Career Milestones
Complete the steps below to prepare for your career!
Check your progress here!
Enter your ID below, and any milestones you’ve completed will show up in gray.
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Conduct an Informational Interview
Informational Interviews are just that – conversations that involve interviewing someone and gathering information. This is your chance to ask all of your questions about how your major can translate to the job field, what it was like for your Career Coach to jump into the workforce after college and how she/he/ze has become a successful professional in the field.
How to complete this milestone:
- Review the Student Resource.
- Select 3-5 questions you would like to ask your Career Coach.
- Write down notes to reference for your Milestone Completion Form.
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Share Your Career Interests
For this milestone, you will be determining the career goal you want to focus on for the academic year. Identify the goal you want to focus on. Make sure it’s SMART – Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time-bound!
How to complete this milestone:
- Identify the area of industry you want to explore this academic year.
- After processing with your Career Coach, identify a goal that will help you develop professionally in the respective industry.
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Resources for Finding Opportunities
Excited to get experience, but not sure how to get started? Partner with your Career Coach to identify different ways people find opportunities. Learn about “hidden job markets” and start thinking of a strategy that gives you a competitive edge!
How to complete this milestone:
- Use the resources you discussed with your Career Coach to find 3 positions you’d like to apply for.
- Review the posting and take note of details, such as qualifications, application requirements, etc.
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Identify Your Professional Skills
For this milestone, you will need to reflect on the skills you have and the skills you need to attain. Ask your Career Coach which skills are most desired in the industry you’re interested in. You might find that you may have to readjust your goals to attain relevant skills and prepare for your career!
How to complete this milestone:
- Reflect on skills that you feel confident about currently.
- Research at least 5 internships you’d like to apply for in the future and identify common qualifications that you do not yet have.
- Revisit your goals from the start of the academic year and adjust if necessary.
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Submit Your Professional Resume
Resumes can be used for networking and applying to jobs, internships or graduate school. With your resume, employers review your experiences, identify your skills and assess your writing skills. Needless to say, this is an important document. Resumes take multiple drafts and skilled editors to help you tell your professional story.
How to complete this milestone:
- Create a draft of your resume.
- Work with your ScholarMatch Career Coach to review and edit your resume.
- Submit a final copy through the submission form below.
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Prepare for Professional Interviews
Interviews are a great opportunity to show employers who you really are – beyond the resume! Strong verbal and nonverbal communication skills are essential to leaving recruiters and hiring managers with a great impression. Prepare for your next interview by connecting with your Career Coach for this milestone!
How to complete this milestone:
- 1. Learn about the preparation and follow-up process for interviews.
- Create a strategy for answering common interview questions to make a positive impression on hiring committees.
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Reflect on your first Mock Interview
Time to put into practice what you discussed with your Career Coach last meeting! Mock interviews give you the chance to practice common interview questions and gain feedback on how you can improve. Be prepared and don’t worry. It’s all practice, and practice makes better!
How to complete this milestone:
- Participate in a mock interview, led by your Career Coach.
- Write down and reflect on the feedback provided by your Career Coach.
- Consider areas of strength and improvement and create a strategy for the future.
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Plan Your Professional Identity
What do you want to be known for you in your class, department, company, or even industry? Your professional identity can be shaped with intentionality and planning. How do your Career Coach/College Advisor/Professors/Peers perceive you? How do you perceive yourself? Discuss this with your Career Coach, and find out how their professional identities were shaped throughout their career.
How to complete this milestone:
- 1. Review and discuss sample scenarios with your Career Coach.
- Consider strategies that build a positive professional identity that aligns with your values.
Extra Credit
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Graduate School Information
For scholars who are interested in or planning on pursuing a graduate program, there is a lot to consider. Talk to your Career Coach about how you can prepare for an advanced degree in your field of interest!
How to complete this milestone:
- Share your motivations for pursuing graduate school with your Career Coach
- Discuss factors to consider and prepare for graduate programs.
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Career Exploration
Not sure what “Career” means or which path to take? We’ve all been there – even your Career Coach! Share your motivations, interests, values, and concerns with them to consider different occupations. The goal of this discussion isn’t to make a choice, but to learn more about yourself and understand your options.
How to complete this milestone:
- Reflect on current career goals, interests, values, or skills.
- Discuss resources for career exploration with your Career Coach.
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Undocumented Scholars
Undocumented scholars can prepare for a bright future as independent contractors and business owners. But where can you get started? We’ve partnered with Immigrants Rising to introduce Undocumented Scholars to their self-paced program, Undocuhustle. Learn about important topics such as contract workers, finance, marketing, taxes, etc. and ask for support from your Career Coach throughout the course!
How to complete this milestone:
- Read Resources
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Build Your Personal Brand with LinkedIn and Handshake
Handshake is a company dedicated to ‘democratizing access to opportunity’ for students like you! Anyone with a .edu email address can sign-up and start searching for internships, connecting with college students across the nation, and reviewing resources to prepare you for the workforce.
For this milestone, we want you to start an account using your school email address. Be thoughtful when filling out your career interests and account profile. Recruiters are going to be thrilled to see you on Handshake!
Did you know that more than 90% of recruiters use LinkedIn to source candidates? Use this powerful platform to build your network, learn about industry trends, search opportunities and become a thought leader as an active user.
For this milestone, all you have to do is start an account and explore how LinkedIn can support your career journey!
How to complete this milestone:
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- Visit https://joinhandshake.com to sign-up or sign-in to your account.
- Take a screenshot of your public profile and upload to the form.
- Go to https://www.linkedin.com and start an account.
- From your profile page, click on “Edit Public Profile & URL” from the right-hand menu.
- Edit your custom URL, then copy & paste the address in the submission form.
Bonus: Use this resource (hyperlink: https://www.leisurejobs.com/staticpages/18285/the-ultimate-linkedin-cheat-sheet/) to complete your profile!
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Create an Internship Search Timeline
While summer semester seems far away, now is the perfect time to start preparing for professional opportunities! If you’re searching for internships, work with your Career Coach to create a search timeline. For those who are interested in research fellowships or study abroad, discuss how you’d like to use this experience to advance your career!
How to complete this milestone:
- Start planning for summer term to gain professional skills and experiences.
- Employ backwards-planning strategies to determine next steps.
- Create a draft timeline and submit your idea(s) in the module completion form.
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Reflect on your second Mock Interview
It’s time to practice your interview skills again! To prepare, refer back to the feedback you received from your Career Coach after your first mock interview. Use this opportunity to further improve your presentation and communication skills!
How to complete this milestone:
- Participate in another mock interview, led by your Career Coach.
- Compare feedback from your first mock interview with the second session.
- Consider areas of strength and improvement and create a strategy for the future.
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Deliver Feedback in the Workplace
Giving and receiving feedback is easier said than done, but it’s an important part of work that allows improvements to be made. Learn the important skill of delivering feedback in a professional setting by asking your Career Coach for examples from their own career journey.
How to complete this milestone:
- Discuss the benefits of giving and receiving feedback.
- Define constructive feedback.
- Complete the Career Launch Program Survey to share your feedback with ScholarMatch.
