Career Management Process

True career management is a lifelong process. One of the best ways to ensure a long and successful career is to learn the strategies and tools of proactive career management.

Self-Assessment Process

The first step in managing your career is to undergo a self-assessment in order to better know yourself. Most students' conceptions of themselves tend to lack the clarity necessary to make career decisions that match their skills, interests, values and goals with their career alternatives.

Recruiters prefer to interview candidates who know their strengths and weaknesses and can explain their career goals. Good preparation regarding personal needs and interests will make interviewing less of a sales job and more of a discussion of mutual objectives.

• Career Leader On-Line Assessment    Contact Career Services should you have any questions on our on-line Self-Assessment • Bringing Discipline to the Dream • Self-Assessment Workshop • Self-Assessment Resources • Additional Self-Assessment Exercises

Researching Career Options

Having developed a clear picture of your values, skills and interests, the next step in the career management process is to find which career options are best suited for you. While you will find that there are a wide array of options available, it is essential that you begin to focus your search on those options which best meet your skills and interests.

• Steps to Help Focus Your Search • Career Services Resources • Internet Resources • 2-Minute Me (Sales Pitch) • Formal vs. Casual Dress • Lexis-Nexis (must be on UCD server to access)

Determining Career Goals

Given the information you have gathered about yourself and your career options, you should now be able to more clearly formulate your career objectives. There is considerable evidence that people who are most successful at job hunting are those who have well-defined objectives.

Your objectives should be based on:

• The personal qualities, knowledge and skills you want to use in your work • The purpose to which you want to apply yourself • Your personal value system and beliefs • The type of work environment and organizational structure you want • Your preferred geographic location • The salary you hope to receive • Your desired relationship between your work life and your personal life

It is important to set both short and long-term career goals. You should be flexible and revise your goals periodically. Writing down specific objectives and the steps necessary to achieve them will help make your goals more tangible.

An IDP (Independent Development Plan) is one way to keep track of your goals. Goals should be S.M.A.R.T.

Conducting a Targeted Job Search

• Job Search Workshop • Networking Workshop • Job Hunting 101 by Steven Cho, GSM Alumnus (PowerPoint) • Job Search Strategy Guide (Word doc)

Marketing Your Product:
Using Résumés, Cover Letters and Interviewing

A large component of career management is the ability to market your product: your unique combination of skills, abilities and values that set you apart from everyone else.

Even in a strong economy, competition for positions with the most desired employers is fierce. In order to market yourself effectively you will need to put a great deal of effort into your résumés and cover letters, as well as serious preparation and practice into your interviewing skills.

• Résumé Writing • Business Correspondence • Effective Interviewing Guide • Successful Negotiating

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