(Years 1, 2, & 3)

The purpose of the Imagine stage is to envision where you – a person with specific traits, skills, strengths, and values – can fit into the world. Where can you serve, work, and thrive?

We will work with you to consider results from Focus2 and Gallup’s Strengths and ask you to acknowledge  your true aspirations and goals. We’ll help you make a plan for effectively exploring career information to find as many options as possible.

Activities for the IMAGINE stage should look like this:

• We’ll ask you to imagine what you want your life to look like in 10 or 15 years. We’ll also ask you to consider all the “other” voices (parents, family, religious affiliation, media, etc.) which help shape your expectations about work and life.
• Spend time with the resource “What can I do with this major?” (whatcanidowiththismajor.com) and gather info that’s relevant to you. Is there anything in it that inspires you to learn MORE?
• You should be aware of what your academic performance is telling you about your career goals. Is it feeling “good”? Need a change? Now’s the best time to discuss it!
• Make sure your Handshake account is active and your Profile is complete.

(Years 2 & 3)

At this stage, you should have a broad knowledge of the industries or sectors from the first two stages. This is your time to seek additional information to shape your decision making processes regarding career paths. You should be able to look back on your FYS experience and academic work and figure pretty quickly what has held your interest. From that, what appears to be realistic career opportunities for you.

Activities for the INVESTIGATE stage should look like this:

• You should be able to indicate, at minimal, industry sectors you’re interested in pursuing, and be able to define a strategy for finding and approaching professionals in those areas.
• Visit O-net Online and do a deep dive through a variety of job descriptions.
• Spend time sifting through the Occupational Outlook Handbook from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics for details on your potential target careers.
• Boost your engagement on campus. Make the leap from “attendee” to a leadership role in an organization.

(Years 2 & 3)

Building a network and taking on activities like campus leadership roles, job shadowing, and internships are the intermediate steps in the career development process. You’ll notice how things become “real” when they’re actually seen, discussed, and “tried on” for the first time.

Activities for the INTERACT stage should look like this:

• Building your personal and professional network through a variety of methods, such as informational interviews, cultivating connections with Mars Hill alumni, and through virtual services like LinkedIn.
• By now, you should be a veteran of our events, workshops, panel discussions, and career treks.
• You should have a highly evolved resume, and have some basic interview skills, and should be comfortable with telling your story in a “pitch” manner and format.
• Investigate and obtain an internship in an organization or company that gives you direct, hands-on experience in entry-level work for that industry.

Guess what? Even at this stage, it’s never too late to change course! Actually, it happens more than you’d imagine. It’s really OK! Having the ability to adapt to new information and evidence is a crucial skill that will serve you for decades to come!

(Year 4)

You should be able to research and evaluate specific sectors and employers with an eye cast toward discerning if they’re a good fit for you or not.

This is all about finding your niche; locating and identifying those organizations which appeal to your values and goals. You should also be able to identify locales where you’d prefer to live, and should be able to construct a list of what will be needed to pull it all together, including cost of living, housing, logistics, and negotiating things like salary and benefits.

Activities for the IDENTIFY stage should look like this:

• You should be a veteran of Handshake by this point, with several industries and companies on your watch list.
• Your resume is at top form and you know how to quickly tailor it for each position you apply to, all the while optimizing it for Applicant Tracking System grading.
• You have cover letters ready to run at a moment’s notice.
• Your LinkedIn account is polished acquiring connections and views.
• You are a networking machine; you know the art of the elevator pitch, asking for informational interviews, activating contacts at all levels of relevance in your sphere of influence.