Mentorship

Owl Career Mentors support the CCD’s mission to educate Rice students on career-related topics, connect with students to expand their networks and explore careers, and empower students to confidently negotiate the professional world.

As an OWL Career Mentor, you have the opportunity to help students bridge their education into the professional world while enhancing your mentoring and leadership skills. OWL Career Mentors can support students by:

  • Participating in career panels, Expo and resume preparation, and other events on campus

  • Providing one-on-one career mentoring to students when they message you on LinkedIn or Sallyportal

  • Writing articles about what it’s like to work in a certain job or field, or offer insights on general career topics

  • Offering relocation tips or insight about living in certain geographical areas

Current Career Mentoring Opportunities

CCD Picnic with Resumayhem & Practice Your Pitch

During the CCD's semesterly Open House, Practice Your Pitch & Resumayhem happen inside while lawn games, food trucks, and a DJ provide entertainment outside. As an OWL Career Mentor, you will meet with students for a series of brief, 10-15 minute resume reviews or help them with their elevator pitch. CCD staff will provide you with materials and a quick training overview before the event. Students arrive and sign in, then receive a text message when it's their turn. The demand for this fun event is high, with plenty of opportunities to volunteer!

OWL Career Mentor Nest at the Career & Internship Expo

As an OWL Career Mentor volunteer at the Nest, you can help students practice their elevator pitch, hand shake, and eye contact, and offer encouragement before the students head to the Expo floor. Often students are nervous, or don't know what they are going to say when they approach the recruiters at the Expo. The OWL Career Mentor Nest gives students an opportunity to stop and speak with a volunteer about how to approach an employer and practice.

Host an Owl Edge Externship/Job Shadow, Spring and Winter Breaks

Host a student (or group of students) for 1-5 days and help them explore career options and gain a realistic perspective of your industry. Don't have time to commit to a 1-5 day externship? Volunteer for an informational interview (in person or via phone/Skype) or lunch meeting. Click here for more information.

Career Mentoring Drop-in Hours, Various dates and times

Help students with resume reviews, pitch practice, and other career-related questions when they drop by for a quick, 15 minute time slot.

Ongoing Career Mentoring Opportunities

Join Sallyportal

OWL Career Mentors serve as a resource to educate Rice students on career related topics, connect with students to expand their network, and empower students to confidently negotiate the professional world. Learn more about Sallyportal.

Provide Career Mentoring

We always encourage students to connect with alumni and friends of Rice University to help in their professional development and education. A student may contact you for a quick question, to try and set up an informational interview, or to ask for insight into a particular company or industry. These discussions can take place through LinkedIn or SallyPortal messaging, face-to-face, by phone, email, or via Skype, according to the preferences of both you and the student. Students will not only use these conversations to ask questions, but also to network and connect with professional in their same field of study, and in their target industry or company to learn about the application of their studies in the “real world.” Students have been given guidelines on how to appropriately and professionally message group members they are interested in connecting with or learning from.


Should a student message you, please respond to them in a timely manner and answer their inquiries to the best of your ability. If the timing is inconvenient or you are too busy to help a student at the time they message you, you can politely inform the student that now is not a convenient time for you. You could even suggest someone else for them to reach out to if you know of someone who might be a good fit to answer their question. Please note that no student should contact you for the purpose of asking for a job. Although jobs and internships are possible outcomes of networking through the OWL Career Mentor Network, they are not expected.