Healthcare & Human Services

For most opportunities involving helping professions, a standard resume is a great place to start. A simple, well-organized resume that highlights your relevant skills and outlines your accomplishments is all you’ll need for the majority of HHS opportunities. That’s why it’s generally a good idea to stay away from fancy graphics and the free templates you find online, because even though they can look good at first, they can’t be adapted as you rework and add to your resume.

Sometimes, it’s helpful to have a few different versions of your resume, including one “Comprehensive Resume” that has all of your past work written out and can easily be cut down and re-ordered to highlight different types of experience, with related headings, based on the opportunity that interests you. 

Ready to get started on your resume? Check out the SuccessWorks resume page, and set up an appointment with a Peer Advisor or Graduate Intern for feedback on your draft! 

When thinking about what experiences to have and to include on your resume, remember that you can include relevant knowledge and skills that you’ve gained from coursework, volunteering, student organizations, and other roles that may include providing a service to specific populations, like childcare or tutoring, being a camp counselor, advocating on mental health issues, being a peer advisor on campus, or working as a patient navigator with a community and social service organization. Above all, demonstrating strong interpersonal communication skills, empathy, and an interest in making a positive impact on others’ lives shows that you are interested in working in healthcare and human services.

It depends on the type of jobs and internships that interest you! The HHS newsletter and Facebook group highlight relevant opportunities as they’re posted, and this handout provides you with examples of local organizations where students are known to volunteer, work, and intern in the Madison and Milwaukee areas. Handshake is also a good site to check out, because it has information about career fairs and employer events as well as job and internship postings. I recommend adding the Handshake widget to your MyUW homepage to easily access the site. And of course, there’s the student job board for UW-Madison where you’ll find administrative and helping roles that are useful for getting started in HHS career paths. 

Larger job boards (LinkedIn, Indeed, etc.) are always an option, too. While they can be overwhelming they do give you suggestions in the job search window of other titles to search. This can be helpful in creating a keyword list to help narrow your search. For the time being, I recommend you start with more focused search resources like the ones included above.

When applying for jobs and internships in HHS, it may depend on the type of role as to whether or not a cover letter is required. If you are filling out an online application, answering specific essay questions, and providing evidence of relevant experience, a cover letter may not be required. However, if there is a place to upload a cover letter, it is your chance to demonstrate your writing ability and to show a hiring manager why you’re interested in the position, and how your skills and experience make you a strong candidate. No one pursues a career in a service-oriented, helping profession without a strong passion or connection to their work, so that shared drive and motivation is something that every employer looks for in a candidate.

Gap years are a great option to give yourself time to research and apply for programs of interest, learn more about the skills you want to gain through a graduate degree, and figure out what type of programs are the best suited for your goals and priorities. If you are planning on applying to health profession programs and you’re taking a gap year(s), ask yourself what types of experiences and skills are you still looking to gain? What else will help you to be a competitive applicant? Do you need more clinical experience, patient contact with specific populations, research or service work? There is no right experience to have, but demonstrating that you are spending your time wisely and preparing for your next steps is invaluable! 

Check out the Grad School Application resource page, and enroll in the Grad School and Gap Year Canvas for more information.

There are multiple paths into working in healthcare. In addition to exploring common health professions, take time to consider paths like biomedical research, public health, health policy and healthcare management. These paths are also known for saving lives and play a vital role within the healthcare industry. In fact, all members of a healthcare team need to work together to provide the best care for patients. You can learn more about the collaborative approach to learning that UW-Madison graduate professional programs take on the Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education website.

Actually, there are other options if you discover that your skills and strengths may be stronger in other subjects. Start here to see all the different paths found in a clinical setting. One example is respiratory therapy.? Check-out two year training programs and masters degrees that don’t require organic chemistry. Here’s one program to explore.

Not necessarily! Transferable skills you learn include research, problem solving, human behavior and so much more. 

Some of the most common types of jobs that psychology majors have applied to on Handshake, to name a few, include all different types of analyst roles, HR recruiting, consulting, and product development.

There are so many graduate school options for pursuing a path in counseling. How do I know which program is right for me?

Before enrolling in a graduate program, all prospective students must learn how to choose a counseling program that suits their personal interests, academic needs, and career goals. When you figure out these aspects of decision making for yourself, you can start to narrow in on the types of programs in which to apply. Here is another good resource to help in this process.

If you’re just getting started with your resume or cover letter, the Resume and Cover Letters page has all you need to put together a solid draft! Then, our Peer Advisors and Graduate Interns can help you make sure your application materials are ready to submit and highlight all of your relevant skills and experience at an Express Advising Appointment!

If you know you’re interested in healthcare and human services careers and are looking for ways to gain experience, check out the HHS Career Community Hub. On these pages, you’ll find examples of different career paths in mental health, plus examples of alternative paths to work in healthcare beyond the clinical setting.

If you have in-depth questions about figuring out the best graduate program to become a therapist, want to explore what else you can do in healthcare besides being a doctor, nurse, physician assistant etc.., or are feeling lost and want help getting a better sense of your options within this Career Community, then that’s a great time to meet with Maureen, the Career and Internship Specialist for Healthcare & Human Services! Maureen and other Career and Internship Specialists can help you with mock interviews, honing your application strategy, negotiating a job offer, and discussing that transition from college to career or graduate school. Make an appointment with Maureen here.