I want to talk about the importance of having a list of job titles that interest you as you start to explore careers. This can be one of the bigger barriers to people who are befuddled when it comes to thinking about the future. “I have a degree in ABC and now I am not sure what jobs I can get with this degree.” Let’s talk about some great resources that you can use to help you start that exploration process!
What Can I Do With This Major: This resource can give you some industry ideas. So it may be a good idea to start here and to narrow down your hunt once you have identified some areas or industries that align with your major.
Occupational Outlook Handbook: This might be a personal favorite of mine! Simply type your industry in the search bar and start exploring career options. You will be able to click different tabs where you can find job outlook, salary, educational path, and similar occupations.
Onetonline.org: This is yet another great resource to point you towards some ideas for careers/job titles. If you are writing a resume, this resource is great for giving you some knowledge, skills, and abilities that you can highlight.
My Next Move: With this tool, you can explore careers by searching dream jobs, industries, or you can fill in some information on what you like to do and the system will provide some career suggestions. There is also a program geared towards veterans.
YouScience: Once you've completed the assessment, it gives you your career matches. Once you've clicked within a specific career, it provides you a list of alternate job titles, which can be very helpful when you are searching and finding limited results - a new name for the same job can provide numerous more results.
After you have identified some job titles, then you can really begin to dive in and explore your options. Look up job descriptions to see if these positions would align with your interests, values, and skills. As you begin to determine which roles interest you most, start thinking about reaching out to your connections who are in similar roles to learn about what they love and what challenges they face. Learn more about informational interviewing on our website.
The more narrowed your search becomes, the more intentional you can be with your professional development. As you explore job descriptions, start to notice which set of core skills you should think about developing while in college. What will make you a more marketable candidate for these roles?
If you are in the earliest stages of your career exploration process, we can certainly help! We have a great new program called YouScience. After taking the assessment, you will receive some career suggestions. You can also set an appointment with our staff through Handshake to learn more about next steps in your career exploration process.
For information on upcoming Events and Webinars, click here. Head over to our YouTube channel to find previous workshops and employer information sessions.