LING 688
Professionalism in Human Language Technology
This one-credit course addresses the professional skills that graduates of the MS in Human Language Technology program need in order to secure and be successful in non-academic jobs. It’s obvious that working effectively in language technology requires an understanding of the structure and properties of human language, as well as aspects of computational linguistics, software development, and machine learning. In addition to those technical skills, however, graduates of this program need to know how to present themselves as competent professionals, and how to build a network of professional relationships with others in the field.
This course focuses on the skills needed to navigate a career in HLT:
- developing an actionable plan leading toward a career goal
- crafting a résumé aligned with a stated career goal
- tailoring a job application cover letter to link your résumé with a job ad
- practicing networking-based approaches to securing interviews
- preparing for interview loops and hiring screens
Students who complete the course will have a plan for their initial career development, will have a professional presence on LinkedIn, and will have practiced an informational interview.