UO alums turn Duck Career Network coaches
Career coaching isn’t just for executives. Everyone can benefit, no matter what stage you’re at or position you hold. At the UO Alumni Association, the Duck Career Network offers career resources and networking opportunities to the Ducks community. One of our most sought-after resources is our career coaches who provide fee-based, personalized professional development services to help fellow alumni achieve their career goals.
Learn about four of our Career Coaches and find answers to your burning questions about the benefits of working with a coach and why working with fellow Ducks to achieve career success is so rewarding. Then visit our Duck Career Coaches website to learn more and connect with a coach today!
Meet our newest Career Coach
Lisa Poliak, BA ’97 (international studies)
Our latest addition to our roster of Duck Career Coaches is Lisa Poliak, BA ’97 (international studies). Lisa is the founder and owner of Inner Genius Prep, a boutique career and educational consulting company based in Santa Monica, California. Poliak was recently featured on the podcast small acts of rebellion, in which she discusses her journey from adversity to advocacy. You can listen to her episode here.
Q&A with Duck Career Coaches
Shelby McIntyre, BA ’16 (cinema studies)
What is the benefit of working one-on-one with a career coach?
There are many amazing free resources online to assist you in navigating your career journey, yet they often aren't personalized, and it can be hard to know what's legitimate. The benefit of one-on-one career coaching is personalized support tailored to your own unique individual needs, with resources vetted by professionals with specialized training in career development.
What is the benefit of working with a Duck Career Coach?
As any career coach will tell you, effective networking begins with commonalities. Duck Career Coaches already share a connection to the UO community and want to see their fellow alumni succeed!
Aubrie De Clerck, BA ’95 (sociology)
What is the benefit of working one-on-one with a career coach?
With a coach, you will have support from someone with expertise in all the areas of the job search (resume, cover letter, LinkedIn, interviewing, negotiation), which is really helpful. But you also get a partner and a guide in the process—someone to be your cheerleader and sounding board. Someone to provide perspective for this transition that is bigger than what is happening just in this moment. It will get easier!
What is the benefit of working with a Duck Career Coach?
Duck Career Coaches know where you’ve been, as we have shared experience. It’s helpful to have common ground with a coach, and this is one important and fun way that happens!
Merryn Roberts-Huntley, MBA ’06 (sports business)
What is the benefit of working one-on-one with a career coach?
Working with a career coach will help you get to the next step in your career faster. A great coach will teach you how to set an achievable career goal and will recommend specific tactics, so you get noticed and ultimately get hired.
What is the benefit of working with a Duck Career Coach?
A Duck Career Coach has personal experience knowing how to best leverage your UO degree as well as your UO network to reach the next step in your career faster.
Lauren Wooster, BA '09 (English)
What is the benefit of working one-on-one with a career coach?
From my personal experience, having an objective person serve as a sounding board for your thoughts is the biggest benefit. A career coach helps you come to your own conclusions and does not steer you in particular directions. That being said, we are professionals at things like resumes, cover letters, and networking, so we can absolutely help you level up your skills and confidence to find success!
What is the benefit of working with a Duck Career Coach?
Go Ducks! Using the Duck Career Network means you are working with a career coach who already shares an affinity for the institution you are a part of and automatically taps you into a network of people who want to see their community, thus you, thrive!
Visit our Duck Career Coaches website to learn more and connect with a coach today!
According to Forbes, early fall is the perfect time for job hunting, so whether you're just starting out in your career or looking to level up, our Duck Career Coaches are here to guide you every step of the way.
We're also expanding our roster—if you're a certified, experienced career coach, we invite you to join us in supporting the Ducks community. Email Megan McKinney, associate director of the Duck Career Network, to inquire about advertising your services.
—By Megan McKinney, associate director of the Duck Career Network, and Sage Kiernan-Sherrow, editorial and communications specialist.