Career Planning Resources

Successful career planning involves four key steps:

• Identifying your career areas of interest
• Gaining the knowledge and experience you need to make yourself a strong candidate in those fields
• Learning to present yourself persuasively to a potential employer
• Networking and making connections that can open doors to your future.

The Center for Career Development can help with all of them.

Find career opportunities

• GettysburgWorks  Survey what jobs are available and who is hiring in your field of interest. Post resumes online. Find an internship. Connect with potential employers.
• Online career and graduate school library  What's out there and how to go after it.
• Industry insights  An insider's look at a variety of career fields.
• What can I do with it?  From accounting to theater, a web-based overview of career paths by major field, with strategies for landing good jobs.
• Virtual job fairs  Online career matchmaking, with more than 100 links to career websites for targeted job listings.
• Honor Roll online  Connects the top liberal arts graduates with the top companies.

Gain career-related experience

• Career experiences by area of interest  English majors visit publishing houses, art majors travel to galleries, finance majors go to Wall Street, political science majors visit the nation's capital, etc., for career insight, networking, and other opportunities.
• Be a shadow  Follow seasoned professionals for a day or two, and learn how successful people handle themselves at work.
• Externships and internships  One- to two-week externships and 10- to 12-week internships let you find out what fits you and what doesn't.

Make a good impression

• Job-search skills  Resumes, cover letters, making contacts, interview techniques, and other useful skills.
• Mock interviews  Practice with experienced interviewers and get feedback on everything from what to say and how to say it, to how to dress for success.