Four-Year Career Action Plan

From Here to Career:

Create your strategy for gaining experience and successfully building toward your future. Become internship and career ready. Regularly visit with a career coach throughout your time at FAU.

Learn how to schedule an appointment at https://fau.edu/career/students/

Explore Majors and Careers

  • Activate your Handshake Account.
  • Meet with a career coach (at least once every semester).
  • Take a work interest assessment through Major KnOWLedge.
  • Enroll in the one-credit SLS1301: Career & Life Planning elective course.
  • Explore Steppingblocks to learn about career paths, salaries, and job trends based on what people with your major are actually doing.

Focus on Academics

  • Set up a study schedule and get involved with study groups with classmates.
  • Attend all classes; don’t sit in the back and keep your camera on for virtual learning.
  • Utilize the Center for Teaching & Learning for free tutoring services.

Get Involved

  • Connect with Student Activities and Involvement to join a student organization through OwlCentral.
  • Find a group of friends through your classes, student organizations, intramural sports or by attending on-campus activities.
  • Volunteer at local organizations or find opportunities through the Weppner Center.

Recommended Online Tools



SECOND YEAR


Select Your Major(s) & Career Direction

  • Declare your major and start researching career options within the declared major.
  • Learn about top career skills employers seek by meeting with a career coach.
  • Develop relationships with faculty & administrators to start building your professional network and attend a networking workshop to learn how to effectively network.

Take an Active or Leadership Role

  • Become more involved by serving on a committee or obtaining a leadership role in a student organization.
  • Attend Leadership events (iLead, WeLead) and engage with the Office of Leadership Education & Development (LEAD).
  • Consider getting an on-campus job or part-time job.

Prepare for the Internship Search

  • Create a resume and get it critiqued with a career coach.
  • Identify internships or organizations in Handshake of interest.
  • Do a practice mock interview to gain experience with interviewing.
  • Attend the Internship & Part-Time Job Fair (available every fall and spring semester).
  • Get a free Professional Headshot at the Career Centers’ in-house photo studio & professional attire, as needed, from the Owl’s Professional Clothes Closet.
  • Participate in a job shadow experience through the Owls-On-The-Job Shadow program.

Recommended Online Tools

Handshake Job/Internship and employer postings
Career Advice on Demand Videos
O*Net/Occupational Outlook Handbook


THIRD YEAR

Specific Careers & Graduate Programs

  • Narrow your career focus and follow companies/organizations/programs of interest on social media, Handshake or LinkedIn.
  • Explore graduate school & speak to faculty to learn about programs and graduate student positions to help fund your education.
  • Identify graduate school & internship search resources to organize your search.

Network

  • Consider what types of companies or locations you are interested in working at and attend networking events, workshops and career fairs to start making connections.
  • Utilize Handshake’s Student-Alumni Community Resource or Owl Alumni Networks to connect with FAU alumni who had similar experiences and interests.
  • Create a professional LinkedIn profile, join LinkedIn groups of interest and connect with 25 individuals that you find interesting.

Focus on Career Skills Attained

  • Attend a career skill session to learn about career skills and gaps you may have.
  • Conduct a practice interview to articulate career and transferable skills.
  • Complete a career skill self-assessment to identify strengths and areas of opportunities.

Secure an Internship

  • Apply to internships the semester before you intend to intern.
  • Consider earning academic credit for your internship and enrolling in IDS3949.
  • Find ways to stand out at your internship by meeting with an Internship Specialist.
  • Attend the JCPenney Suit-Up event or visit the Owl Professional Clothes Closet to start building your professional wardrobe.

Recommended Online Tools



FOURTH YEAR

Apply for Jobs and/or Graduate Programs

  • Research and learn companies’ benefit options and decide what is important to you.
  • Prepare and submit application materials for jobs or graduate programs.
  • Prepare to take graduate entrance exams (GRE, MCAT, LSAT), if needed, or obtain other certifications/licensures related to your career goals.
  • Consolidate your post-graduation strategy and plans.
  • Attend the Career Expo, other career fairs and other networking fairs.

Prepare for the Transition from College to Career

  • Learn how to make an impact at your first job out of college and how to leverage your skills to stand out.
  • Adapt to a new work schedule by using calendar tools such as Google Calendar or Outlook.
  • Update your professional headshot.

Maintain Networking Contacts

  • Stay connected with faculty and colleagues after you leave FAU.
  • Join the FAU Alumni Association.
  • Remain active on Handshake and LinkedIn.
Note- Handshake is available to you as an alumni and career services are free up to one-year post-graduation.

Recommended Online Tools

Florida Atlantic Handshake
Florida Atlantic Alumni Association

Informational Interview Guide


Find Professional &
Faculty mentors

One of the most effective ways to acquire information from people in a professional field in which you are interested is to conduct informational interviews. Informational interviewing is a networking approach that allows you to meet key professionals, gather career information, investigate career options, receive advice on job search techniques and obtain referrals to other professionals.

An informational interview is an interview that you initiate and you ask the questions. The purpose is to obtain information, not to get a job. Thus, never abuse your privilege by asking for a job.

The following are good REASONS TO CONDUCT INFORMATIONAL INTERVIEWS:

  • To explore careers and clarify your career goal
  • To discover employment opportunities that are not advertised
  • To expand your professional network
  • To build confidence for your job interviews
  • To access the most up-to-date career information
  • To identify your professional strengths and weaknesses


STEPS TO FOLLOW WHEN CONDUCTING AN INFORMATIONAL INTERVIEW:

  1. Identify the Occupation or Industry You Wish to Learn About

    Assess your interests, abilities, values, and skills, and evaluate labor conditions and trends related to your professional interests.
  2. Prepare for the Interview
    Read all you can about the field prior to the interview. Decide what information you would like to obtain about the occupation/industry. Prepare a list of questions that you would like to have answered. Prepare an updated resume and bring it with you. (The Career Development Center can help you prepare and/or critique your resume).
  3. Arrange the Interview
    Contact your mentor to set up an interview. It is recommended that that interview take place in person, but informational interview can also be conducted over the phone and/or via e-mail. The mentor typically verbalized their preference.
  4. Conduct the Interview
    Dress appropriately, arrive on time, be polite and professional, refer to your list of prepared questions; stay on track, but allow for spontaneous discussion. Before leaving, ask for names of others who might be helpful to you and ask permission to use your mentor’s name when contacting them.
  5. Follow Up
    Immediately following the interview, record the information gathered. Be sure to send a thank-you note to your mentor within one week of the interview.

NOTE: Always analyze the information you’ve gathered. Adjust your job search, resume, and career objective if necessary.


22 QUESTIONS!

Prepare a list of questions that are relevant to you and what you would like to obtain from your informational interview. Following are some sample questions:

  1. (Work Environment) On a typical day in this position, what do you do?
  2. (Background) What training or education is required for this type of work?
  3. (Background) What personal qualities or abilities are important to being successful in this job?
  4. (Work Environment) What part of this job do you find most satisfying? Most challenging?
  5. (Background) How did you get your job?
  6. (Potential) What opportunities for advancement are there in this field?
  7. (Background) What entry level jobs are best for learning as much as possible?
  8. (Salary) What are the salary ranges for various levels in this field?
  9. (Potential) How do you see jobs in this field changing in the future?
  10. (The Industry) Is there a demand for people in this occupation?
  11. (The Industry) What special advice would you give a person entering this field?
  12. (Training) What types of training do companies offer persons entering this field?
  13. (Background) What are the basic prerequisites for jobs in this field?
  14. (Referral to Other Information Opportunities) Which professional journals and organizations would help me learn more about this field?
  15. (Background) What do you think of the experience I’ve had so far in terms of entering this field?
  16. (Problems) From your perspective, what are the problems you see working in this field?
  17. (Advice) If you could do things all over again, would you choose the same path for yourself? Why? What would you change?
  18. (Advice) With the information you have about my education, skills, and experience, what other fields or jobs would you suggest I research further before I make a final decision?
  19. (Advice) What do you think of my resume? Do you see any problem areas? How would you suggest I change it?
  20. (Referral to Others) Who do you know that I should talk to next? When I call him/her, may I use your name?
  21. (Life Style) What obligation does your work put on you outside the work week? How much flexibility do you have in terms of dress, work hours, vacations?
  22. (Rewards) What do you find most rewarding about this work, besides the money?