tracking goals for a successful transition into the workplace

Transcription

1 Your Four Year Plan tracking goals for a successful transition into the workplace Creating a four year plan, measuring your progress and achieving your goals are an essential part of an education transitioning into a successful career path. The more effort you put into meeting your four year plan goals, the more on target you ll be to enter the career you desire after graduation. Stay in contact with the CPDC so we can continually help you make the most out of your plan. Remember, the CPDC is a free resource provided by Indiana Tech to help you be as successful as possible. Take advantage of our resources at every opportunity. This belongs to: (If found please return to the CPDC.)

2 freshman year increase self-awareness * 1. Attend the Career Planning & Development Center s (CPDC s) Fall Open House on the second Wednesday in September to learn all about the services offered to students and for a chance to win great prizes! * 2. Start meeting other students and building a network. Your friends today will be your network and colleagues tomorrow! * 3. Think about the things you do well and the types of things that challenge you. Think about the types of activities you enjoy and those you dread. Knowing yourself is critical to making good career decisions and will be time well spent. Complete the Personal Qualities Inventory. Work one-on-one with a Career Advisor for ideas on gaining experience and developing those soft skills employers are looking for in new employees. One of the great aspects of Indiana Tech is the personalized attention you ll receive. * 4. Earn the best grades possible. Investigate tutoring services. * 5. Ask other people in your life (e.g., family and friends) to help you identify your pertinent career-related traits you possess. Their insight can be valuable. * 6. Not sure of the right career for you? Take Career Liftoff, a career interest test for ideas. * 7. Test your interests through student activities by joining a club or student organization. For a list of clubs go to StudentOrganizations.aspx * 8. Get acquainted with your academic advisor to explore course options including minors tied to your interests and those that would make you more marketable to employers. If you are undeclared, meet some of the faculty who teach your general education classes and set up an appointment with the Director of the CPDC to discuss your game plan. * 9. Attend Major Investigations and Minor Matters to learn more about the opportunities offered here at Indiana Tech. * 10. Take Pre-Internship Seminar IIT 2000 in the spring to learn more about and prepare for internships to help get you off to the perfect start to our collegiate career. * 11. Create and/or update your resume. For a sample and to get started, visit the resources page on the CPDC website at * 12. Upload your resume on Warrior Jobs, Indiana Tech s online job posting system once it s been reviewed by a Career Advisor. Employers routinely go online to view student resumes as a recruiting tool. Don t miss out, upload your resume. * 13. Gain exposure to organizations work and the skills they require through community involvement. Think about a part-time job or volunteer experience as a way to gain this exposure and experience. These opportunities can also be found on Warrior Jobs at indianatech-csm.symplicity.com/students/index.php?cck=1&au=&ck= * 14. Target a part-time job, campus job or summer job that develops employability skills. For on campus and work study positions, go to StudentJobPostings.aspx. * 15. Become familiar with Indiana Intern, for information on internships throughout Indiana. * 16. Learn to manage your time. Even if you re the type who doesn t do a bit of studying until 20 minutes before an exam, you need to budget your time at college between classes, activities and socializing. If you spend all your time at the library, you won t appreciate college very much; but the same goes for the scenario in which you spend your whole college career hanging out with friends. Contact the Career Center for more information. * 17. It s not too early to start planning your professional dress wardrobe. Check sales racks, Good Will and resale shops for discounts and don t forget to wear your professional clothing often so you can get comfortable in professional clothing. * 18. Identify influential people who can help you. Keep track of contact information; you ll need a community network in the future. During the Summer * 1. Attend summer school, as needed. Talk with your advisor to see if this strategy works for you. * 2. Attend Live, Learn and Intern events sponsored by the Graduate Retention Committee for great summer fun with fellow interns here in Fort Wayne! * 3. What will you do this summer? A summer job, internship or volunteer experience is an excellent way to get a taste of the real world and learn to get along with people in a work environment. Start planning in late winter or early spring. The CPDC can help!

3 sophomore year explore career alternatives * 1. Review your freshman plan to make sure you re on track and have completed all items. * 2. Learn about your school s majors by reading the academic bulletin or going online to and talk to faculty in programs that sound interesting. Meet with a career advisor to learn about the types of careers various majors might lead to. * 3. Earn the best grades possible. Investigate tutoring services. * 4. Identify majors that relate to your abilities and interests and meet with faculty and/or CPDC staff to discuss ways to explore career paths in those areas. * 5. Talk to people who are working in careers that intrigue you. How did they prepare both academically and experientially for their jobs? What advice do they have for you? The CPDC can help with Informational Interviews. * 6. Get a part-time job or pursue a volunteer experience that somehow relates to a field that interests you. * 7. Utilize career libraries and occupational websites such as the O Net, org/ and Occupational Outlook Handbook, to obtain information about occupations. * 8. Hone your interview skills by practicing with a Mock Interview. Contact the Career Center for all your options and opportunities. * 9. Seek leadership positions in clubs, organizations, or student government. * 10. If you are undecided, think about majors that complement your general career goals and attend Major Investigations and Minor Matters in the fall. Visit the CPDC website at for calendar information. * 11. Continue to build a network of colleagues, faculty, and prospective employers. Maintain relationships with influential people. Update your contact information as needed. * 12. Update your resume and have it reviewed during Drop-In Hours. See our website for times. * 13. Take advantage of your elective courses. Targeted course electives and/or minors which will enhance your marketability to employers. Even if you know what you want to major in, most students end up changing their major sometime during their college careers. Learn new things and open yourself up to a whole new future. * 14. Discover or confirm a career direction by taking the Career Liftoff, MBTI or Strong assessments. * 15. Contact professional associations which provide current information about fields that interest you. Consider joining as a student member. * 16. Meet with the CPDC to discuss relevant employment and portfolio items to begin documenting your achievements and abilities. * 17. Budget, budget, budget don t just plan to! Keep track of where your money is going save receipts, balance your checkbook. Don t let poverty or debt sneak up on you! More and more employers are checking credit scores as a normal step in the hiring process. * 18. Check your professional dress wardrobe to make sure everything still fits and is in good condition. Continue shop sales racks, Good Will and resale stores for discounts. Wear your professional clothing often so you can get comfortable in professional clothing. * 19. Check your online presence and consider strategies for creating a positive presence on the web such as blogging, creating a website, etc. Don t let Facebook derail your career plans. During the Summer * 1. Attend summer school, as needed. * 2. Attend Live, Learn and Intern events sponsored by the Graduate Retention Committee for great summer fun with fellow interns here in Fort Wayne! * 3. Gain career-related experience through a summer internship. Contact the CPDC to learn more. * 4. Start thinking about where you d like to live and work after college. Use the summer to investigate cities of interest.

4 junior year gain professional skills and experience * 1. Review your freshman and sophomore plans to make sure you re on track and have completed all items. * 2. Update your resume and cover letter with a Career Advisor s help, and learn how to tailor each document to the specific needs of each posting and an employer. Don t forget to update your resume on Warrior Jobs! * 3. Select electives and/or minors from other academic areas to enhance qualifications and marketability with employers. * 4. Obtain an internship, or other relevent experience, in your field of study during your junior year. * 5. Start researching companies or organizations you may like to work for someday. Bookmark sites and visit their career/employment site often. * 6. Attend Indiana Tech s annual Career Fairs to get a sense of what opportunities are available to students in your degree program. * 7. Attend Career Fair Prep Sessions sponsored by the CPDC to help you prepare to make a great first impression with employers and to learn more about what you need to do to get ready. * 8. Attend Networking 101 to learn more about the importance of networking and to practice those important networking skills. Visit for the calendar. * 9. Our Etiquette Dinner is the perfect place to learn and practice those important skills needed when interviewing over a meal. Don t get caught with the wrong fork! Check the CPDC website at for calendar information and to register. * 10. Complete the Help Us Help You junior survey to help with senior programming this is your opportunity to tell us what programs and services you d like to see offered your senior year. * 11. Seek senior leadership positions in clubs and organizations to show employers your leadership skills. Employers seek out leaders. Evaluate your leadership, communication and people skills. Talk with a Career Advisor on strategies for improvement. * 12. Establish goals for summer internships that include focusing on areas in your chosen field. * 13. Secure informational interviews and job shadowing experiences with alumni and area employers. The CPDC can help point you in the right direction. * 14. Research graduate or professional schools and schedule admissions tests if you re considering graduate school as an option. * 15. Begin developing a list of references. Don t forget student organization advisors, faculty members and other university staff personnel in addition to work references. * 16. Develop and nurture mentor relationships with faculty and business leaders. Contact the CPDC and Alumni office for a list of local alumni and employers interested in mentoring students. * 17. Check your professional dress wardrobe to make sure everything still fits and is in good condition. Continue shop sales racks, Good Will and resale stores for discounts. Wear your professional clothing often so you can get comfortable in professional clothing. * 18. Reassess career goals and develop alternative career plans, as needed. Don t forget to discuss your options with a faculty member or a Career Advisor. * 19. Collect items for your career portfolio including projects from internships and in the classroom. * 20. Continue to build relationships with influential people to expand your network. Do something specific to build credibility with professors and high performing students. Find ways to help them achieve their own goals. * 21. Contact professional associations which provide current information about fields that interest you. Join as a student member and discover ways you can become involved. * 22. Budget, budget, budget don t just plan to! Keep track of where your money is going save receipts, balance your checkbook. Don t let poverty or debt sneak up on you! More and more employers are checking credit scores as a normal step in the hiring process. * 23. Check your online presence and consider strategies for creating a positive presence on the web such as blogging, creating a website, etc. Don t let Facebook derail your career plans. * 24. Be aware many employers now conduct drug screenings as a part of the employment process. During the Summer * 1. Attend summer school, as needed * 2. Attend Live, Learn and Intern events sponsored by the Graduate Retention Committee for great summer fun with fellow interns here in Fort Wayne! * 3. Gain career-related experience through a summer internship. Contact the CPDC to learn more. * 4. Take graduate school admissions test (GRE, MAT, MCAT, LSAT, PCAT, etc.)

5 senior year implement your job search * 1. Keep your grades up! Don t let senioritis undermine all your hard work up to now! Work with a Career Advisor for strategies on calculating your GPA to put your best foot forward. * 2. Meet with your advisor to finalize plans for graduation. Make sure you ve elected to receive any/all minors and/or endorsements. * 3. Finalize your resume. Your resume should emphasize your accomplishments and clearly differentiate you from other candidates. What makes you special? Once you re done, have your resume and cover letter critiqued by a Career Advisor in the CPDC and upload into Warrior Jobs for employers to review. * 4. Practice interviewing with a campus career counselor to become comfortable answering and asking employment-related questions. Hone your interview skills by practicing with Perfect Interview or during our Mock Interview Day. * 5. Secure informational interviews and job shadowing experiences with alumni and area employers. Talk with these professionals about opportunities and job search techniques particular to your field. The CPDC can help point you in the right direction. * 6. Research companies and organizations you ll be interviewing with. Prepare thoroughly for those interviews! Employers expect you to know about them, their services and the kinds of candidates that would make a good fit. * 7. Meet with the CPDC to design your personal job search strategy, another benefit of the personalized attention you receive at Indiana Tech. * 8. Complete your career portfolio with examples of projects and work completed in internships and in the classroom. * 9. Research prospective employers to target needs which match your skills and interests to their employment needs. * 10. Request and schedule interviews with employers conducting on-campus recruiting. * 11. The beginning of your senior year is a good time to invest in your professional dress wardrobe. Make sure you have outfits appropriate for the type of career you want and don t forget to wear your professional clothing often so you can get comfortable in professional clothing. Also research particular companies when interviewing and dress accordingly. * 12. Attend Indiana Tech s annual Career Fairs to talk with employers about the opportunities they have available to students in your degree program. Let them know you re close to graduation. * 13. Attend Career Fair Prep Sessions sponsored by the CPDC to help you prepare a great first impression with employers and to learn more about what you need to get ready. * 14. Consider printing personal business cards to distribute at Career Fair or at other networking opportunities. The CPDC can help! * 15. Continue getting experience through an internship. * 16. Check out the Career Center s calendar of events and for employer announcements. * 17. Use Warrior Jobs, company web sites, newspapers and your network of connections to find job openings in your area of interest. * 18. Sign up for free e-newsletters on line from folks like Monster, Vault.com, and Quintessential Careers; they have a wealth of information geared for college students ready to graduate. * 19. Consider attending professional association conventions and/or conferences relevant to your chosen career. Check with faculty for more information. * 20. Submit an application for graduate and professional schools in the fall of your senior year. Take admissions tests if you have not already done so. * 22. Maintain and strengthen relationships with advisors, faculty and mentors to establish a corps of references and recommendations. * 23. Interview, interview, interview... and tell the Career Center when you accept a position! * 24. Tap all of your networking sources for useful information and job leads. * 25. Keep organized and detailed records of your contacts utilizing the Job Search Record available from the Career Center. * 26. Start utilizing appropriate employment web sites. * 27. Seek references and recommendations from the most influential people in your network. * 28. Conduct a thorough and enthusiastic job search. Plan to contact at least 100 employers. * 29. Complete your Graduate Survey to tell us about your plans after graduation. * 30. Celebrate when you land your dream job; the real work begins now!

6 Contacts: Our offices are located on the second floor of Andorfer Commons in room 229, next to the business office. Parking is free and available in the lots adjacent to Andorfer Commons. The CPDC Mission The CPDC Mission is to prepare students and alumni for professional and personal success by providing advice, programs and activities related to self-assessment, career exploration and job search preparation. Services at No Cost Our focus is purely on the success of our students, the businesses they work with, and the communities they live in. That is why all of our services for students and employers are offered at no cost East Washington Blvd. Fort Wayne, IN x fax Office Hours Mon-Wed-Thur-Fri 8:30am to 5:00pm Tue 8:30am to 6:00pm Cindy Verduce Director x2200