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Third Year: Enhance

The College Specialist Team Career Counselors are available to guide and support you through the following:

Read through the checklist for your current year and highlight areas you want to accomplish during the year.
Write down two questions to discuss with a Career Counselor.
Consider attending a Career Services workshop or event on a related topic such as Four-Year Career Planning or Career Portfolio.

Determine what makes you unique, through self-reflection and feedback from others, and how your specific strengths can benefit a potential employer.
Develop and maintain a positive presence on all types of social media that reflect your professional brand.
Evaluate your professional attire and update as needed to ensure that it aligns with your industry and desired image.
- Participate in a mock interview with a Career Counselor.
- Practice communicating your brand succinctly in an elevator pitch. You can meet with a career counselor to practice and get feedback.
Consider attending a Career Services workshop or event on a related topic such as a Strengths workshop.

Include examples of how you have used your top 5 strengths from StrengthsQuest.
Continue adding relevant coursework and labs, projects, extra-curriculars, and internships/part-time work.
Include visuals such as photos, documents, designs, etc.
Add the Portfolium link to your email signature, resume, and LinkedIn profile.
Attend a Career Services workshop about Portfolium.
Showcase your portfolio to prospective employers; bring a tablet to interviews, networking sessions, and job fairs.
Follow companies of interest to increase your visibility to hiring managers.

Identify potential programs that will help you reach your career goals.
Discuss graduate school options with your Career Counselor, faculty, academic advisor, and/or industry professionals.
Become familiar with research and fellowship programs including the California Pre-doctoral Program
Gain a better understanding of your prospective program(s) by making connections with current graduate students and faculty at that institution.
Review the Graduate School links on the Career Services website.
Become familiar with the application process and important deadlines.
Study for your required graduate admissions exam(s) and identify testing centers.
Consider attending a Career Services workshop or event on a related topic such as Graduate School Workshop (Why, Where, How to Pay) or the Grad School Fair at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Update your resume to reflect your most recent accomplishments. Upload your resume to MustangJOBS.
Explore requirements for careers that interest you by looking at job postings.
Search for and apply to internships.
Sign up for networking sessions that feature companies that interest you.
Review Career Fair participating employers to narrow down who you want to connect with. Further research those employers.
Prepare for on-campus interviews using Big Interview.
Consider attending a Career Services workshop or event on a related topic such as “Get a Job” or “Internship Search Strategy.”

Meet with your College Specialist Career Counselor to further clarify your career goals.
Access Career Services online resources, such as Big Interview, GoingGlobal, and Focus2.
Consider attending a Career Services workshop or event on a related topic such as “Making the Most of the Career Fair” or “Networking Sessions.”

Connect with faculty/staff, alumni, industry professionals, and employers by engaging in informational interviews or job shadowing.
Refine and practice your elevator pitch or sound bites about your education, experience, involvement and goals at networking events or Career Fairs.
Update your LinkedIn profile and continue connecting with peers and professionals in your industry. Attend a LinkedIn Workshop to discover strategies for connecting with alumni in your field.
Update your networking action plan to continue tracking your professional relationships.
Consider attending a Career Services workshop or event on a related topic such as an Alumni Panel/Mixer.

Obtain an internship, co-op experience, or part-time job.
Explore and participate in volunteer opportunities on campus or within the community.
Utilize LinkedIn to look at the career trajectories of professionals in your field of interest.
Submit articles, writing samples, or research to academic journals.
Join professional organizations within your intended career field and get involved by viewing webinars or attending conferences.
Make an appointment with your College Specialist Career Counselor to ensure you are utilizing all possible resources in identifying your future career.
Consider attending a Career Services workshop or event such as “How to Make Your HIRE Score Higher” or workshops/events on the topic of internships.

Consider attending a Career Services workshop or event on a related topic such as “Planned Happenstance” or a Strengths workshop.
Use the following questions to help you reflect on how your experiences this year can relate to your future career plans.
- What potential obstacles prevent you from reaching your career possibilities? What can you do to address them?
- How have you invested in your strengths within your classes, extracurricular activities, volunteer, internship, or part-time work?
- What aspects of your classes, projects, extracurricular activities, and/or work experiences have you enjoyed the most? How might these interests relate to a future career path?
- What is your greatest accomplishment so far in college?
- What factors seem most important in making a future career decision?