Career Exploration is…
- Learning about yourself and the world of work.
- Identifying and exploring potentially satisfying occupations that are in alignment with who you are.
- Developing an effective strategy to realize your goals.
Worksheet & Resources:
Use the “Professional Development Action Plan worksheet” in the “Career Resources” below as well as the pages under the “Explore Career Interests” tab on the menu bar above to help you explore career options.
1. Self Assessment
Learn about yourself in relation to the world of work
- Values: www.careerexplorer.com/career-test/
- Interests: O*Net Online Interest Profiler – click on the blue “Take the Web-based Interest Profiler now” button to take the assessment
- Personality Traits: 16personalities.com Personality Assessment
- Strengths/Skills: Strengths Finder
Talk About It!
Career advisers are skilled in helping you make connections between what you know about yourself and career paths to explore.
2. Exploration
Research, and explore potentially satisfying occupations that are in alignment with who you are.
Top Jobs List: Create a Top Jobs list, using the template in Career Resources, guided by what you learned in Step One.
Questions to Consider
- Why are you selecting these jobs and how do they connect to what you know about yourself?
- What are some curiosity questions you would like to ask someone who works in these roles?
- Are there skills these roles require that you need to develop?
Worksheet & Resources Below:
3. Experience
Take what you’ve learned about yourself and potential occupations and test out your interests by getting involved! Getting involved will help you form connections and meaningful relationships with peers and professionals in your field of interest.
Get Involved & Gain Experience
Clubs
- Provide opportunities to bring people with similar interests together
- Give you an opportunity to interact with and learn from peers and professionals
- Allow you to apply lessons learned from various courses in a hands-on setting
Volunteer/Intern
- Acquire new skills and gain in-depth knowledge in specific organizations and industries
- Showcase engagement in the professional working world
- Expand professional networks
4. Reflection
Take time to reflect on what you’ve learned, how you’ve grown, and what that means for you and your place in the world of work.
Reflect on what your experiences have taught you about yourself in regards to your Values, Interests, Personality, and Strengths (VIPS).
- What aspects of the experience confirmed your VIPS?
- What aspects of the experience challenged your VIPS?
- Incorporate acquired experiences in your resume, cover letter, LinkedIn, etc.
