Did you know that November is National Career Development Month? This month-long campaign emphasizes the significance of career development and planning. It was established to address the need for comprehensive career guidance and to encourage lifelong learning, career exploration, and professional growth.
How to Participate in Career Development Month
There are no set ways to invest in your career development, but if you need some inspiration on how to start your career development journey, here are 3 tips to help you get started.
1. Utilize career assessment tools to help understand yourself better
Start by asking yourself, Am I happy with my current major or job? There are many career assessment exercises that help us understand ourselves better. These tools are not predictors of career success but will provide information on your personality, strengths, and potential career paths that match your skills and interests. As an Arcadia student, you have free access to TypeFocus, a great place to begin exploring your personality, interests, skills, and values all in one place! Be sure to meet with a Career Educator to discuss your career interests and the results of your assessments!
For Arcadia’s undergraduate students, ID125 Design Your Career (2 credits) is designed to increase awareness of the career planning process and expand understanding of career planning and preparation to achieve your professional goals. Taught by Dr. Cynthia Nichols, Associate Director of Career Education, this course will help make career planning easier for you, for all activities in this course will assist you in processing every step needed to reach your professional goals. In this class, you will:
- Assess your self-interests, strengths, weaknesses, and marketable qualities
- Explore careers of interest to you
- Create your résumé and LinkedIn profile
- Interview a professional working within your field
- Present your career vision board and outline your professional goals
If you are exploring majors and career paths, or need some help in figuring out career goals and plans, ID 125 is for you. Search “ID125” in self-service for upcoming class sessions.
2. Connect with an expert
Have ideas about what you want to do but don’t know where to start? One of the best ways is to talk to someone who can help or guide you. Reach out to your mentor, professor, supervisor, or our Career Educator to discuss major selection, job/internship search, and other career-related topics. Connect or re-connect with people in your network, chat with an expert in person or virtually to learn about a specific industry or professional.
Attending career events is another brilliant way to connect with professionals, meet employers, and get your foot in the door. Check Arcadia’s Career Launchpad for upcoming career events, register for a couple, and build your confidence in marketing yourself.
Additionally, undergraduate students are encouraged to participate in the e3 Career Action Plan which will provide guidance on exploration and professional development. You will explore career interests, build a powerful résumé, practice interviewing skills, connect with employers, and more! Students will receive incentives along the way. Once completed, you’ll receive a professional development certificate and a cord to wear at graduation! Start your e3 at any time and on the OCE Canvas Page!
Optimize your résumé and LinkedIn profile
When was the last time you updated your résumé and LinkedIn profile? Don’t wait until you’re looking for a job/internship to start working on them. Your résumé and LinkedIn profile should be updated regularly to reflect your current role and accomplishments. Check out Career Launchpad to learn how to enhance your résumé, find résumé guide and templates, and discover tips on how to build a great LinkedIn profile. You can also schedule a 15-minute or 30-minute résumé review with the OCE and get your professional headshot taken while you are here.
Don’t have time for appointments? Use Big Interview, an IA-powered platform that offers feedback on résumés and interview skills. It also has a database of thousands of interview questions with tips on how to answer them. Here are the instructions on how to get résumé and interview feedback. Students can register using an Arcadia email address at https://arcadia.biginterview.com.
It’s never too early to start owning your career, so take action today by doing one thing that will help you success. Last but not least, the Office of Career Education is here to support your career succeed. We are located in Knight Hall, Suite 100. Don’t hesitate to contact us at careerhelp@arcadia.edu, or schedule appointments on Handshake.
