FIRST 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 bachelors degree in psychology using resources available from your advisor and the Career Services Office. 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?

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 (e.g., academic advisor and Career Services) 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 (e.g., Statistics and Experimental).

• Meet with your academic advisor to discuss your progress toward degree completion and your career plans and options. You should discuss upper level course offerings in psychology that will best prepare you for your career.

• Visit Career Services if you have not already, to explore internship opportunities.

• Begin to prepare a resume if you have not already done so. You will need a completed resume to apply for internships.

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, internships, or research in psychology.)

• 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.

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.

• Obtain a copy of your transcript from the Registrar and review it carefully for any 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 Services office (CSO), give them to your recommenders, and ask them to submit them to the CSO when they are completed. (Please see the chapter on Resumes and Letters of Recommendation for more information on this topic).

• Review your resume. Assistance in developing an effective resume is available in the CSO and from your advisor. Ask faculty members to review your resume. Place your completed resume on file in the CSO.

• Practice for interviews with the psychology faculty. 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 CSO early in the semester you plan to begin interviewing. The CSO brings a number of prospective employers to campus. However, in order to participate in on-campus recruiting interviews, you must sign up!