4-Year Career Readiness Plan
Year 1: Self-Assessment & Career Exploration
- Meet with a career advisor and take the Focus 2 Career Assessment to explore how your values, interests and skills match Detroit Mercy majors.
- Activate your Handshake account and create a résumé.
- Review the materials you received at SOAR to learn about campus resources.
- Use Detroit Mercy Live to identify student organizations and co-curricular activities.
- Make connections on campus by participating in career-related in-person and virtual workshops and events.
- Learn the 8 Career Competencies and see how they relate to your coursework.
Year 2: Making Career Decisions
- Meet with a career advisor to discuss your career development plan for the year.
- Create a professional social media presence using Handshake and LinkedIn.
- Research opportunities to build experience, such as working on campus, studying abroad, volunteering, co-ops and internships.
- Use online resources to discover occupations related to your major.
- Create a digital portfolio to showcase your work (projects, internships/jobs, student organizations and more).
- Attend networking events to meet professionals in your field.
- Consider taking the Career Development Strategies course to further research career paths.
Year 3: Preparing for a Career or Graduate School
- Meet with a career advisor to revise your career development plan for the year.
- Update your résumé, Handshake profile and LinkedIn account.
- Take leadership and executive roles in student organizations, co-curricular activities and volunteer opportunities.
- Identify professional references and ask if they will give a positive reference.
- Network with professionals in your field at career fairs and company presentations.
- Apply for internships and shadow professionals in your field to gain experience.
- Consider taking the Career Management Strategies course to prepare a job search strategy.
- Articulate the 8 Career Competencies while networking and during interviews.
Year 4: Job Search or Graduate School Implementation
- Meet with a career advisor to create an action plan for your career path or post-graduate studies.
- Update your résumé, Handshake profile and LinkedIn account.
- Have your professional employment documents (résumé, cover letter, portfolio and references) prepared, updated and reviewed.
- Create a job application plan and actively track and monitor your job applications.
- Participate in mock interviews and use online resources to prepare for interviews.
- Network with professionals in your field at events and follow up with them.
- Articulate your diverse experiences and career competencies, leveraging them in interviews.
