
Job Resources

Finding A Job as an Anthropology Major
How do I find a job? It's a question almost every student, regardless of major, starts asking themselves. Here are a few suggestions to help you prepare to find your answer to this question.
Do Cool Things
The most important thing you can do to build toward a good career is to take advantage of the opportunities your liberal arts education affords you. Grades are important, but it's even more important to be able to point to skills you've acquired through your university activities.
- Use every class as an opportunity to master good writing skills
- Look for opportunities to conduct research
- Build solid foreign language skills and study abroad
- Seek internships
- Look for service learning opportunities
- Take on a leadership role in a student organization
- Pursue classes that emphasize critical thinking and problem-solving
- Get to know your professors
Most of you will never have as rich an opportunity to develop a broad range of new skills as you will during your four years as an undergraduate Anthropology major at Miami University.
Visit the Career Center
The Center for Career Exploration and Success is a key component in your job search. Located in 45 Armstrong Center, they offer career and employment counseling, employer and graduate school information, workshops on resume writing, interviewing skills and job searches, and other resources.
Anthropology's Career Liaison is Mary Beth Barnes, Career Services Associate Director, 529-3831, barnesm@miamioh.edu
You may also want to visit the Career Center web site.
- How to Avoid Ending Up on the Unemployment Line
- 11 Job Search Commandments for College Grads
- How To Find Jobs For College Students
- Top Job Search Apps For iPhone
- Top Job Search Apps For Android
Resume Building
Do Cool Things
We can't repeat this too many times. Your resume is only as good as the educational and life experiences you have to put in it. It's never too early to start thinking about how to get the most out of your anthropology degree. Check out some of the possibilities for students.
Build Skills
Employers may be fascinated by your stories about your anthropology learning experiences. But whether it was a 3-week residency with a Tibetan refugee family, excavating a medieval cemetery or observing and photographing bonobos, what they really want to know is what skills does the experience exhibit?
What Skills Do Employers Want From Candidates?
Leverage Multimedia
Contemporary paper resumes often have links to professional Facebook pages, presentation resumes on Slideshare or Prezi, and professional social media sites like LinkedIn and Academia.
Resume Advice
Here are a few articles on building resumes and on interviewing that you may find useful.
- Don't Blow Your Cover Letter
- Words to Strike From Your Resume
- Show Them You Really Want the Job
- Why You Need a Social Resume (And How to Build One)
- Resume Tips: Your Personal Branding Statement
- 11 Resume Myths Busted
Learn How To Sell Yourself
As an Anthropology Major, you've had a chance to learn an extraordinary range of knowledge, skills, and perspectives. But do you know how to translate these learning experiences into the language of the workplace?
- Five Secrets of Networking
- The Top Ten Interview Questions
- Ask The Six Questions That Will Make Employers Want to Hire You
- Eleven Reasons You Won't Get Hired
- How To Prepare for Your Job Interview
Create a Portfolio
The authors of The Anthropology Graduate's Guide recommend creating a career portfolio during your senior—or even your junior—year. It should contain:
- Journal, cataloging data, notes and comments on your first job search, into your early career.
- Personal statement describing your interest in anthropology, your goals, and what you have done to prepare yourself to reach them.
- Curriculum Vita. A complete record of your education, skills and work experience.
- Resumes. One or two page summaries of your education and work experience tailored for specific jobs.
- Biography: Short, third-person account highlighting your skills and experiences.
- Cover letters. Copies of the letters of introduction you've written for each job you apply for.
- Letters of Recommendation. Copies of any generic or non-confidential letters of recommendation. (Many faculty will give you copies of the letters they write on your behalf)
- Five Year Plan
- Ethics Statement.
Experiential Opportunities
Summer, volunteer, or part time work in human services, governmental agencies, or businesses; involvement with the research laboratories in archeology and biological anthropology, training in ethnography, museology, archaeology, and primatology, and membership in student organizations such as the Society for the Enhancement of Anthropology at Miami (SEAM).
Apply for Financial Aid
Certain non-profit organizations exist in order to facilitate experiential learning programs abroad, combining critical thinking, cross cultural dialogue, and community service through travel. These non-profits can provide grants to students who wish to participate in their programs.