A Plan for Career Success Set goals for each year to achieve your career plans!
Freshman Year - Explore • Explore your interests and abilities through academic courses; demonstrate excellent academic performance. • Strengthen your written communication skills in English classes and writing labs. • Learn the basics of resume writing, create a first draft of your resume and have it critiqued by a Career Coach at the Career Center. • Discover ECU resources including the Career Center, Counseling Center, Academic Enrichment Center, and college advising centers. • Explore majors and careers through FOCUS 2, or visit our website at www.ecu.edu/career and familiarize yourself with all of the resources available to you. • Register with the Career Center to obtain a login to PirateJobs and become familiar with the database. • Obtain an introduction to your initial field of interest through an internship, job shadow, volunteer experience or conversation with an ECU Career Coach. • Consider volunteer positions or a part-time job to help build your resume and broaden your experience. • Attend career fairs to gather information on potential careers and employers.
Sophomore Year • Talk to professionals in career fields you are considering. Review the Career Success Guide for additional information on informational interviewing. • Get to know faculty in a major of interest. They can talk about career options and provide a letter of reference when you apply for a job or to graduate school. • Develop a professional quality resume and register with the Career Center for internship opportunities. • Obtain a part-time job in your field during the school year or summer. Obtain a summer paid or volunteer internship in your major area of interest. • Attend career fairs and employer information sessions that relate to your major. • Enhance your technical/computer skills. Take workshops offered by ECU’s Information Technology & Computing Services (ITCS) department offered in the training section on OneStop. • Use the Career Center’s online job interviewing software located in Optimal Resume to practice job interviewing.
4 The Career Center CAREER SUCCESS GUIDE www.ecu.edu/career
Junior Year • Begin to plan for an effective job search. Set deadlines for required steps. • Seek leadership positions in co-curricular activities (committee chairs and elected positions.) Join career-related student professional associations. • Update your resume in the Career Center’s online recruiting system, PirateJobs. • Use the Optimal Resume software on the Career Center’s website to develop an electronic portfolio which highlights the school and employment projects you have completed. • Choose electives to enhance your qualifications, especially your oral and written communication skills. • Attend the fall and spring Career Fairs and interview with employers to obtain co-op or internship positions. • Participate in a practice Mock Interview through the Career Center. • Research graduate school options and apply according to established guidelines and deadlines.
Senior Year • Meet with your Career Coach to discuss job search strategies, and have your resume critiqued. • Participate in the Career Center career fairs both fall and spring to network with employers and obtain full-time job offers. • Attend Career Center workshops on job search strategies, resume writing, and job interviewing. • Research companies before your job interview. • Review the section on salary negotiation in this book. • Participate in a face-to-face Mock Job Interview offered by the Career Center. • Conduct a thorough job search campaign in addition to oncampus interviews. • Establish a reference list and/or ask for letters of recommendation from academic. • Notify the Career Center once you have accepted an offer.