ARTICULATION OF the STEPS OF MY CAREER

Career Myths
Stage One
C. Competencies: & EXPLORATIO
N
Stage Two

CAREER CHOICE: (Evaluate)

Interests ESTABLISHMEN
Skills
Personality T
Values

MID & LATE

CAREER
Career Action Plan

DECLIN
E

CONCEPT OF CAREER

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The dictionary meaning of term career:
is ‘advancement in life specially advancement in profession.’

From the point of view of career planning & development:

“the pattern of work related experiences that span the course of person’s life.”

“Career may also be defined as position occupied by a person during the course of his life time.”

Personality Assessment
– The following are Personality Descriptions:

• Realistic:
• JOBS:
• Prefers physical • Mechanic, drill press operator,
activities that require skill, assembly-line worker, farmer
strength, and coordination.
Shy, genuine, persistent, stable,
conforming, practical.

• Investigative: • JOBS
• • Biologist, economist,
• Prefers activities mathematician, news reporter
that involve thinking,
organizing, and understanding .
• Analytical, original, curious,
independent
•

• Social: Prefers activities that

involve helping and • JOBS
developing others. • Social workers, teacher,
• Sociable, friendly, cooperative, counselor, clinical psychologist
understanding

• Conventional:
• Prefers rule- • Job
regulated, orderly, and
unambiguous activities. • Accountant, corporate
• Conforming, efficient, practical, manager, bank teller, file clerk
unimaginative, inflexible

Career Planning Process

2
 My needs
&
Aspirations

My Strength Placement Review of

& on Career
plan

Organizational
needs

I. Career myths

• I must be absolutely certain before I act.

• Once I decide on a career area, I will be locked into that field the rest of my life.

• There is one career cut out for me… if only I can find it.

• My career must fill all my needs.

• It is best to specialize if you want a job…. People with liberal arts majors don’t get jobs.

• Somewhere there is a test or an expert that can tell me what to do for the rest of my life.

• I had better look at job outlook statistics in order to choose a field that is for me.

• I must have a job by the time I graduate.

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II. CAREER COMPETENCIES: Stage One

First year = Awareness

Sophomore year = Exploration

Step One Assess where I am in the major and/or career decision-making process.

o Have you chosen a major?

o Can you identify your interest areas?
o Do you know about career options within your major?

Step Two Identify short-term (1 year) goals.

o Do you need to talk to faculty, academic advisors, or fellow students about

majors and/or classes?
o Who can you talk to about career options?
o Where do you get help to identify your interest areas?

Step Three Get involved on campus.

o Have you identified at least two activities or organizations to join?

o Can you take on a leadership position? What would you do?
o What kinds of on-campus work-study jobs would develop helpful career
skills?

Step Four Pay attention to your off-campus activities.

o Where could you volunteer for community service? Who would you like
to help?
o What part-time and summer jobs are you choosing?
o Are you developing skills helpful to your future work life?

Step Five Begin networking for career advice NOW.

o Can you write down names of five individuals that would talk to you
about their careers? (family, friends, U of M alumni)
o Can you schedule some of those conversations over the next six months?
WHEN?
III. CAREER COMPETENCIES: Stage Two

Junior year = Experience

Senior year = Action

Step One: Narrow your list of career options.

o How do your personal characteristics fit with the needs of professions?

o What kinds of things are you really good at?
o What kinds of work settings turn you OFF?

Step Two: Identify a summer internship that would expose you to a career of interest.

o Have you talked with fellow students about their internship experiences?
o Do you know what resources your career services office has for you?
o Have you asked everyone you know for leads?

Step Three: Identify transferable, marketable skills.

o Can you name five skills or qualities that describe you?

o Can you cite an example of a time when you demonstrated each of those
skills?
o Do you know if these skills are valued within the occupations you are
considering?

Step Four: Write a resume.

o Have you made a list of all your activities, jobs, service, and honors?
o Have you decided what style of resume you need?
o Do you know where to get help writing a resume?

Step Five: Practice interviewing.

o Do you know how to prepare for a job or internship interview?

o Have you conducted a mock interview yet?

Step Six: Learn job/internship search strategies.

o Do you where to begin looking for internship/job opportunities?

o Do you know what “networking” is?
o Have you met with a career counselor to map out your personal strategy?
IV. CAREER CHOICE: FOUR BUILDING BLOCKS
When anyone begins to ponder the question, “What kind of work will be most fulfilling for
me?” they should take stock of their Interests, Skills, Personality, and Values.

Interests
What kinds of things interest you?

This is important to think about because you don’t want to spend

40+ hours/week working in a job with people or with things that are NOT interesting to you!
Note: these interests WILL change over time, as you grow and change.

There are also many books on career planning in the resource library in 12 McNeal Hall.

Below are some questions about your past you may ask yourself to look for patterns of
interest or clues as to what kinds of things best hold your attention.
1. What kind of people do you like to hang out with?
2. What kinds of activities do you enjoy doing with friends?
3. If you had three hours all to yourself, with no obligations, what would you most enjoy
doing?
4. What family activities have you enjoyed the most?
5. What kinds of games are most fun to you?
6. What kinds of extra-curricular activities have you enjoyed?
7. What have you been doing when you lose all track of time?
8. What magazines catch your eye? Which part of the newspaper?
9. What projects or chores do you attack with energy? On which do you procrastinate?
10. What have you done that made you really proud of yourself?

Prioritize the top five activities you most enjoy(ed). What types of occupations offer similar
activities
or people or ways to use your brain?
Skills
Where do your greatest abilities lie?
This is important to identify because
a) it would be stressful to work every day at a job that was difficult and
b) potential employers are going to ask you this question. Note: as you take on new challenges
and have new experiences, you will determine which skills you
ENJOY using and which you don’t. You will constantly be perfecting existing skills and
developing new ones.

Skills worksheets are available from career counselors and online at www.iseek.orgwithin the
Career
Planning section of the web site.

**************************************************************************
Below are common and desirable skills. Put a (+) next to those you are good at, and a (–) next
to those
you need to develop, put a (?) next to those you have not had much experience with. Which
skills do you think are most important in the career field(s) that capture your interest?

Communication Management Problem-Solving

Writing Adaptability Meeting Deadlines
Interpersonal Quick Learning
Presenting/Public Initiative/Motivation Thinking on one’s
Speaking feet Persistent
Teaching/Training
Negotiating Research/Investigation
Sellin Researching Observing Critical
g Thinking Analyzing Data
Persu Evaluating Budgeting
ading
Liste
ning
Creating New Ideas
Visual Imagination

Management
Delegating
Planning
Attention to Detail
Organizing
Administering/Coordin
ating Decision-making
Leading
Supervising/Motivating
Others
Time
Special Skills
Computer –
Information
Technology
Foreign Language
Artistic
Construction or
Assembly
Mechanical

Other
 Personality
What kind of person are you? Shy or Outgoing? Quick decision-maker or extended ponderer?
Always
late or meticulously punctual? Remember details well or see the Big Picture? This is important
to think about because you don’t want to find yourself in a career field or work environment that
does not allow you to be you, or in one that contradicts your natural inclinations. Note: generally
speaking, we are born with personality style preferences, but these are shaped by our
environments and life experiences. Some
aspects may shift with age.

If you would like to take the MBTI (Meyers-Briggs Type Indicator), make an appointment to see
a career counselor and have those results interpreted.

Values
What is most important to you, in your work and in your life? This is the most essential
question you
must answer in order to bring about fulfillment and alignment of your career with your personal
life.

If you would like to take a Values Card Sort Inventory, make an appointment to see a career
counselor.

Work Values Life Values

Job-related rewards and qualities of What do you cherish? What lends
utmost importance to you. meaning to your life?
Number from 1 to 5 those work values Number from 1 to 7 those life values
currently most important to you. currently most important to you.

money
independence / autonomy
leadership
relationships
achievement What are the similarities and differences between
variety the two lists?
power How do work values relate to life values?
service Is one more important than the other?
job security
recognition Why did you choose the values you did?
advancement How are they different from five years ago?
personal growth How might they be different five years into the
self-expression future?
physical health
emotional well-being
meaningful relationships
meaningful work
affection
recognition
security
achievement
satisfaction
personal growth and development
personal freedom
pleasure
wisdom
self-growth
family
authenticity
social justice
equality
improving society
community
connection to others
world at peace
V. Career Action Plan
Vision of the future - “In the future I hope my life will include.....”
Your most pressing career issue in the next 1-3

years is: Intermediate career goals (1-12

months):

Goal #1
Action Steps Target
Date
a.
b.
c.
d.

Goal #2
Action Steps Target
Date
a.
b.
c.
d.

Goal #3
Action Steps Target
Date
a.
b.
c.
d.

Goal #4
Action Steps Target
Date
a.
b.
c.
d.

Goal #5
Action Steps Target
Date
a.
b.
c.
d.