Develop a Career Success Plan
Career development is a life-long journey, and your college education is an important centerpiece of that journey. Throughout your work life, your academic background and life experiences are keys that can open new doors, re-direct your route, and allow you to change your career direction completely.
Ways to take charge of your own career management:
- Update and polish your resume on a regular basis. Continue to add experiences as they occur.
- Develop and maintain a professional portfolio. Document your work and your accomplishments annually.
- Update your skills and professional knowledge. Attend professional seminars and conferences related to your career field.
- Stay current with the latest trends and issues. Read professional journals, magazines, and newspapers relevant to your profession.
- Expand your network. Join professional, community, and college networks and associations. Seek out leadership positions as appropriate.
- Review your career goals regularly and set goals to meet them.
If you’re thinking of a career change:
- Begin with an assessment of your style, skills, personal qualities, interests, development needs, desired career pattern, goals and barriers to gain a clear understanding of yourself in relation to your work life. Obtain input from significant others.
- Investigate the environment around you and discover the potential opportunities for change and growth. Start with your current job, your department, division, and company for possible ways to expand or change your situation. Then begin exploring opportunities in other organizations and industries through research and networking.
- Match your self assessment with the opportunities you uncover. Where can you make the greatest contribution consistent with your own vision and the needs and challenges of the various environments you find?
- Plan your career development in an organized and energetic way that produces results. Set specific goals, and plan action steps and schedules. Identify barriers to overcome and establish a support system.
- Continually evaluate and revise your plan. Never be without a goal. Remember, in your career journey there will always be a next step!
Use the Center for Career Planning to:
- Take some career interest and personality inventories to help you discover how your personal traits relate to various career fields.
- Complete Focus 2, the web-based career guidance program that helps you explore career options that are suggested from a database of over 1,300 career titles based on your interests, skills and work values. You will need a login and password.
- Check out the books, directories and other written resources and Internet sources in the Career Library that will help you increase your knowledge of various career options.
- Critique your resume, cover letter and other job search documents to make sure your written job search tools are up-to-date and as effective as possible.
- Seek out advice about graduate or professional school programs.
- Help you develop a job search strategy based on your particular needs.
- Learn about career opportunities at After Hours events, the Cardinal Network Luncheon (link to Cardinal Career Network under Alumni), MBA Executive Speakers Series, and corporate luncheons.