Chart Your Future with 'Grow Your Career at Duke' Workshops

Take the next step in your career during workshops in May and June with Duke's hiring experts

Jemma Boler speaks at a workshop.
Jemma Boler, an Education and Training Practitioner for Duke Human Resources’ Career Resource Center, speaks at a Grow Your Career at DUke workshop at Smith Warehouse. Photo by Stephen Schramm.

Duke staff who are curious about exploring career opportunities within Duke can learn about the internal transfer process, how to build a resume and interviewing during upcoming “Grow Your Career at Duke” workshops.

Organized by the Career Resource Center, the hourlong, in-person workshops are designed to help current employees learn how to find, pursue and land opportunities to advance or find new career pathways within Duke.

A session on understanding the internal transfer process will be offered at 1 p.m. on May 28, and a session on job interviews will be held at 1 p.m. on June 4. Both workshops will take place at the Gilbert-Addoms Down Under space on East Campus.

“I get people coming to these workshops who are looking to grow at Duke,” said workshop organizer Jemma Boler, an Education and Training Practitioner for Duke Human Resources’ Career Resource Center. “Maybe they’re just trying to figure their pathway or maybe it’s somebody who’s been here a while and they’re ready to make a shift. The goal is to help people get into a role that appeals to them and where their skills can add value.”

The workshops are offered for all employees a few times each year and held by request for Duke University and Duke University Health System departments. You can learn more about the program and register for the upcoming sessions here.

During a recent “Grow Your Career at Duke” workshop for Duke Facilities Management team members, Boler shared strategies for building a clean and easy-to-read resumé that lets Duke recruiters find all the information they need. Boler also suggested taking a hard look at past roles and even activities pursued away from work – such as volunteering – for relevant skills that may be worth highlighting.

“Once people understand what they need to do to make their resumés more appealing to recruiters and hiring managers, and how they may want to incorporate skills and experiences that they might not have thought to include, it can be very valuable,” said Boler, who has been leading these workshops for her Duke colleagues since 2018.

Part of the reason Gabriel Derleth, a Locksmith with Duke Facilities Management, was attracted to Duke as an employer was the opportunity to hone his skills and embrace new challenges. He attended the recent Grow Your Career at Duke workshop at Smith Warehouse to learn how he can be ready to pursue the right opportunity within Duke whenever it comes.

Derleth said the information Boler shared about including both the hard and soft skills he gained during different phases of his career on a resumé was especially helpful.

“I was just curious if there’s a way to put it all together so you can stand out,” Derleth said.

In addition to the workshops, the Career Resource Center also offers individual consultations about career planning within Duke and coaching on resumé building and job interviews.

“This is all part of Duke’s philosophy on growth opportunities,” Boler said. “It’s what we advertise. We want you to grow at Duke.”

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