About Dual Career
Our program aims to maintain and strengthen the university's ability to recruit and retain excellent faculty by focusing on their quality of life as members of the Aggieland community. When faculty join Texas A&M University, they are often accompanied by partners (and/or family members) that are essential to the work-life balance of the faculty member. By prioritizing the professional pursuits and development of the partners of our faculty, the Dual Career program seeks to emphasize the value of these individuals to the Texas A&M community while aiding in their successful acclimation to the broader Bryan-College Station community.
How It Works
Step One: Contact Dual Career
The new, potential, or existing Texas A&M faculty member and/or their partner may contact Dual Career directly.
Department leadership may connect a potential faculty member with Dual Career during the recruitment process.
Step Two: Initiation Consultation
Dual Career will conduct an initial consultation with the faculty partner to determine employment needs.
Step Three: Intensive Resume Review
The faculty partner (client) will be provided an intensive resume/curriculum vitae (CV) review based upon local job market preferences.
Step Four: Tailored Job Search
The Dual Career Consultant will assist in connecting the client with Texas A&M departments and/or local business contacts with possible open positions.
What We Do
With goals of professional skill development and career advancement, each client we serve receives personalized assistance to identify options for pursuing a successful career in the local community. Here are the services we provide:
- Access to job openings at Texas A&M and the local community
- Resume/curriculum vitae review and rewrite expertise to include cover letter writing
- Help with interviewing techniques, including mock interviews (Zoom and in-person), interview preparation and etiquette
- Career coaching by an experienced consultant
- Local job search information on job market salaries, benefits, websites and other resources
- Job search techniques, job fairs and local workforce office programs and training
Client Testimonial
Frequently Asked Questions
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Anyone who is a part of a potential or existing Texas A&M faculty member's immediate familial circle is considered a "partner" and qualifies for Dual Career program services.
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No! We have placed clients in faculty and non-faculty positions, on-and-off of the Texas A&M campus.
Dual Career clients have found on-campus staff positions in units across campus, including the:
- Division of Human Resources and Organizational Effectiveness
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences
- Department of Athletics
- College of Engineering
- Technology Services
- International Student & Scholar Service
Approximately 51% of total Dual Career clients are placed in non-faculty positions.
Likewise, Dual Career has placed numerous clients in positions with community partners including the:
- Bryan-College Station Chamber of Commerce
- Baylor, Scott & White Health
- FujiFilm
Approximately 48% of total Dual Career clients are placed in off-campus positions within the Bryan-College Station community.
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No! Dual Career services are readily available to the partners of Texas A&M faculty as they navigate the ongoing progression of life events.
Note: As an act of our selfless service to the university, the Dual Career program also provides services to the partners of non-faculty Texas A&M employees when needed.
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Yes! Faculty Affairs provides and administers bridge funds to academic units that create positions to employ partners of prospective or current faculty members.
- Bridge funds are finite and allotted on a first-come, first-served basis.
- This support is available to create positions for the partners of tenured faculty, tenure-track faculty and APT faculty (with multi-year commitment and unit approval).
- Any request for funds must be made by departmental or college/school leadership.
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Bryan/College Station is a college community known for its hospitality and friendliness. The "small town" feel provides ample opportunity to explore, engage and thrive locally, while the community is uniquely positioned in close proximity to Texas' biggest cities.
Click here to learn more about living in Aggieland.
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Not a problem. Dual Career works directly with the Immigration Affairs office that services the entire Texas A&M University System. Share your concerns and we will be sure to include an Immigration Affairs staffperson in your initial consultation.
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For more information about employee benefits at Texas A&M University, visit the Benefit Services website furnished by the Division of Human Resources and Organizational Effectiveness.
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The Dual Career program started under a National Science Foundation grant in 2014.
Under the former ADVANCE program, the grant was initially implemented at Texas A&M University to address the significant discrepancy of women working within the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) areas by providing targeted assistance for women to become more competitively marketable and hireable within STEM areas.
After a couple semesters of evaluation, it was determined that - beyond providing opportunities for skill development and career advancement in the STEM areas - extending program services to the partners of Texas A&M faculty could create more value within the familial unit of the faculty member, the campus as well as the local community. As the university sought to recruit preeminent faculty from around the world, the reality was that they were often not considering relocating to College Station alone.
With a focus on positioning the Texas A&M community as a place where faculty and their family members can simultaneously advance their careers, the current iteration of the Dual Career program serves to assist the partners of prospective and existing faculty members in their professional pursuits as a function of the Office of the Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs.
Aside from collaborating with leaders across the university's academic, administrative and research units to positively impact Texas A&M's recruitment and retention efforts, the Dual Career program serves as a benchmark institutions incorporation dual career programs and active partnering program for existing dual career programs at institutions across the country.
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Here are the recommendations you can expect to explore during your intensive Dual Career resume review:
Writing Your Biosketch
To maximize your employment search, the Dual Career Consultant may elect to include a professional biography when forwarding your resume or setting up informational interviews on your behalf. These professional biographies are written in the third-person, highlighting your professional accomplishments, and usually no more than 200 words.
Steps to Writing a Professional Biography
- Name
- Indicate the title(s) of your career
- Example: IT Project Manager
- Indicate the number of years of experience you have
- Example: 12 years of experience in system implementations and five years of experience in project management
- Indicate your degree(s) and certifications
- Example: BS in Information Technology
- Indicate areas of expertise/certifications/technical knowledge that make you a desirable candidate
- Example: Certified project manager (PRINCE-2 and Lean Six Sigma Green Belt)
- List three of your most desirable transferable skills
- Example: Perform business, process and information analysis
- implementation of system upgrades
- implemented proposals for improvement
- (Optional) Include when you will be available for work
- Example: "Client has relocated and is available now for employment" or "Client will be relocating during the spring and will be available for interviews in April"
- Now Write Your Biosketch
- Example: IT Project Manager with 12 years of experience in system implementations and five years of experience in project management. Graduated with a BS in Information Technology and is certified in both PRINCE@ and Lean Six Sigma Green Belt. Has performed business, process and information analysis and has implemented system upgrades. In addition to this, has also implemented proposals for improvement. Client will be relocating in the fall and will be available for interviews in November.
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For more information, contact us at dualcareer@tamu.edu.