Two Years to Graduation or Transfer

November is National Career Month!
This month Career Services is celebrating YOUR career dreams through National Career Month. The following is an overview of topics we feel are most important for you to prepare yourself to enter the work force. The article was found at http://www.jobweb.com/.



Two Years to Graduation or Transfer

You're planning to graduate with an associate's degree and find your spot in the work force—or you want to transfer to a four-year college at the end of two years. There are things you should do each semester to make it easier to reach your goals.

Here's a timeline to guide your progress:


Things everyone should do at the beginning of each semester:

• Make an appointment with a career services advisor to review your status in the career development process.

• Find the career center's webpage for career development and check out upcoming events.

• Update your resume. Have it critiqued and proofread by someone in the career services office.

• Check your career center's web site for an online job board or see if your career center keeps a notebook of job opportunities.

• Subscribe to and read professional journals in your field(s) of interest.

• Join the student version of professional associations and become an active member. This will help you build a network of colleagues in your field and give you valuable contacts for summer jobs, clinical rotations, and full-time jobs.

Year one: Ask questions. Explore. Research. Test your interests.

• Locate the career center on your campus as early as possible in your first year. You can find its location by going to your school's web site or by asking your adviser.

• Call the career center and make an appointment to talk to an advisor. If you've decided on a direction, the advisor can help you map out a strategy for reaching your goal. If you're undecided about what to major in or where you might want to be in two years, you can take assessment tests, including interest and career inventory tests to give you a direction to explore.

• Are you enjoying a specific class and think it might be the right field for you? Talk to faculty and professors about possible careers.

• Join at least one professional or honorary organization in your program of study to begin to build a valuable network. Even if you plan to transfer to a four-year college to continue your education, it's never too early to start building professional bridges.

• Scan Job Choices magazines (available in the Shelton State’s Career Center), the Occupational Outlook Handbook, and computer or web-based resources for clues to a future career. Your career center probably has an extensive library of career-search books, software, and web sites to explore.

• Attend on- and off-campus career and job fairs to get a look at potential careers and employers in fields that interest you.

• Find a part-time or summer job in your field of interest.

• If you're planning to transfer to a four-year school, research schools that specialize in your program of study. The career services office often has information on potential places to go.

Year Two: Time for your job search or to transfer to a university.

If you're planning a job search:

• Update your resume and take it to a career services advisor to have it critiqued.

• Ask your career center for a checklist of specific activities to follow to organize your job search. This will ensure you don't miss essential steps in the job-search process, or resources to help you locate employment options.

• Check your career center's web site information about mock interviews.

• When preparing for your interviews, pay particular attention to the top skills employers seek and the top skills candidates lack.

• Take leadership positions in student chapters of professional associations.

• Draft a cover letter that you can adapt for a variety of employers and get your letter critiqued.

• Follow-up on all job applications and keep a record of the status of each.

• Build a professional wardrobe.

• Make sure you research salary scales for your occupation, to include the geographic region where the job is located. Ask your career center for resources and assistance.

• Evaluate job offers and accept one. Ask your career center for help with job offer assessment and salary negotiation techniques.

• Report job offers and your acceptance to the career services office.

If you're planning to transfer:

• Update your resume and take it to a career services advisor to have it critiqued. You'll need an updated resume to find next summer's job in your field—and you'll need it when you check in with the career center at your transfer school.

o Attend on- and off-campus career and job fairs to get a look at potential careers and employers in fields that interest you.

o Find a part-time or summer job in your field of interest.

o Read at least one book on career planning recommended by career services staff.

o Explore at least three career options available to you through your program of study.

o Research various occupations in Job Choices and the Occupational Outlook Handbook and computer or web-based resources for clues to a future career.

o Identify organizations and associations in your interest areas for shadowing opportunities and informational interviews.

o Join at least one professional or honorary organization related to your program of study in order to contact with people in the professional world.

o Work toward one leadership position in a student/professional club or association.

o Begin to collect recommendations from previous and current employers.

o Put together an interview outfit.

o Complete applications for transfer to a four-year college or university.

o Find the career services office on your new campus.

Reference: http://www.jobweb.org/studentarticles.aspx?id=706