A TIME-LINE FOR PREPARING FOR EMPLOYMENT

A TIME-LINE FOR PREPARING FOR EMPLOYMENT WITH A BACHELORS DEGREE IN PSYCHOLOGY

FRESHMAN YEAR

• Schedule a meeting with your academic advisor to discuss your career interests and options. This meeting should not simply focus on what courses to take during the next semester.

• Begin to consider various careers. Investigate employment opportunities with a bachelor's degree in psychology using resources available from your advisor and the Career Services Office (Kearney 211). Realize that some careers require graduate training either at the entry level or for eventual advancement.

• Begin a self-assessment process focusing on your interests, strengths, skills, and values. How well do they match your preliminary career goals? The Career Services Office has a number of self-assessment instruments available for student use.

SOPHOMORE YEAR

• Complete your self-assessment process. Compile a list of your interests, strengths (academic and personal), skills, and knowledge. Use this list to help focus your career choice.

• Continue the process of narrowing down your specific interests in the field of psychology and consider the type of employment you wish. Use the results of your self-assessment and on-campus resources to identify career options. You should focus your career choice by the end of your sophomore year so that you have time to take the appropriate preparatory coursework.

• Finish up the majority of your general education requirements, and begin you work your way through more of your psychology requirements. Your academic advisor will advise you on upper level course offerings in psychology that will best prepare you for your career.

JUNIOR YEAR

• Re-evaluate your career choice. Are you still on the right track?

• Make plans to obtain relevant experience outside the classroom before the end of your senior year (e.g., volunteer work, Fieldwork (Psyc 490-491), or an independent study involving independent research.

• Meet with your academic advisor to discuss your progress toward degree completion and your career plans and options. Review your course selections for the major field in psychology and your minor, if you have one.

• Contact people in the profession you are seeking to enter, and conduct some "information interviews" to learn more about career options

Begin to prepare a resume if you have not already done so. Assistance in developing an effective resume is available in the Career Services Office. Ask faculty members to review your resume.

It is a good idea to have a completed resume to take to your Fieldwork position.

SUMMER BETWEEN JUNIOR AND SENIOR YEAR • Use the summer months to build your job information network, prepare a polished resume, and continue to refine your career aspirations. SENIOR YEAR • Meet with your academic advisor during fall semester to discuss your progress toward degree completion and your career plans and options. Review your course selections for the major field in psychology and your minor, if you have one.

• Request a senior audit from the Registrar to verify that your are on track for a degree and that there are no errors.

• Identify three individuals (e.g., faculty members and past employers) who are willing and able to write STRONG letters of recommendations for you. Obtain letter of recommendation forms from the Career Service Office, give them to your recommenders, and ask them to submit them to Career Services when they are completed. (Please see the section on Resumes and Letters of Recommendation for more information on this topic).

• Review your resume with Career Services and/or your Advisor.

• Practice for interviews. Assistance is available through the Career Services Office. The initial interview can be one of the most critical hurdles in getting a job, so be as prepared as possible. Make sure you check with Career Services early in the semester that you plan to begin interviewing. Career Services brings a number of prospective employers to campus. However, in order to participate in on-campus recruiting interviews, you must sign up!

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