technology, health care, research and K-12 education.”
July 13, 2021

Wisconsin Employers are Partners in Career Development for UW-Madison Students

Put simply, “SuccessWorks is kind of the glue between the students and our organization,” according to Diana Pastrana. “SuccessWorks is a trusted resource, both for students and for Aldevron. It’s nice to have that so we can meet and engage students, keep them in Wisconsin after graduation, and fill our positions with talented, smart students and alumni.”
June 14, 2021

The Summer of the Pivot

In a strong economy, career services are something nice to have, a sort of icing on the cake,” says Rebekah Paré, SuccessWorks’ executive director. “In a disrupted economy like the one we’ve been in since March, career services are absolutely critical. Fortunately, we’re poised to be able to help students navigate an online world.
October 28, 2020

Best Self Forward

As part of its mission to help all L&S students to succeed, SuccessWorks at the College of Letters & Science has developed Identity at Work, a web-based hub directing students to expert resources on navigating the job and internship search process and thriving in the workplace, especially as these activities intersect with their identities.
2020

Back on Track

Acknowledging the mental and emotional stress UW students are facing in an environment that’s still very much about physical distancing is a central thread in Badgers On Track, explains Rebekah Paré, associate dean and executive director for SuccessWorks.
June 17, 2020

SuccessWorks Summer Initiative to Help Students, Recent Alumni Pursue Career Goals

SuccessWorks has launched a major new initiative to help current UW–Madison students and recent graduates develop confidence and strategies to move forward with career development in an economy hindered by the COVID-19 pandemic.
May 27, 2020

What College Seniors are Losing in their Last Semester Because of COVID-19

Rebekah Pryor Paré, executive director for career services program SuccessWorks at the College of Letters & Science at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, said the transition out of college is already a difficult one. Now, she’s seeing a lot of students feeling anxious, even if they have a job secured.
Marketplace
May 13, 2020

Students Graduate Into Economy Rocked by the Coronavirus Pandemic

Here & Now’s Tonya Mosley speaks with Rebekah Pryor Paré, associate dean for the Career Initiative in the College of Letters & Science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
WBUR Here & Now
May 11, 2020

Wisconsin College Grads Scramble to Secure Jobs, Internships in COVID-19 Economy

“How can students use their summer?” Paré said. “They might not be studying abroad. They might no longer have an internship but they can still get professional experience.”
Wisconsin State Journal
May 10, 2020

“Here for you now” – SuccessWorks pivots quickly to help students plan for a suddenly uncertain future

As the job and internship market changed rapidly in the spring, SuccessWorks has adapted its array of offerings to meet the changing needs of L&S students—not only students about to graduate, but also new UW alumni facing uncertainty in an upended job market.
May 5, 2020

Undergraduate Research Fuels Career Success

In the lab, students apply skills from the classroom, such as developing, testing and evaluating hypotheses and experiments. As biochemistry major Jinan Sous explains, the lab is also a place to apply creative thinking.
Wisconsin State Journal
May 3, 2020

More College Grads Land Jobs Outside Their Major – and That’s a Good Thing, Experts Say

“The idea with the liberal arts education is that you are getting training in a number of different types of disciplines, and this forces you to think really creatively when you face problems,” said Rebekah Paré, the Associate Dean for the College of Letters and Science Career Initiative at UW-Madison.
November 12, 2019

SuccessWorks Plays Role in Record Breaking Time-to-Degree Improvements

The average time-to-degree for 2018-19 bachelor’s degree recipients was 3.96 elapsed calendar years, the lowest since the university began actively tracking the measure in the 1980s.
November 4, 2019

Zoology at Work Event Connects Alumni and Students

“We are proud of our alumni achievements and grateful for the energy and enthusiasm they are passing along to a new generation of Zoology majors.”
Fall, 2019

Tips for Helping Students Perfect Their Elevator Pitches

At the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Professor Greg Downey created a three-statement template that students can use to formulate their pitches, says Michael Kruse, Alumni Relations Coordinator.
National Association of Colleges & Employers
September 6, 2019

One on One with Dean John Karl Scholz

New UW provost John Karl Scholz talks about career prep with WAA’s chief alumni officer Sarah Schutt in the latest One on One at One Alumni Place.
June 5, 2019

UW Changes Lives: SuccessWorks Guides L&S Students to Careers

A fast-growing number of students at the College of Letters & Science are turning to SuccessWorks to help prepare them for a career after college.
May 30, 2019

Charting Paths Beyond Bascom Hill

At SuccessWorks, we’re in the business of helping to spark our students’ imaginations for what’s possible and to plan their bright futures….
Wisconsin State Journal
February 15, 2019

Dream Weavers

When L&S students bring even an inkling of an interest to SuccessWorks, specialized advisors can connect them with focused recommendations, like-minded alumni and career-igniting opportunities…
Letters & Science Magazine
April 5, 2019

The Secret to SuccessWorks

A shared vision for launching students higher, sooner led to a shining new career center, corporate partnerships and a fired-up network of alumni and friends…
February 15, 2019