Career Map

The Office of Career Services offers the following roapmap as a recommendation to your student's career development. While this guide neatly organizes a four-year plan of career-related activities, it is not meant to be a “blueprint” for your undergraduate years. It is normal for students to change majors or career plans during college, and this would certainly implact the manner in which career plans are implemented. If you would like assistance formulating a personal plan, please visit Career Services at 200 Hoyt Hall on Western Campus or set up a career advising appointment via Miami CAREERlink on the Career Services Web site.

Awareness | Major Selection (First Year)
Exploration | Major Commitment (Sophomore Year)
Testing Your Initial Career Choices (Junior Year)
Job Search (Senior Year)

Awareness (First Year)

• Register on Miami CAREERlink by going to Career Services’ Web site.
• Make a tentative selection of a major field of study. Seek assistance from an academic adviser and enroll in core courses that lead to your degree.
• If you are unsure about your major or career direction, visit Career Services located in 200 Hoyt Hall (on the Western Campus). Drop-in assistance is available with self-assessment, exploring options, making decisions, and personal career issues.
• Join student clubs and organizations to facilitate personal and social development.
• Seek aid from faculty, administrators, counselors, and friends. Learn how to meet and get to know faculty and administrators.
• Learn which electives will enhance your personal development.
• Enroll in EDL 100, “Career Development for the College Student”
• Familiarize yourself with Career Services’ Career Resource Center in Hoyt Hall and reviewing our Web site.
• Find a good summer job. General information about summer jobs is available at our Career Resource Center and on our Web site. A summer job will enable you to:
  • develop confidence and skills that may be transferable.
  • gain maturity in a work environment.
  • develop strong business and work ethics.
  • learn how to get along with people.
  • earn money for tuition, college expenses, etc.

Exploration (Sophomore Year)

• Update information on Miami CAREERlink or register if not already registered.
• Collect and assess information about yourself: skills, interests, abilities, personality, values, strengths, weaknesses. For assistance, visit the Career Exploration and Testing Center located in 196 Health Services Center.
• If you are unsure about your major or career direction, schedule an appointment with an advisor from Career Services and/or enroll in EDL100, “Career Development for College Students.”
• Solicit ideas and feedback from fellow students, faculty, administrators, parents, and former employers. These individuals can be good sources for identifying your strengths and weaknesses.
• Visit our Career Resource Center in Hoyt Hall and read material on career fields that might interest you.
• Become familiar with information provided on our Web site.
• Begin to work on your initial resume and cover letter. For assistance, attend related workshops and schedule an appointment with a career advisor at Career Services.
• If seeking an internship, attend our “How to Begin Your Internship Search” workshop and register with Career Services, if not already registered.
• Have a summer job, internship and/or externship: gain knowledge about the workplace; develop field-based skills; build work references.

Testing Your Initial Career Choices (Junior Year)

• Attend the required “Orientation” workshop and register or update your registration information with Career Services on Miami CAREERlink.
• Attend the “How to Begin Your Internship Search” workshop.
• Make an appointment with one of our career advisors to tailor your own individual internship-search plan.
• Prepare a resume that will support your search for an internship. OptimalResume is an excellent resource to assist students in creating a professional resume.
• Attend the Spring Internship & Career Expo (Spring ICE).
• Obtain an internship in your preferred career field to gain a first-hand impression of the work environment.
• Consult with your academic adviser and faculty in your academic department(s) to help you decide whether you are on the right career path and to provide suggestions on potential employers.
• Utilize King Library and our Career Resource Center for career information.
• Create and/or expand your network. A network is a group of people who know the type of position(s) you are seeking, are willing to help keep you abreast of current job openings, and happy to introduce you to people with the authority to make hiring decisions or further referrals. See our printed blue handout on networking (also available here in PDF format), online/social networking (PDF format), and review our Job-Search Strategies booklet (also available here in PDF format).
• Create a LinkedIn profile (refer to online/social networking). Join the Miami Alumni Association Group.
• If you are considering graduate and/or professional school, talk with your faculty adviser about this option and begin exploring possible programs of study. Attend the “Planning for Graduate School” workshop and review the graduate school information on our Web site. If you become serious about furthering your education, you should investigate and research schools that offer the program(s) you seek. Graduate school directories are available in our Career Resource Center.
• Don’t wait until a crisis before you connect with faculty and staff who may be of help to you.
• Friendships with fellow students through studying, projects, and extra-curricular activities can be influential in developing your career preferences.
• Involvement in school organizations can help sharpen public speaking skills, leadership skills, and organizational skills. Friendships formed through organizations can become lifelong resources and a lasting influence on jobs, careers, and your personal life.

Job Search (Senior Year)

• If you are still unclear about your career direction, set up an appointment with a Career Advisor.
• Attend the “Career Services Orientations for Seniors” in late August/early September.
• Register or reregister with Career Services.
• Schedule an appointment with one of our career advisors to help you polish your resume and sharpen job-search skills.
• Attend the job-search related workshops, especially the “Job-Search Success” workshop.
• Make an appointment for a digitally recorded mock interview at Career Services.
• Implement your campaign for graduate school or your first job.
• Participate in on-campus interviewing, but do not limit yourself to on-campus interviewing when seeking employment.
• Attend the fall Career Fair and the Spring Internship & Career Expo (Spring ICE).
• Check the vacancy listings in our Career Resource Center as well as Miami CAREERlink on our Web site.
• Satisfy all graduation requirements.
• Develop good rapport with faculty, administrators, and supervisors for positive references.
• Continue networking!