• The ability to clearly express complex ideas in both verbal and written form is invaluable.
• Employers look for people who are “comfortable expressing themselves and their ideas in clear, concise, and meaningful language.”
• If you have written course papers, given in-class reports, or participated in group projects, you can state that you have developed and refined your communication skills.

• Intrapersonal skills include the ability to share leadership and responsibility, work cooperatively, and get along with co-workers.
• Employers seek graduates who can work on task forces and self-managed task teams. They also want to hire individuals who are capable of initiating ideas and independently pursuing projects.
• Many organizations stress a consumer-oriented approach that involves “people who will be good at networking and affiliating.”

• Leadership includes persistence, flexibility, risk-taking, and an ability to work well in the face of instability or uncertainty.
• You learn important leadership skills to recruit and motivate others toward their top performance.
• Employers value those who help other employees adapt to changing priorities within an organization and who can anticipate change.

• Sociology majors are known for their analytical skills, particularly their well-honed critical thinking and problem-solving. These skills give you a major leg up on all kinds of duties and projects.

• These skills are particularly important for in-house research.
• Sociology students become adept at working with others to define a problem or research question, design a study, select the appropriate data collection techniques, code and analyze the data, report findings, and make fact-based recommendations.
• In any field, the skill of conceptualizing a project and carrying it across the finish line is key.

• Familiarity with word processing, data analysis, and graphics is a big plus with employers.
• What organizations really want are employees who are not computer-shy. They will often train you on their own systems if you are unfamiliar with them.

• As a sociology major, you develop cross-cultural understanding, especially about racial, ethnic, and gender differences in values, perceptions, and approaches to work.
• Employers want colleagues who can understand and effectively cooperate within the context of cultural and other diversities.
• Corporations increasingly seek employees who see a complex world through a global lens, with intercultural awareness and racial sensitivity that debunks traditional stereotypes.

By establishing knowledge of sociological theory in your courses, you can provide training in analytical thought and help others tighten their grasp on central sociological concepts and theories as applied to the organization or job demands.

Your ability to conceptualize problems and develop research strategies isn’t limited to the classroom setting. These experiences set you up for working in government research offices, public opinion polling agencies, marketing firms and other research or program development settings.

Your understanding of team dynamics and informal organization can help you navigate networking opportunities and different workplace environments. They also help you develop key interpersonal attributes, including empathy and tolerance, toward diversity in interpersonal styles and group roles.

Learning outcomes from these courses relate broadly to many careers, as they address the most critical issues facing human societies today, including crime, inequalities, poverty, homelessness, environmental issues, racial and gender justice, education, health disparities, and medicine.

Through these courses, students develop a keen understanding of the complexities of diversity in modern society. This will benefit you generally in any position and specifically if you are seeking employment in a human resources department with a multiracial workforce, work with multicultural clientele, or plan to work in ethnically diverse communities.

Courses in this area set students up for work in urban planning agencies, environmental agencies, and nonprofits working on ecological, economic, and social sustainability issues. This area also benefits students interested in law and policy pertaining to cities and the natural environment.

Participating in these courses provides students with valuable preparation for jobs in agencies that deal with criminal justice, probation, parole, juvenile delinquency, gangs, crime statistics, and policing. Students will also gain insights relevant to work in law, urban and rural social problems, and education, and social justice areas.

Sociology students who can demonstrate their value to employers through their work experiences have a competitive edge when seeking employment. Benefits include but are not limited:

• Helping you to stand out in a competitive job market
• Expanding your resume
• Making professional connections for job references
• Leading to a permanent position
• Enabling you to explore a variety of career interests, occupations, and work environments
• Developing new skills and builds on your experience
• Developing professional relationships and mentors
• Increasing self-confidence, leadership skills, and builds interpersonal and communication skills

During your search for an internship, ask yourself the following questions

• What careers are you interested in learning more about?
• What employers (companies or organizations) appeal to you?
• What work-related activities or settings would you like to try out?
• What skills do you want to use, refine, or develop?
• What are your goals for the internship?

The UNLV College of Liberal Arts Internship Program provides numerous opportunities to explore potential employment areas through internships. These internships will help you integrate knowledge and theory that you’ve learned in the classroom with practical application and skill development in a professional setting.

For more information, visit the College of Liberal Arts' Internship page. You may also contact Jenna Heath, director of student and community engagement, for more information about any internship opportunities and how to secure one.