Becoming Career Ready
The Career Development Center employs an innovative, industry-focused approach to assist students in identifying and achieving their career goals. Our dedicated assistance, courses, and workshops are designed to aid you in choosing a major, preparing for the workplace or graduate school, and establishing a concrete plan to launch a successful and fulfilling professional life.
Employers are looking for students who are career ready! In response to this demand, we have established the “4-Year Career Readiness Program.” This program is a holistic and comprehensive career road map that serves as a guide for preparing marketable graduates and outlines steps for each year of your college journey, facilitating your development into a qualified and competitive candidate upon graduation.
The program follows a chronological order for each year of study, starting with “Awareness” for freshmen, “Navigation” for sophomores, and “Immersion” for juniors & seniors.
In the first year, the focus is on becoming aware of yourself and the resources available to you. This stage is designed to help you explore your strengths, limitations, and the opportunities that exist, both on campus and in the professional world. Engaging in self-awareness and career awareness activities will provide a solid foundation for future career development.
This stage also helps freshmen students adapt to university life and guides them to engage in various activities.
Activities in the Awareness stage include:
- Career Awareness Workshops
- Self-Assessment Tools
- Career Resource Orientations
- Participation in Career Events
- Volunteer and Campus Involvement (CDC Project Groups, RSOs, volunteer works, etc.)
During the second year, the key objective is to discover areas of personal interest through diverse activities. While it's not necessary to focus on job-specific roles just yet, it's important to engage in activities that align with what you enjoy and find interesting. This exploration will help narrow down potential career paths later.
Activities in the Navigation stage include:
- Career Navigation Workshops
- Job Shadowing in Areas of Interest
- Project-Based Learning
- Mentorship Programs
- Experiential Learning
- Individual Resume Clinics
By the third and fourth year, after identifying your areas of interest, it’s crucial to gain direct experience in those fields. This step involves actively participating in professional development and gaining exposure to real-world recruitment processes, which will prepare you for entering the workforce in your chosen area.
Activities in the Immersion stage include:
- Intensive Career Workshops
- Internships for Academic Credits
- Career Boot Camps
- SOP Writing Workshops for Graduate Programs
- Resume Clinic (Intensive Course)
- Mock Interviews
- Internships
- Professional Networking Events