The Career Decision Making Model
During your four years at Johns Hopkins University, there are a number of things that you can do with the assistance of the Career Center to help you plan for your future and “put it all together.” Some things to consider:
Assess Myself
If you are in this part of your decision-making, you may wish to enlist the assistance of a career counselor to learn more about your interests and how they may be applied to career options. To do this, log-in to your J-Connect account in order to schedule an appointment. If you are uncertain how to do this, either drop by the office to get some J-Connect 101 assistance or simply call the Career Center at (410) 516-8056 and ask to schedule an appointment. It is never too early to start this process, so we look forward to hearing from you soon! Additionally, consider signing up for the one-week non-credit course offered during Intersession, “Where Are You Headed?”, where you can begin this process of self-assessment for career decision-making purposes.
Explore Options
If you are at this stage of the process, you will want to start learning about the world of work and how it applies to your courses, extracurricular activities, jobs, internships, and volunteer experiences. It is important as you explore that you take into consideration all of the ways that you can discover what you truly enjoy. Participating in satisfying activities outside of the classroom as well as part-time jobs that you have on or off-campus can be very instrumental to your career exploration. In this stage, you will find it very useful to access your J-Connect Account so that you can review the variety of internship resources and listings that come into the Career Center every day. Additionally, you could visit the Career Center on the third floor of Garland Hall to review the variety of print materials available related to career and major. Finally, take some time to review the Major and Career Profiles available at www.jhu.edu/careers/student. These profiles are available under the “Explore Your Options” tab.
Evaluate the Fit
Once you have compiled sufficient information about yourself and the world of work, you can make some decisions about how to proceed. This is an excellent opportunity to take advantage of some one-on-one career counseling with your counselor at the Career Center. Seek out your career counselor so that he or she can assist you in developing your own customized job/ internship search strategy.
Take Action
Attend the JHU Fall and Spring Career Fairs to learn more about organizations that are recruiting Hopkins students. At this stage, you will probably be ready to draft and update your marketing materials (resume and cover letter). Consider attending, “Developing Your First Professional Resume (with little experience)” to get started. If you already have a resume, drop by the Career Center to have it reviewed by a counselor or a peer assistant. Also consider attending, “How to Work a Career Fair” so that you can learn some valuable tips for managing such an event. Finally, consider working with your career counselor to target opportunities and strategies to help you land an internship/job in your targeted field.
Adjust to Transition
Whether you are seeking your first internship or full-time job, making the transition to the world of work can take some getting used to! Talk to your career counselor to discover the ways to make the most of every experience that you have as you continue on your career decision-making journey.
Re-evaluate
If you find that your plan (about major, career choice, internship, extracurricular activities) needs to be changed or altered in any way, revisit your career counselor, who will be happy to help you assess and reflect on your experiences. This assessment and reflection will help you as you continue through your years at JHU and beyond.