Choosing a Career

One of the hardestand most exciting

choices youll ever make is your career.
Although chance may play a part, come
prepared!

Rule#1: Choose a career that is something

you really like to do.
Rule#2: Do your research and choose
carefully and thoughtfully.
Rule#3: Make it meaningful to you.
You owe it to yourself to look for
work that is meaningful and
rewarding!

Choose Career Options That

Match Your Values

Knowing

what you value most will help you

refine your career search and choice:
Helping

others

Prestige
High

income
Flexible work hours
Establish

and align values, career choice, and

career goals for motivation.

Surviving in a Fast Economy

You

will always have some control over your

career.
You must accept risks and plan for the future
to advance your career.
A college degree does not guarantee
employment.
A commitment to lifelong learning will help
keep you employable.

Factors to Consider
Do:
explore a number of
careers and majors
get involved
Get advice from
people in your target
occupation
follow your passion
Dare to try something
new

Dont:
focus on a major just
to get a career out of
it
select a major just
because it is cool or
seems to promise
prestige
let someone else push
you into a job
Assume that you have
it all figured out

Factors Affecting Career Choices

Interests
Skills
Aptitudes
People

skills
Experience
Family
traditions

Personality
Life

goals and
work values

Exploring Your Interests

Hollands Hexagonal Model of Career Fields

Realist
ic

Investigati
ve
Artistic

Convention
al
Enterprisi
ng

Soci
al

Where to Go for Help

Career

center

Faculty
Upper-class
Student

students

organizations
Placement services

Become Knowledgeable
About Careers

Explore the Occupational Outlook Handbook at

http://www.bls.gov/oco/
Research several careers, not just one
Browse the Careers section of a local bookstore
See a career counselor
Scope out Internet resources
Network--many people love to talk about
their jobs!

Explore the Occupational Outlook Handbook

http://www.bls.gov/oco/

Keep up with the occupational

outlook for various fields.
Get to know which ones are
adding jobs and which ones are
losing them.
The Occupational Outlook
Handbook is an excellent source,
and is updated every two years.
Good news! Over the next few
years, jobs requiring college
degrees will be the fastestgrowing and highest paying.

What to Look for in a

Career

Major career field target

Preferred type of work
Income requirements
Geographical requirements
Special needs
Industry preferences
Stress level
Level of interaction with other
people
Indoor vs. outdoor
Amount of independence
Balance between creative and
conventional tasks

The type of people you would

interact with
Physical requirements
Local/national/international
organization
Benefits and perks
Advancement opportunities
A good boss
Training
Industry outlook
Reputation of the firm in the
industry

Select Several Careers,

Not Just One

Its a good idea to have several careers in mind

rather than just one in your first year of college.

Approximately 60% of students change their
major at some point during their college career.
It pays to be knowledgeable about more than
just one career field. The average graduate
changes their job seven times in their life.
It also pays to develop a wide variety of general
skills, particular those related to communication.

Network
Check with people you know about career
information.
Networking can lead to meeting someone
who may be able to answer your questions
about a specific career or company.
It is an effective way to learn about the type
of training necessary for a particular
position, what it took to get into the field, and
the positive and negative aspects of the
work.
More and more professionals are active on
online networks such as LinkedIn.com and
Doostang.com. Some professionals even
use Facebook to get in touch with others in
their fieldas well as research potential
candidates.

 Assess Your Skills

Academic Strengths

Personal Qualities

Reading, Writing, Speaking, and Listening

Math
Creative Thinking
Problem Solving and Decision Making

Self-Esteem, Self-Management, Responsibility

People Skills

Social, Negotiation, Leadership, Teamwork

See a Career Counselor

The career counselors at your college

are trained professionals who can help

you
discover your strengths and
weaknesses
evaluate your values and goals
sort through what type of career you
want
They will not tell you what to do, they
will simply help identify what factors
may lead to successful and interesting
career options.

Questions for Academic Advisors

What classes should I take this term and

next?
What sequence of classes should I take?
Am I taking too many difficult classes in one
term?
What electives do you
recommend?
What career
opportunities
are there if I study
mainly _____?

Getting Experience
Volunteer

or service

learning
Study abroad
Internships/co-ops
On-campus employment
Student
projects/competitions
Research
On-the-job training
Apprenticeships

Research the Job

Identify

the skills and experience

necessary to perform the job you
want.
Determine the general
requirements of the job.
Learn about the day-to-day tasks
and responsibilities.
Research the company and
employer.
Determine the companys
philosophy.
The more you know about the job,
the stronger the candidate you
will become.

How big
will my
office be?

Know What Employers Want

Potential employers will look for evidence of your

accomplishments and experiences.
Did you hold leadership positions?
Were you active in campus organizations or
extracurricular activities?
Did you have relevant experiences in co-op,
internships, or part-time work?
Did you make good grades?
The more you have of these experiences, the better.
Go by incognito and get the lay of the land.

How do the employees dress, interact with each other, look for
company policy wall signs and so on.

Building a Resume

Put contact information at the top.

State an objective if appropriate.
List education to date.
State accomplishments succinctly using action
verbs.
Separate work experience related to your
major from other work experience.
Include interests you want to talk aboutthey
are often used to begin an interview.
Even if the job isnt related to your major,
employers will want to see how your
experience is relevant to the job.

Knock Em Dead in a Job Interview

The examples you give of

your past experiences is
critical.
Be able to show how past
experiences relate to this
opportunity.
Rsums are important
in getting you an
interview in the first
place. Make yours
organized and clear.
Prepare for the interview:
research your
prospective employer.
Anticipate what you will
be asked and practice
interviewing.

Ask appropriate jobrelated questions.

Keep your cool.
Remember, employers
are looking for
competent people with
whom they want to
work.

Job Interviews (contd)

Be

able to answer basic questions:

Why do you want this job?

What are your strengths?

Your weaknesses?
What sets you apart from other candidates?
If

you decide you want the job, you may

want to ask for it at the close of the
interview.
Type a brief follow-up letter to mail
within 24 hours. Follow-up is key!

e other interview questions youve enco

Explore Relevant Part-Time and

Summer Jobs

Students benefit when their jobs are on

campus.
Investigate if there exists a part-time
job in the department of your major.
Advanced planning will help you obtain
a summer job with a company related
to your field.
If you cant find a related job, you can
still demonstrate work-related skills
and a work ethic that will impress
prospective employers.

Get A Job--Activity 13.1

In your group, create a classified ad for the

job of college student.

For example, _______________________

College/University is seeking applicants with
excellent skills in oral and written
communication, problem solving, time
management, and technology for positions as
professional students preparing for a variety of
future opportunities

Ads should list particular job requirements,

benefits, information about your institution and
so on, and be transferred to a large sheet of
paper to present to the group.

Internet Career Journey

Activity 13.2
Research a potentially desirable career via the Internet. Your goal
should be to build a portfolio that includes:

a printout or description of a career field of interest from the

online Occupational Outlook Handbook

a description of ten things you have learned about yourself and

your career choices based on what you find

a projection of your lifestyle twenty years into the future,

including the career necessary to sustain that lifestyle, and
other career-related factors of interest such as preparation
required, necessary skills, additional training after college,
pros and cons, entry salary range, advancement opportunities,
personality characteristics of those in the career field, impact
on family life, etc.

Starting websites are shown on the next slide.

Internet Career Journey

Activity 13.2 --Web Resources
Occupational Outlook
Handbook
11_Careers_new.ppt
Career Resource Center
http://www.careers.org/
Job Hunt
http://www.job-hunt.org
The Catapult on Job Web
http://www.job-hunt.org/

The Riley Guide: Employment

Opportunities and Job
Resources on the Internet
www.rileyguide.com
Monster.com
http://www.monster.com/
Quintessential Careers
http://www.quintcareers.com/index
.html