4-year Career Timeline

Here are some suggestions for yearly career goals you can set to prepare for your graduation and post-graduation plans. There is no order to these goals and they can be completed in every year. Remember you can always check-in with a Center for Career Readiness professional for support!

• Year 1
  • College Level Exam Program (CLEP) testing.
  • Research different majors: course catalog, major to career guides, what can I do with this major, professional associations, government information sites and job boards by major/industry.
  • Take a career assessment, such as the Strong Interest Inventory to learn more about your areas of interest.
  • Meet with your advisor.
  • Meet with a Career Counselor.
  • Meet with a faculty member in your area of interest. 
  • Join a UNC club or organization related to your major or area of interest.
  • Do an informational interview with a professional who has your dream job/area of interest.
  • Job shadow a professional in your area of interest.
  • Document your experiences in a resume. Have your resume critiqued by a Career Counselor.
  • Access Handshake, UNC's job and internship bank, to learn about potential jobs and internships and become aware of career-related events and fairs.
  • Attend a job fair or networking night to connect with future employers.
• Year 2
  • Declare your major.
  • Explore occupations related to your major: OOH, O*NET, Informational interviews
  • Attend a job fair or networking night to connect with future employers.
    • Center for Career Readiness provides a job and internship during both Fall and Spring semesters, as well as Teacher Employment Day Fair.
    • Center for Career Readiness offers workshops on "How to Work a Job Fair" to teach students how to successfully attend a job fair.
    • Center for Career Readiness and Alumni Relations have teamed up to provide Success Looks Like Me, an event series designed as an opportunity for current UNC students to learn from the experiences and challenges alumni have faced in the professional world.
  • Update your resume and have it critiqued by a Career Counselor.
  • Identify potential internship opportunities.
  • Explore study abroad opportunities.
  • Have coffee or lunch with an advanced student in your program of study. It is a nice opportunity to network and find out the best classes to take and what to expect in your third or fourth year.
• Year 3
  • Join a professional organization related to your major as a student member.
  • Gain a leadership position in a student organization.
  • Buy interview clothing.
    • Many local retailers offer discounts to UNC students - check out Bear Biz for more information.
    • Not sure what to wear to an interview? Check out Center for Career Readiness' Pinterest boards for interview attire as well as tips on work wear on a budget.
  • Practice interviewing skills during a practice interview with a Career Counselor.
  • Explore current job and internship openings by industry and major on Handshake.
  • Update your resume and have it critiqued by a Career Counselor.
  • Learn how to write a cover letter.
  • Meet with a Career Counselor to develop a career plan for your final year(s) to prepare for graduation.
  • Explore graduate school programs if you are interested. Review application process deadlines.  Think about tests you may need to take to apply to graduate school: GRE, LSAT, MCAT, etc.
  • If you are thinking about graduate school, see if you can assist a professor with research.
  • Network with friends, family, and employers.
• Year 4
  • Update your resume and cover letter and have it critiqued by a Career Counselor.
  • Start your job search early. A job search can take a few weeks to over six months. Meet with a Career Counselor for additional job searching tips.
  • If applying to graduate school, take graduate school admissions tests.
  • Attend a job fair or networking night.
  • Make business cards and carry them with you for impromptu meetings with professionals.
  • Carry copies of your resume. Make sure they are on resume paper. You never know when you might make a connection and need it.
  • Utilize professional social networking sites in the job search process such as, LinkedIn.
  • Participate in on-campus interviews.
  • Meet with your advisor to ensure you are meeting graduation requirements. Make sure you fill out all graduation paperwork and pay your fee to graduate on time.
  • Graduate! Remember, you can always utilize Center for Career Readiness as an alum!