Heading down a successful career path means taking some early steps—and that means visiting Career Services during your first year at St. Norbert College. The first step is the physical stroll to our office in Todd Wehr Hall, Office 215. The second is a series of career building steps that begin in your first year and end when you develop a satisfying career plan. The Career Services staff can be a great resource to help you successfully complete your career plan, so use the services of the office early and often.

Your career planning activities will fall into four major categories:

• Self Assessment
• Career Awareness
• Career Exploration
• Job Search

These categories and the corresponding activities that you may pursue are outlined below. You'll note that some of these activities are repeated during the four-year plan to encourage you to re-evaluate your plan as you become more knowledgeable and gain new skills during the college years. In addition to these activities, be sure to visit our career library where you'll find many career related books and videotapes that can be checked out along with many helpful handouts and other career development materials.

Self Assessment:

• Meet with a career counselor to learn about self-assessment strategies to help identify your career-related interests, values, skills and personality traits.
• Select courses that give you an opportunity to determine what fields you will most enjoy studying.
• Attend the For Freshman Only and Choosing Your Major workshops and the fall Career Exploration Fair.
• >>More Self Assessment resources

Career Awareness:

• Learn about the connection between majors and careers.
• >>More Career Awareness resources

Career Exploration:

• Test out your preliminary career choices through direct observation and involvement.
• Career Services can help you arrange informational interviews with individuals so that you can ask for first-hand information about their work.
• Attend the fall Help Exploring Life's Possibilities (H.E.L.P.) program where you can have one-on-one conversations with people in career fields in which you have an interest.
• Career Contact Program
• Handouts and Guides
• >>More Career Exploration resources

Self Assessment:

• A once-a-semester check-up with a career counselor will help you monitor the connection between your changing interests, choice of major and selection of career.
• Become involved in one of the multitude of activities on campus.
• • Student Organizations
  • Campus Ministry
  • Peace and Justice Center
• >>More Self Assessment resources

Career Awareness:

• Conduct more library research and informational interviews.
• Attend seminars and workshops that provide more information about the work world.
• >>More Career Awareness resources

Career Exploration:

• Learn about where St. Norbert College alumni have gone after graduation with Alumni Profiles.
• Develop opportunities to shadow persons—a neighbor, relative, friend, parent of your roommate—in careers of interest to you.
• Arrange to do volunteer work or obtain a part-time or summer job.
• Handouts and Guides
• >>More Career Exploration resources

Self Assessment:

• You are halfway to graduation!
• Keep testing yourself with new opportunities and challenges both in and out of the classroom. Take leadership positions in service and academic clubs.
• Consider a semester abroad. International study is a great way to learn more about yourself.
• Study Abroad
• >>More Self Assessment resources

Career Awareness:

• Attend career programs on and off campus.
• Graduate and Professional School Planning
• >>More Career Awareness resources

Career Exploration:

• Junior year is a great time for an internship!
• Professional Internship Experience
• Handouts and Guides
• >>More Career Exploration resources

Job Search:

• If you plan to attend graduate school immediately after graduation, your applications should be well underway at this point. Be sure to give your recommenders at least four weeks to write your letters of recommendation.
• It is time to get started on your resume and hone your interviewing skills. Attend resume writing and interviewing workshops.
• Get an early start on your job search by attending all career events, including WorkForce an annual job and internship fair sponsored by Wisconsin's 20 private colleges and universities.
• Begin to network through the Career Contact Program to establish contacts that will be helpful in your job search process as a senior.
• >>More Job Search resources

Self Assessment:

• It is time to narrow down your possibilities to determine what you will do for your first year out of college.
• Engage in conversation with your career counselor, academic adviser and trusted others to discuss your transition from college into the world of work.
• >>More Self Assessment resources

Career Awareness:

• Identify and research organizations that employ people to do what you want to do.
• Early in your senior year, investigate the graduate/professional schools of interest to you to determine their application deadline dates.
• >>More Career Awareness resources

Career Exploration:

• It is impossible to have too much career-related work experience.
• Internships and part-time jobs during your senior year are valuable additions to your resume.
• Handouts and Guides
• >>More Career Exploration resources

Job Search:

• Attend all programs on resumes and cover letters, job search strategy and interviewing. Schedule a practice interview in the career services office.
• Take advantage of every job fair, both on and off campus, that provides opportunity for you to meet employers in your field.
• Participate in Successful Candidate Session.
• Handouts and Guides
• On-campus Recruiting Program
• >>More Job Search resources

Accept an offer and notify Career Services of your post-graduation plans. Congratulations, your future is here!