Career Exploration and Assessment
EXPLORATION
Career Services offers on-line information resources designed to assist you in:
- Exploring career options and choosing careers to target in your job search
- Assisting you in composing your job descriptions for your resume
- Preparing for a job interview – learn what the job requires so you can discuss how your skills fit!
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UTILIZE THE CAREER FIT ASSESSMENT CHART TO ASSESS YOUR "FIT" WITH A PARTICULAR CAREER BASED ON YOUR STRENGTHS AND CHALLENGES. |
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Informational Interviewing is a great way to learn, first-hand, what a career is all about! |
SIGI 3 - Provides information for those just beginning a job search, or making a job or career change. In SIGI 3, you can access the following sections most relevant to your career exploration and job search needs:
- Assessments - Use this exercise to better understand your work values, interests, and activities.
- Occupational Information - View list of career options by: Job Title, College Major, or by Factor Search (i.e., by selecting the following criteria: your Values, Interest Fields, Commitment to Education, and Things to Avoid). Research information on over 250 careers, including job descriptions, education/training/skills required, qualifications, advancement opportunities, salary, job outlook, etc.
- Analysis – Try the Skills Check exercise. It lets you select a Job Title, then assess whether you possess the skills needed for that particular job.
Occupational Outlook Handbook - This US Department of Labor resource describes the tasks involved on the job, working conditions, the training and education required, salary, and expected job prospects for a wide range of occupations. Additionally, this resource allows you to search occupations tailored to your own career needs – you can search by a specific job title, categories of occupations, or you can view an alphabetical listing of all occupations.
ONET - A career information resource developed for the US Department of Labor which provides occupational information utilizing various approaches, and allows you to conduct a skills search whereby you select the skills you already have or plan to acquire, and matches those skills with careers requiring them. This section defines each skill, which can be extremely useful information for developing the content of your resume/cover letter.
What Can I Do With This Major? - Use this resource to determine which careers are related to your major or your field of interest. For each major/field, an Information link takes you to common career areas, typical employers and strategies for seeking employment in that field. Links are also available for each major/field, and take you to websites with more information.
ASSESSMENT
Career Services offers career assessments to assist you in:
- Exploring career options and choosing careers to target in your job search
- Highlighting your skills and personality characteristics on your resume
- Preparing for a job interview – see if you have what the job requires!
The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) can assist you in understanding contributions of your particular “type” to the work organization, your communication, leadership, and team work styles, and can assist you in choosing the best career “fit” within your field(s) of interest.
The COPS Interest Inventory can assist you in clarifying fields of interest you may want to consider in your job search.
Based upon your Myers-Briggs Type and your COPS Interest Inventory results, you will receive a list of career options which you can then research on the online resources described above (SIGI3, OOH, O*NET)!
If you are interested in taking one or both of these assessments, schedule an appointment with one of our career counseling staff members. You can contact our office between the hours of 7:45am - 4:30pm at (985)549-2121.