4-year Career Timeline
Here are some suggestions for yearly career goals you can set to prepare for your graduation and post-graduation plans. There is no order to these goals and they can be completed in every year. Remember you can always check-in with a Center for Career Readiness professional for support!
- Year 1
- testing.
- Research different majors: course catalog, major to career guides, , professional associations, government information sites and job boards by major/industry.
- Take a career assessment, such as the Strong Interest Inventory to learn more about your areas of interest.
- Meet with your advisor.
- Meet with a Career Counselor.
- Meet with a faculty member in your area of interest.
- Join a Â鶹´«Ã½ club or organization related to your major or area of interest.
- Do an informational interview with a professional who has your dream job/area of interest.
- Job shadow a professional in your area of interest.
- Document your experiences in a resume. Have your resume critiqued by a Career Counselor.
- Access , Â鶹´«Ã½'s job and internship bank, to learn about potential jobs and internships and become aware of career-related events and fairs.
- Attend a job fair or networking night to connect with future employers.
- Year 2
- Declare your major.
- : OOH, , Informational interviews
- Attend a job fair or networking night to connect with future employers.
- Center for Career Readiness provides a job and internship during both Fall and Spring semesters, as well as Teacher Employment Day Fair.
- Center for Career Readiness offers workshops on "How to Work a Job Fair" to teach students how to successfully attend a job fair.
- Center for Career Readiness and Alumni Relations have teamed up to provide Success Looks Like Me, an event series designed as an opportunity for current Â鶹´«Ã½ students to learn from the experiences and challenges alumni have faced in the professional world.
- Update your resume and have it critiqued by a Career Counselor.
- Identify potential internship opportunities.
- Explore study abroad opportunities.
- Have coffee or lunch with an advanced student in your program of study. It is a nice opportunity to network and find out the best classes to take and what to expect in your third or fourth year.
- Year 3
- Join a professional organization related to your major as a student member.
- Gain a leadership position in a student organization.
- Buy interview clothing.
- Many local retailers offer discounts to Â鶹´«Ã½ students - check out Bear Biz for more information.
- Not sure what to wear to an interview? Check out Center for Career Readiness' Pinterest boards for interview attire as well as tips on work wear on a budget.
- Practice interviewing skills during a practice interview with a Career Counselor.
- Explore current job and internship openings by industry and major on .
- Update your resume and have it critiqued by a Career Counselor.
- Learn how to write a cover letter.
- Meet with a Career Counselor to develop a career plan for your final year(s) to prepare for graduation.
- Explore graduate school programs if you are interested. Review application process deadlines. Think about tests you may need to take to apply to graduate school: GRE, LSAT, MCAT, etc.
- If you are thinking about graduate school, see if you can assist a professor with research.
- Network with friends, family, and employers.
- Year 4
- Update your resume and cover letter and have it critiqued by a Career Counselor.
- Start your job search early. A job search can take a few weeks to over six months. Meet with a Career Counselor for additional job searching tips.
- If applying to graduate school, take graduate school admissions tests.
- Attend a job fair or networking night.
- Make business cards and carry them with you for impromptu meetings with professionals.
- Carry copies of your resume. Make sure they are on resume paper. You never know when you might make a connection and need it.
- Utilize professional social networking sites in the job search process such as, .
- Participate in on-campus interviews.
- Meet with your advisor to ensure you are meeting graduation requirements. Make sure you fill out all graduation paperwork and pay your fee to graduate on time.
- Graduate! Remember, you can always utilize Center for Career Readiness as an alum!