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Career Exploration
Year by Year Plan: A Four Year Roadmap
This guide provides you with suggestions about how to make the most of
your four years here at St. Lawrence. Use this timetable as a set of recommended
guidelines for making informed career decisions for your future.
Review this timetable at least once a semester to make sure your career
puzzle is not missing any pieces. Also, realize that there are no magic
answers for making the pieces of that career puzzle fit together -
when you have questions, ask! Let Career Services
partner with you to find the resources you need to meet your goals. Make
an individual appointment with a professional staff member to discuss
your career related questions. Career Services
believes each student has a unique set of career goals and considerations.
1. First Year
Goals
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Become aware of your interests, abilities, goals
and values
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Become involved in your community
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Learn about interesting careers
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Take a variety of courses
Action Steps
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Locate Career Services (Main floor of Student Center) and have an orientation to our services.
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Explore your interests with a computer
assisted career guidance program or an interest inventory.
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Attend workshops and events that interest you.
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Consider pursuing an internship or participating
in the Shadow A Saint program to explore options and begin building
your credentials.
-
If you need help choosing a major, speak with a counselor
or your academic advisor.
-
Complete your profile on Career SLUth and familiarize
yourself with all the other benefits of this great online tool!
-
Consider becoming involved with the Career Services office as
a Peer Advisor.
2. Sophomore
Goals
-
Learn about career options through exploration
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Build your credentials through campus activities,
employment, and learning experiences
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Increase knowledge of your interests, skills, abilities
and values
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Declare a major
Action Steps
- Consider pursuing an internship. Leave yourself plenty
of time for the research and application processes - October
is not too early to start looking for summer internships!
-
If you need help choosing a major, speak with a counselor
or your academic advisor for suggestions.
- If you haven't already done so, explore your
interests with a computer assisted career guidance program.
Also consider taking an interest inventory, or the SkillScan assessment.
- Create your resume. It's never too early to
start, and everyone has something to offer.
-
Talk with at least 2 professors about your career
plan (networking!)
-
Attend the Graduate and Professional School Day Fair
(offered every other year) and collect initial information.
- Update your Career SLUth profile and keep using it
to search for internships, find out what's going on in the Career Services
office, and more.
-
Use the Alumni Career Advisor Network or participate
in the Shadow A Saint program. This is a great way to talk with other
Larries who had your major, or work in a field that interests you.
-
Consider becoming involved with the Career Services office as
a Peer Advisor.
3. Junior
Goals
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Gain practical experience in your field of choice
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Begin researching graduate school possibilities
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Develop basic job search skills
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Explore selected career options in depth
-
Complete a professional resume
Action Steps
-
Hold at least 4 informational interviews with anyone
employed in careers you are interested in (expand your network!)
- Consider pursuing an internship. Leave yourself plenty
of time for the research and application processes - September
is not too early to start looking for January internships!
-
If you are considering graduate school, visit the
Career Library in the Career Services office for information on programs, financial
aid, and entrance exams.
-
Attend a Professional Panel to learn from current
professionals in your field (more networking!)
-
Update your resume and have it critiqued by a staff
membe.r.
- Consult with your advisor and the Registrar's
office to make sure you're on track for graduation.
- Update your Career SLUth profile and keep using it
to search for alumni mentors, find internships, and stay informed
of what's going on in the Career Services office.
-
Consider using the Alumni Career Advisor Network
or participating in the Shadow A Saint program. This is a great way
to talk with other Larries who had your major or work in a field you
are interested in.
-
Have a mock interview. Practice your technique and
enhance your communication skills.
4. Senior
Goals
-
Learn and implement a variety of networking and job
search strategies
-
Develop a concrete job search plan using on- and
off-campus resources
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Explore graduate school options including entrance
exams and financial aid resources
-
Continue to explore your chosen career field in depth
-
Prepare for your transition from St. Lawrence
Action Steps
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Have your Senior Appointment in September.
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Schedule a mock interview to fine-tune your interview
skills and develop solid answers.
- If you're considering graduate school, be sure
to gather the necessary application materials to register for (and
then take) the required entrance exams.
- Use the Alumni Career Advisor Network to help you
learn more about your chosen industry or career path - keep
that network alive and well!
- Update your Career SLUth profile and keep using it
to search for alumni mentors, find internships, and stay informed
of what's going on in the Career Services office.
- Consider pursuing a January internship. Leave yourself
plenty of time for the research and application processes -
September is not too early to start looking for winter internships!
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Have your resume(s) and cover letter(s) reviewed
by a peer advisor or professional staff member.
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Take advantage of career workshops, panel discussions,
networking events like the Senior Dinner, the Professional Etiquette
Dinner, and the programs in the Senior Transitions Series.
- Actively participate in the Recruiting Program. Don't
miss important deadlines for on-campus interviews and off-campus Resume
Referrals. Don't miss that dream job!
- Gather letters of reference from professors and supervisors.
Never assume they will be ready when you need them - leave yourself
plenty of time before application deadlines arrive and/or before graduation.
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Apply for the Eastern College Career Day programs
in Boston and New York City. This is a great opportunity to potentially
interview with many companies in one day.
Understanding
Your Interests, Talents and Values
Self assessment is an exploration of your interests, skills, values, experience,
and goals. Learning more about yourself is the first step in the career
development process. Here are some ways self assessment can be helpful:
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Knowing the relationships between your strengths,
weaknesses, interests, and values can help you identify corresponding
majors and careers you might enjoy.
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You will be able to identify areas that need improvement,
such as time management or oral communication, and decide how to develop
your skills in those areas.
- If you have already chosen a career direction, self
assessment can confirm that you've chosen the right path and
build your confidence.
Career Services offers several
resources that can help guide you through the self assessment process.
Call our office any time to make an individual appointment with a professional
staff member, who can help you determine what types of self assessment
tools will be most helpful for you at that time. Here are the assessments
our office uses most often:
Self Directed Search - The SDS is a comprehensive inventory
that explores your interests, competencies, and attitudes about occupations.
It is easy to use and self-scoring. After completing the SDS, you should
speak with a counselor to discuss your summary code and further applications.
You can explore college majors and occupations that are related to your
summary code.
Campbell Skills and Interest Inventory - This
assessment compares your interests to those of people already employed in
various fields. It takes about 45-60 minutes to complete. We recommend that
you speak with a counselor before and after taking the CSII, to better understand
the outcome.
Do
What You Are - Do What You Are is a unique and powerful
web-based career and college guidance solution. Secure and easy to use,
it will provide your students with a wealth of information about themselves
and it will provide you with a tool to help you be more effective and more
productive.
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator - The MBTI can reveal
your basic preferences in making decisions, learning, and other everyday
tasks. Knowing your "type" will help you choose a career and
select work environments that enhance your strengths while developing your
weaknesses. A follow-up appointment with a counselor is required to understand
you're your type and relation to other types.
SkillScan - With SkillScan, you systematically sort
a deck of "skill cards" to identify and organize your skills.
This will help you distinguish appropriate career options, as well as market
your skills to employers. SkillScan must be taken with a counselor, but
is easy to use and typically takes less than an hour to complete.
Assessment isn't meant to pigeonhole you; it's
just a way to learn more about yourself. It can help give you some direction
and reveal some options that you may not have already considered or even
known about. And remember that self assessment is not a one-time event;
it is a continual process. Your interests and skills will change over time,
so check in with yourself periodically!
C. What
Can I Do With a Major In...
Are you interested in learning more about the marketable skills
and career options that different majors offer? Or do you have a particular
career interest, but aren't sure which majors will help you get there?
If so, the links below can help you learn more about academic majors and
their potential career opportunities:
The Career
Profile Search allows you to search by major for a list of potential
jobs, OR pick a job and see what majors might fit that career. These lists
aren't exhaustive, but can help give you some ideas about what to
do with your degree.
The Major
To Career Converter will provide a comprehensive list of suggested
careers for your major, and allow you to start searching for jobs
in those fields with the Monster.com job database.
- Industry Exploration
Once you have some ideas about what careers you might want to pursue,
do some more research on those occupations! A lot of your time, energy,
and finances will be devoted to your career over the next several years
- get lots of good information now to help you better plan and make
decisions about the future
Spotlight
on Careers links you to sites in several career fields. Each
site linked to Spotlight on Careers tells you what it's like
to work in that field, and information on how to get there. Information
on graduate programs, internships, and job search links are also
main features on these sites. If you are off campus please contact Career Services either by e-mail or phone, 315-229-5906, for access information.
The Occupational Outlook
Handbook describes what workers do on the job, working conditions, the
education and training required, earnings, and expected job propects for
a wide variety of occupations.
Jobweb.com is a good place
to search for employer information and research the job markets for different
occupations. There is also a library of articles if you're looking
for information on a particular topic.
Wetfeet.com
is another great choice for students looking for profiles of careers and
industries, plus articles and lots of other helpful resources.
- Shadow-A-Saint
The St. Lawrence University Shadow-A-Saint program was initiated
to offer students the chance to spend a day with an alumnus/a
in his or her place of employment. Students can apply to be matched
with one of over 125 alumni sponsors! This is a great opportunity
to get an inside look at a career choice, and make valuable networking
contacts.
Shadow programs typically take place over January
and/or Spring Break. For deadlines and workshop times, check our
calendar. To view the most recent catalog of alumni sponsors and
apply online to Shadow-A-Saint, click here.
Have questions? Call our office at 315.229.5906.
If you are an alumnus who would like to volunteer
as a "Saint", please click here
and complete the electronic on-line registration form.
- Career Mentor Network
The Career Mentor Network can be found in Career SLUth. Every St. Lawrence student is given a username and password for Career SLUth, which is also an on-line recruiting system. Career SLUth can be used to find and apply for jobs and internships, sign up for on-campus interviews and events, and access over 3,000 SLU alumni and parents in the SLU Career Mentor Network.
It is important to keep an up-to-date profile in the system in order to receive targeted emails based on your interests. The system can be accessed 24 hours a day, seven days a week from any computer with internet access.
Log in now!! Your username is your SLU email before the @ sign, and your password is your 4 digit CMR
- Career Library
Did you know that Career Services has a library
of over 1,500 titles on topics ranging from accounting to zoology? These
books are accessible to you anytime the office is open. Some of the materials
available include:
Industry information Guidebooks on resumes, cover letters,
interviewing, and professional etiquette Internship and summer job
directories Graduate school guides, test prep materials, and financial
aid information Newsletters and job listings for a variety of special
interests Geographic directories International internship and career
guides Catalogs and videos for volunteer programs (i.e. Peace Corps)
No materials are to leave the Career Library, with the exception of those
already duplicated for students.
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