Career Planning
The future is built on a foundation developed over the four years of college. The process of career planning involves considering your interests, values and skills-obtained in your education, extra-curricular activities and work experience. Combined with your knowledge of the world of work, students will be able to make decisions about their lives that reflect their efforts in career planning. Here is the Center for Career Development's four-year plan for integrating academic and student life activity to prepare you for the real world after graduation.
Freshman Year- Self Assessment
- Adjust to college life: courses, activities, dorms, commuting
- Learn organizational and time management skills
- Student employment job
- Sharpen office skills
- Learn computer applications
- Develop work ethic
- Become involved in selected campus activities
- Begin to explore preferences to help select a major field
- Visit the Center for Career Development and become familiar with the resources
- Attend a "Choosing a Major" Workshop
- Use summer employment to expand experience base
- Attend Alumni Career Night to see where Manhattanville alumni work
Sophomore Year- Exploration
- Make appointments for career counseling to support selection of major field
- Gain self-awareness of your individual strengths, interests, and values
- Review book in OCS: "What to do with a major in . . ."
- Take an assessment procedure in the Center for Career Development
- Obtain a higher level Student Employment position on campus
- Consider a Study Abroad Program for next year
- Utilize portfolio preparation as a life planning tool
- Join more student activities
- Become involved in community service
- Begin to research different career fields in the OCS
- Consider career/life plans
- Begin informational interviews
- Prepare resume
- Research internship possibility for summer vacation
- Use summer employment to explore a new career area or live in a new location
- Attend Alumni Career Night to become acquainted with working alumni and learn more about what they do
Junior Year- Reality Testing
- Discuss tentative career/life plan with career counselor
- Obtain extensive knowledge in major field
- Review academic and life plans with advisor
- Do extensive career research
- Conduct informational interviews
- Take part in Alumni networking
- Think about "shadowing" someone in an interesting work environment
- Research and obtain an internship
- Organize a campus event
- Consider and plan for graduate study
- Update your resume
- Obtain leadership position in student activities
- Utilize your electives to broaden your alternatives and expand horizons
- Travel to somewhere you have never been
- Utilize Alumni Career Night to begin to network for internships
Senior Year- Implementation
- Register with the Center for Career Development
- Sign up for Senior Career Planning Program
- Update resume and submit it for approval
- Utilize contacts from Alumni Career Night for future employment
- Interview Skills Workshops (if not earlier)
- Take part in Mock Interview Program
- Do an internship
- Obtain leadership position on campus
- Develop and implement job search techniques
- Choose individuals to write recommendations
- Make a tentative job search/graduate study plan
- Continue informational interviewing
- Take part in Recruitment Program
- Submit final portfolio
Post Graduation
- Continue to utilize the Center for Career Development
- Check job listings through OCS
- Schedule resume and interview assistance
- Use the Career Resources Library
- Remember to update your credential file
- Take advantage of assessment tools
- Become part of the Alumni Network Project