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Career Planning with Your Son or Daughter
Effective Career Planning
- Early career planning—students should register with UCS by Spring Semester of their First Year
- Gain essential experience while in school through internships, part-time jobs, campus involvement and volunteer work
- Skills and experience open doors
- An active approach is necessary
- Flexibility is important
Steps to Career
Planning
The student who takes an active approach to career planning
should accomplish the following steps by
Senior year.
- Assess interests, abilities, values, skills. See Undecided: Online Assessment Tools for more information.
- Research careers in depth
- Develop contacts (Networking and Carolina Connection and Informational Interviews)
- Gain experience / exposure (informational interviews, volunteer work, summer and part-time jobs, internships, extra-curricular activities)
- Develop marketable and transferable skills
- Learn job seeking skills
Essential Qualifications
Most employers now expect students to have the following
qualifications for employment:
- Career-Related Experience (internships, summer jobs)
- Computer Proficiency (word processing, spreadsheets, presentation software, Internet, email)
- Oral and Written Communication Skills (business writing, public speaking)
- Leadership/Teamwork Skills
Marketable Skills
Students should develop strengths in at least 2 of the following areas.
These do not have to be developed through an academic major (see below).
- Quantitative/Finance
- Persuasion
- Writing/Speaking
- Teaching/Helping
- Foreign Language
- Scientific/Technical
How to Gain Marketable Skills
Regardless of a student’s majors, he or she can increase "marketability" by developing multiple skills. NOTE: These skills do not have to be developed through an academic major. They may be developed through:Required / Elective Courses (or a minor) Student Organizations / Activities Volunteer Work Internships Jobs (part-time, summer, work-study, and self-employment)
Important Facts About Internships
Internships
= Paraprofessional work related to major or career interest. Internships
may be: paid or unpaid, located anywhere, part or full-time, and
possibly for academic credit (but most likely not). They
- Usually require previous work experience
- May not be available to first and second year students
- Often very competitive to obtain
- 60 percent of employers offered full-time positions to their interns after graduation (according to NACE).
Sample Career Plan
Here's an example of a career plan designed for a student who came to
our office.
Career Interests: Writing, Helping People, Business
Academic Major: English (because she enjoyed her English classes!)Sophomore Year:
Research:
- Careers in journalism, helping professions, and business.
- Conduct information interviews with journalists, stockbrokers, and social workers.
Contacts and Experience:
- Write for newspaper
- Volunteer as an orientation counselor
- Volunteer as Special Olympics coach
- Obtain internship at non-profit agency
Marketable Skills:
- Take courses in Accounting, Business Communications, Finance
- Learn Microsoft Word and Excel
Job Search Skills:
- Write a resume and cover letter for summer internship
Junior Year:
Research:
- Types of employers hiring in these fields
- Conduct information interviews with counselors, bankers and consultants.
Contacts and Experience:
- Volunteer at Carolina Union
- Join the Investment Club
- Apply to become a Peer Leadership Consultant
- Obtain internship at brokerage firm
Marketable Skills:
- Take courses in Marketing, Economics Computer Science
- Learn PowerPoint and PageMaker
Job Search Skills:
- Sign up for a mock interview at UCS
- Attend UCS networking workshop
Graduate School
What if my son or daughter plans to
attend graduate school?
Eighty-five percent (85%) of UNC incoming students plan to attend graduate
or professional schools. Twenty-six percent (26%) of UNC outgoing seniors
go directly to graduate or professional schools.
We recommend that every student have a back-up plan in the event that
their plans to attend graduate school change. Many graduate programs
require 1-2 years work experience prior to admission.
How We are Helping at UCS
- Individual Counseling
- Career Planning Workshops
- Education 131
Career exploration class for first and second year students - Interest Testing
- Internships, Part-Time and Full-Time job listings
- Internship Program
- Career Panels and Career Fairs
- Networking Nights
- Job-Hunting Skills
- Student Registration, Resume Submission, and On-Campus Interviews
- CareerSearch
Online directory of general information on more than 600,000 employers - e-leads
Online database of job leads developed especially for liberal arts students - i-leads
Online database of internship leads developed by UCS - ReferenceUSA
Provides detailed directory information for millions of U.S. businesses and households - UCS Website
- Online Job/Internship Listings
- Carolina Connection
(database of alumni contacts) - UCS Resource Room
- Employer Literature
- Videotaped Practice Interviews
Questions, comments? Email us
at ucs@unc.edu
919-962-6507
Career Planning with Your Son or Daughter
