The Career Challenge

As part of our Sophomore Success Program, every student gets the chance to learn more about themselves through the free personality and trait assessment, StrengthsQuest. This 25-35 minute online test allows you to discover your top 5 traits or strengths. Everyone has strengths that relate to our future careers, and by focusing on those strengths, we learn to understand ourselves better and excel at the things we do best. Out staff will walk you through the assessment, and especially through what these insights mean for you.

Email Todd Nolan to find out more information on the Sophomore Success Program, or to take a StrengthsQuest assessment and discuss with a faculty coach.

The biggest reason that college students do not know what they want to do for a living is because they do not know what occupations are “out there.” Spend some time becoming familiar with various fields of employment you could enter. There are three main tools in your belt to research job titles.

1. The Occupational Information Network, or O*Net, is your primary resource for finding different job titles within an occupation. Here you can search for jobs based on your interests, your skills, your abilities, and even categories like work values and activities.
2. The Occupational Outlook Handbook provides you with brief explanations on job duties, education requirements, salaries, occupation growth rate, and other important factors in evaluating careers. This is a good overview of broad groups of jobs all at once.
3. The CareerOneStop provides you with a detailed overview of occupation types, as well as similar titles, career videos, state and national trends, and training. It also provides access to many other resources around the web for you to read. You can compare different occupations as well as find information on

Appointments are available to discuss job titles, and we provide you with a number of personal exercises to help brainstorm possible career options.

The resume is the most commonly understood and the most basic component of career exploration. It is the document which describes your skills and experiences to a potential employer. You will constantly be updating it as you gain new experiences and skills, and you will also revise it for every new position to which you apply. This makes the resume the ultimate in career exploration.

The resume should be brief and precise, and highlight the important parts of your history. Add your most recent educational experience, any prior work experience, relevant volunteer projects or community service, extracurricular activities, internships, awards, special projects, transferable skills, and hobbies or interests.

Next, take your resume from good to great.

1. We have partnered with Resume Targets to provide you with hundreds of resume templates and suggestions. Access the Ave Maria portal here: Ave Maria University’s Resume Target Templates
2. Use our Resume Guide to give you general advice, lists of action verbs, etc.
3. Refer to our Resume Grading Rubric to check your own resume.
4. Set up an appointment with the Career Office to get personalized feedback on your resume.

Once your resume is completed, use it! A summer internship would be an ideal opportunity, and ideally you should target a company that gets you close to the type of work you have considered. That is the hallmark of the next step.

You have spent the last couple of years building your network, getting to know experts in the field, and becoming familiar with people and companies who can help you achieve your dreams. Now it’s time to put all that preparation in to action.

Senior year is about unearthing the best opportunities for you by making active use of your network:

• Review your materials. Now is the time to revise your resume and to begin drafting cover letters. Practice writing three of four drafts of a cover letter before sending to employers. Read more…
• Get Letters of Recommendation. It is a good idea to ask professors and colleagues for letters of recommendation early if possible. Allow them at least 2-4 weeks to write a letter for you. Try to get at least 3 letters and from professors and non-academic sources. Read more…
• Make the Ask. Speak about your interests with former and current colleagues, professionals you have gotten to know, or family and friends. Be specific; become familiar with real jobs or open positions that you’d like to apply to. Then ask your network for a referral for that specific job, as candidates who come with referrals (especially employee referrals) are much more successful at securing employment with their target companies.
• Be Grateful. When someone gives you a referral, they stake their professional reputation on your worth. They have much more to risk than you do. Thank them promptly for any help they provide, and live up to their good opinion by conducting yourself honorably and professionally throughout the application process.

A Note on Graduate School

If you are considering graduate school, you will need to start the process of applying early. In fact, it is best to start considering options and reviewing an application timeline in your junior year. Talk to professors and the Career Office staff about possible programs, schools, and careers.

Read more: Job Search Guide

Use this: Job Search Worksheet

Read more: Applying to Graduate School Guide

Use this: Grad School Application Worksheet

Mock interviewing should begin in the Junior year, however it is important to practice throughout the Senior year as well. Practice for an interview by running through a simulation with our staff. Each mock interview is conducted over a period of 30 minutes, where we will practice your answers to basic and specific interview questions. We will work on your body language and non-verbal cues. And we can train you to handle any format (panel interviews, group interviews, phone interviews, video interviews) or type of questions (behavioral, brainteasers, situational).

The more you practice, the better prepared you will be for your interview and the more comfortable you will be in an interview setting. Arranging for a mock interview is as simple as sending your resume and the job for which you’re preparing to our staff. Setup your appointment today!

Read more: Interviewing Guide

Use this: Mock Interview Worksheet

Congratulations! If you have gotten this far then you have just been offered a job. Congratulations on this milestone, and well done to put in all the time and effort necessary to get this far.

There are a few steps to consider when evaluating a job offer.

• Review the paperwork. Make sure you have been sent a formal offer letter before accepting any offer. Make sure than any offer includes position title, start date, salary, benefits, relocation expenses (if applicable), and a date to accept the offer. If one or more of these details are not included, circle back with the company to clarify.
• Be Grateful. It is a common theme—express your thanks for having been offered the position and feel free to express your enthusiasm as well. Use the first communication to ask any questions you may have.
• Evaluate the Offer. Analyze all aspects of the job. Consider whether the job fits with your short-term and long-term goals. Decide whether the job provides meaningful employment and allows you to gain skills beneficial for your future. Consider whether the salary is sufficient, and analyze cost-of-living in the area and assemble a basic budget to determine if you will have enough money (after taxes) to cover your needs. Negotiating the terms of a job offer may be necessary before you can accept.
• Accept or Decline. When you accept a position, you must stop interviewing for other positions. You may not accept a job unless you are committed to honoring that acceptance, and you may not accept a job to “fall back” on it if nothing else pans out. However, you may ask for more time to evaluate a job offer. If you need to decline a job offer, do it politely and leave the channels of communication open. Especially if you decline a job because you are unhappy with the terms, leaving the door open to re-negotiation may resolve your problem.

Use this: 3-Year Goal Planning Worksheet