Career Catalyst

Kick-start your career preparation with CFG’s foundational career course.

Career Catalyst
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As a student in the early stages of your studies, you must be excited about the vast number of career paths in front of you! You may not know it yet, but the preparations you make today will impact your career options by graduation.

Enrol in Career Catalyst (CFG1002) to equip yourself with essential career skills such as resume writing, creating your personal brand and elevator pitch, and sharpening your interviewing skills. When done well, they will set you apart and help you maximise your chances of getting the internship and job that you have always wanted!

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Get Internship-ready

Discover the importance of internships in securing full-time employment
and how to land your first internship

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Career Pathways

Identify your career interest(s) and
build a personal brand aligned to it

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Captivating Resumes

Learn how to craft a resume and cover letter
that stands out among other applicants

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Interview & Networking Excellence

Receive expert tips on interview preparation
and build a networking strategy that works for you

Programme Details & Registration

Course Units: 2 Units, Unrestricted Elective (UE) Course.
Career Catalyst (CFG1002) does not count towards the limit on the number of Level-1000 courses in fulfilment of graduation requirements.

Assessment and Grading Basis: CS/CU

Pre-requisites: No requirements 

Schedule: For AY 2023/24 Semester 1, Career Catalyst will be offered twice in a semester in Term 1 (Weeks 1-6) and Term 2 (Weeks 7-12). The format will mostly be e-learning on NUS Canvas, where you can complete the weekly e-learning sessions at your own time and pace. However, there will be two face-to-face classes, scheduled during Weeks 1 and 4 (for Term 1 students) and Weeks 7 and 10 (for Term 2 students). Registration has closed. The complete schedule of classes can be found here.

For AY 2023/24 Semester 2, registration for the course will commence in mid-December 2023. Students will be able to register via registration form published on this webpage.

For any questions on this course, please email careercatalyst@nus.edu.sg.

Course Structure

Face-to-Face Session 1:
Your Roadmap Towards Career Readiness

  • Introduction to the course
  • Planning your Career Roadmap
  • Access all the resources and tools available from CFG
Learning content:
  • Attend face-to-face session (Week 1 or Week 7) and view online contents on Canvas  
  • Access post-course resources

E-learning Session 2:
Effective Resumes and Cover Letters

  • Purpose of a resume and 4 main steps to develop a resume using VMock.
  • Crafting results-oriented C.A.R. statements
  • Drafting effective and targeted cover letters
Learning content:

E-learning Session 3:
Professional Branding and Global Mindsets

  • Creating and maintaining a professional online presence (example: LinkedIn)
  • Global mindsets for future career success
  • Introduction to Elevator Pitch and Networking (including introduction to Vmock Interview module)
Learning content:

Face-to-Face Session 4:
A Recruiter’s Perspective on Hiring Trends and Interview Preparation

  • Types of interviews and selection processes
  • How to prepare for interviews
  • Introduction to the interview response frameworks & techniques
  • Sharing of hiring trends by employers
Learning content:

E-learning Session 5:
Networking and Professional Presentation

  • Developing networking skills and strategy
  • Projecting a positive image for career success
  • Activities on networking strategies and techniques
Learning content:

E-learning Session 6:
Internships and Workplace Behaviour

  • Importance of internships
  • Tips for being a super intern
  • Workplace behaviour and professionalism
Learning content:

Assessment Instructions for Students

All assessment components for this CS/CU graded course must be completed and submitted for review by the instructors by the end of Week 6 (final week) of the course. If you miss the stated deadline for any assessment component, no late submissions will be allowed and you will score 0 marks for that assessment component.

Grading Components:

Assessment Task Assessment Weightage
View all course Contents on Canvas and Completion of Quiz (20 questions in total) 20%
Creation and completion of profile on NUS ConnectUS 10%
Creation and completion of profile on IAAS (Internship-As-A-Service) 10%
Uploading of Elevator Pitch on VMock Interview20%
 Uploading of Resume on VMock Resume 40%
Total course Score 100%

Passing Criteria for CFG1002:

To obtain a CS grade, you must satisfy all of the following requirements:

  1. Attend all face-to-face classes and complete all 5 assignment components
  2. Obtain a minimum of 12/20 for the quizzes (one mark will be allocated to each correct answer for 20 questions)
  3. Attempt at least one recording of your elevator pitch on VMock Interview (video score is immaterial)
  4. Obtain a minimum of 60/100 for your resume score on VMock Resume

What our students say

“Honestly, this course was really useful to me, and I found it very helpful in my interviews and resume writing. I previously was not very sure how to write a cover letter but after this course, I was more clear of what they wanted.”


SoC student

“The course was extremely helpful to learn about the basics that we have to know about job application and careers in general. It's a good stepping stone and eye opener to help us start off. It also helps us build our portfolio early and teaches us the do's and don’ts.”


FASS student

“I like how it was an 'own time own do' sort of course; gave a lot of flexibility in when I wanted to complete the tasks. The materials were of splendid quality and instructions were clear. Definitely more in–depth tips in career planning, which I found extremely helpful.”


FoS student

“Through Career Catalyst, I learnt various essential career skills such as resume writing, elevator pitch and ways to sharpen my interview skills. These greatly helped me in getting an internship and to excel in them. Wait no more, enrol in Career Catalyst today!”


CDE student

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