4 Year Career Plan
Figuring out what to do after college can be intimidating, but planning early and getting help can make all the difference. Take a look at our 4 Year Career Plan. We’ll get you moving and keep you going in the right direction! Your career starts now.
First Year
Prepare
- Use Majors & Minors
- Talk with faculty, mentors, family and friends about majors and occupations.
- Consider career assessments to understand how your skills, interests, and values relate to careers.
- Talk with a career counselor about possible interest areas.
- Start to define a strategy for reaching career goals.
- Take courses you enjoy that will help you decide if your major is a good fit.
- Conduct an informational interview with a professional to learn about the realities of a career.
- Explore ePACK, NC State’s on-line job posting system.
Participate
- Take advantage of opportunities to develop skills through activities on and off campus.
- Create a resume and cover letter and fine tune them with a career counselor.
- Evaluate strengths on your resume and areas to develop.
- Attend career fairs to learn about career paths for different majors.
- View opportunities posted in ePACK; identify careers of potential interest.
- Consider career-related experience through an externship, internship, co-op, research or volunteer experience.
- Document your experiences, skills and accomplishments.
Sophomore Year
Prepare
- Update and fine tune your resume and cover letter.
- Create or update your ePACK account.
- Practice your interview skills with a friend, employer or career counselor.
- Speak with an academic advisor in your major about career interests and plans.
- Join a student organization that is related to your major or career of interest.
- Be open to leadership opportunities.
- Choose courses that help you make progress toward a degree of interest.
Participate
- Gain career-related experience through an internship, co-op, research or volunteer opportunity.
- Speak with faculty about research opportunities.
- Apply for internships and on-campus interviews in ePACK.
- Apply for co-op, start with an information session.
- Attend career fairs and events to learn about internships and co-ops.
- Attend employer information sessions posted in ePACK to learn about opportunities.
- Use strategies and resources provided by the NC State Career Development Center.
- Document your experiences, skills, and accomplishments.
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Junior Year
Prepare
- Update and fine tune your resume and cover letter.
- Update your ePACK account.
- Practice your interview skills with a friend, employer or career counselor.
- Research the application timeline if you are thinking about graduate school.
- Speak with faculty about career interests, graduate study, and future plans.
- Meet with a career counselor to discuss strategies including decisions about grad school.
Participate
- Gain career-related experience through an internship, co-op, research or volunteer opportunity.
- Speak with faculty about research opportunities.
- Apply for internships and on-campus interviews in ePACK.
- Apply for co-op, start with an information session.
- Attend career fairs and events to learn about internships and co-ops.
- Attend employer information sessions posted in ePACK to learn about opportunities.
- Use strategies and resources provided by the Career Development Center.
- Meet with faculty or employers as you create a list of references or request recommendation letters.
- Become active in student organizations to develop leadership and teamwork skills.
- Document your experiences, skills, and accomplishments.
Senior Year
Prepare
- Update and fine tune your resume and cover letter.
- Update your ePACK account and maximize your use of the system.
- Discuss your job search strategies with your career counselor.
- Applying to grad school? Follow individual program guidelines and deadlines.
- Schedule GRE and other admissions exams.
- Practice your interview skills with a friend, employer or career counselor.
- Take advantage of student rates to join professional organizations.
- Be sure your voice mail and social networking sites are professional.
Participate
- Begin your active job search at least one semester prior to graduation.
- Get organized; create a spreadsheet or file to track your job search activity.
- Speak with faculty about career interests and plans.
- Secure your list of references or recommendation letters.
- Attend career fairs and events to learn about entry-level jobs.
- Attend employer information sessions posted in ePACK to learn about opportunities.
- Utilize services for one year after graduation.
- Use strategies and resources provided by the Career Development Center; services continue for one year after graduation.
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