Career Planning

Career-planning

Developing your career plan

1

Explore
Look inward. Know yourself. Interests, strengths, skills, and values.

2

Determine your interests
Activities about which you are passionate. What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

3

Recognize your aptitudes
The skills you have and those you want to develop. What do you do well?

4

Evaluate your work experience & education
Acquired knowledge that will help you advance toward your desired career paths. What are your accomplishments?

5

Recognize your personal qualities
Triats that makes you a strong candidate. What unique characteristics define you?

6

Select potential career areas.
Areas of career interest for further research and exploration. What career fields do you gravitate towards?

The assessment helps you to identify your top 5 Talent Themes which point to talents that naturally exist within you and enable you to do certain things better than others.

 

When developed, talents are:

  1. Behavior patterns that make you effective.
  2. Thought patterns that make you efficient.
  3. Beliefs that empower you to succeed.
  4. Attitudes that sustain your efforts toward achievement and excellence.
  5. Motivations that propel you to take action and maintain the energy needed to achieve.

Strengths are developed from our natural talents when combined with acquired skills, lessons or facts learned, and intentional effort. Remember, all themes are positive and can be applied productively in a wide variety of careers. For example, a talent in Communication could be applied to roles in business, education, nutrition, government, theater, public health, and other fields.

Talent + Skills + Knowledge + Effort = Strength

My top 5 talent themes:

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Majors I’m considering now...

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5.

Careers I’m considering now...

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Self-Assessment

To make career decisions, we first have to know about ourselves- our strengths, interests, values, and skills. We can then take this knowledge and explore possible career fields and occupations. With our self-knowledge, we are better able to evaluate whether or not a particular career would be satisfying. Use this self-assessment to start reflecting on your talents, interests, and values. 

What I do best

Read through the following list of activities and identify five statements that would best describe tasks or activities you would like to spend most of your time doing in a job or career.

My interests

Think about what you enjoy doing and things you like to learn about. Choose five interests that you enjoy most.

What I want most

Rank the top five career values that best describe the qualities you would most like to find in the place you choose to work.
Write your top talents, interests, and values below. Brainstorm! In what types of roles or work environments could these connect? Meet with a career counselor, academic or faculty adviser, or a strengths coach to discuss options.
My top 5 talent themes:

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5.

My interests:

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5.

What I want most:

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How have you prepared?

Technology
How have you built this skill?
Leadership
How have you built this skill?
Critical thinking
How have you built this skill?
Communication
How have you built this skill?
Career Management
How have you built this skill?
Global Fluency
How have you built this skill?
Professionalism
How have you built this skill?
Collaboration
How have you built this skill?

Beginning your job search

Begin with self-awareness

  • What are your interests, strengths, skills, and values?
  • What are your personal and professional goals?
  • Where would you like to live? What are your preferred geographic locations? 

Explore career & job information

  • Explore resources like O*Net, BLS, and Chamber of Commerce websites to research organizations and job titles.
  • Read job descriptions and evaluate career fields/industries/employers.
  • Conduct informational interviews.
  • Think about personal qualities and skills required for jobs of interest. Where might your natural talents fit into different occupations? 

Develop job search skills and get started

  • Set specific and tangible goals and create a job search plan. Get organized!
  • Create strong resumes and cover letters, and hone your interview skills.
  • Build and use your network.
    Complete your profile on Handshake. 
  • Identify a variety of job search resources and learn to use them effectively.
  • Apply to positions of interest and follow up. Tailor your resume and communication accordingly.
  • Send thank you notes after each employer/professional interaction.
  • Be persistent and recognize that the job search takes time. Plan accordingly! 

The power of networking

A successful job search entails using a variety of strategies, and an important component of the search is building strong relationships through networking! We know that 80-90% of jobs are found via referrals and networking, so it’s essential to start creating professional contacts early in your college career. When embarking on the job search, experts suggest that 60% of your time should be spent meeting and connecting with professionals, 30% of your time spent researching opportunities, and 10% sending resumes to contacts.

80-90%

of jobs are found via referrals and networking

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