Following is a career planning and job search timetable for each year of college. It is not meant to frustrate the Seniors who have no way to reach back into the past. It is meant to provide a best-case layout for your college years. Those at two-year colleges should simply compress the time frame. Those in graduate school should seek to cover previous tracks as much as possible and sync the final year activities with those listed for the Senior Year. And unemployed graduates should review all the information to see if there are any new steps which could be completed to enhance their job search. Keep in mind that it is never too late (or too early) to start.

Freshman Year

• Take some time to get to know yourself as an individual. You can do this by paying attention to the subjects you most enjoy, activities in which you participate, and by talking to your friends and family about career ideas and possibilities.

• Develop an ongoing relationship with your Academic Advisor. Ask about majors, electives, general education requirements, academic policies, and possible career options.

• Take a wide variety of classes to broaden your exposure to potential career paths.

• Focus on good grades from the start; if you fall behind, it's difficult to recover.

• Begin career exploration through your Career Center to find out more about how your aptitudes, interests, personality, and values match with potential career paths.

• Ask your career counselor for assistance with career inventories such as the Self-Directed Search, Career Exploration Inventory, or the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator.

• Explore volunteer opportunities in the community as a method to gain crucial experience for your resume.

• Develop your first resume and continue to refine it by adding content throughout your college years as your experience increases and your vision sharpens in focus.

  Target working in an industry or occupation of interest in a support/clerical position part-time during the school year and/or full-time during the summer.

Sophomore Year

• Identify specifically what you hope to gain from your education. Understand the planned end result and chart the path which will take you there.

• Choose your major based upon your career planning and eventual career focus.

• Focus your coursework within your major. Don't use up all of your elective credits early.

• Ask recent graduates for the names of the professors and classes which most benefitted their career.

• Conduct general informational interviews with several employers to better understand different career field needs and what you can be doing now to prepare for these needs. Ask questions about the employment outlook, anticipated salaries, background requirements for getting hired and what they like best (and worst) about their career.

• Begin to build and develop your personal network, following the techniques outlined in later sections at this site.

• Join a campus organization or club in an area of professional interest and attend the meetings regularly. In addition to providing valuable vocational information, you will develop your teamwork and leadership skills. Be a joiner throughout college.

• Continue career planning with a greater emphasis toward understanding the targeted professions and the needs of potential employers for entry level talent. Plan and develop your work experience and classes to match this profile.

• Develop a relationship with the Career Center Office, including assistance with preparing for work after graduation and internship experience during college.

• Develop effective interviewing skills by contacting the Career Center to arrange a mock interview and interview coaching.

• Identify at least five marketable skills you already possess for your chosen career, as well as five that you hope to develop by the time you graduate.

• Target working in an entry-level co-op, internship or research position within your chosen field part-time during the school year and/or full-time during the summer.

Junior Year

• Keep your grades up; the classes will begin to get more difficult, so continue your focus on excelling in your studies.

• Develop relationships with the leading professors and department heads in your major. They will be contributors to your job search, both directly as a referral source and indirectly as employers inquire about the leading students in the major.

• Run for lower level offices (Secretary, Treasurer, etc.) in your extracurricular activities in preparation for the higher level offices next year.

• Contact professionals in your chosen field to conduct informal informational interviews to learn more about the profession.

• Attend both on- and off-campus job fairs to gain exposure to both potential internships as well as potential jobs after graduation.

• Fine tune your resume, cover letter, and interviewing skills as you continue to expand your skills and experience.

• Begin planning for your final year with the Career Center Office to insure your preparation is on target for meeting the needs of potential employers.

• Target an assistant-level or professional-level co-op or internship within your chosen field part-time during the school year and/or full-time during the summer. Attempt to locate a position as close as possible to the type of work you would like to be doing after graduation.

Senior Year

Keep your grades high, yet shift your focus toward the direct applicability of your coursework toward your chosen profession. This year will be your greatest preparation for the world of work.

• Complete as many courses within your major as possible. Use available electives to further your educational experience within your chosen field, rather than taking non-related classes.

• Pursue professional-level work experience part-time during the school year.

• If you have not yet acquired work experience in your chosen field, offer your services as a volunteer. Volunteer experience is still experience.

• Direct any special projects within your major toward your chosen field or profession.

• Prepare for your job search early, with all of the prerequisite materials (resume, transcripts, etc.) on file at your campus Career Center no later than one month into your final year.

• Meet with your academic advisor and do a final audit of your requirements to make all requirements will be met by graduation.

• If going on for further schooling, research graduate schools and apply early (one year in advance) and make sure to apply for graduate, teaching, or research assistantships; study for the graduate school admission tests.

• Sign up for on-campus interviews as early in the year as possible.

• If you have not already done so, schedule a mock interview and interview coaching with the staff at the Career Center.

• Learn how to prepare for your job search—your job search should become your #1 priority in your final year of college.

• Obtain at least three letters of reference.

• Attend on- and off-campus job fairs to gain a better understanding of the types of opportunities available after graduation.

• Fine-tune your resume for graduation and keep updating it as a work in progress.

• Utilize the counseling resources at the Career Center to further broaden your job search.

• Activate your personal network, enlisting their support in your job search.

• Begin interviewing as early as possible in your final year. Many of the best positions are filled before the end of the first semester.

• Make it your goal to have found your new job as early as possible in your final year.

• Learn how to evaluate job offers and negotiate salary before you receive a job offer so that you can effectively negotiate the best possible terms.

• Inform the Career Center of your employment/graduate school status as soon as it is confirmed.

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