Helping Students to Better
Understand and Become More
Engaged in the Career Development
Process
Academic Advising PD
Denise Dwight Smith & Sharon Thorpe
(University Career Center),
Dr. Kim Buch (Psychology and CTL)
AGENDA
• Stages of Career Development- brief Overview
• How do students make decisions?
• UCC Services
• Individual Advising and Course Integration-what
your main interest?
• Examples
• Next Steps
Intro to Career Development
•A CYCLE, not a linear progression
•Consists of 4 stages:
Career
reassessment
Career
employment
Career
decisionmaking
Career
planning and
preparation
How Do Students Make Career
Decisions?
Principle Influencers
Parents- MOM
Peers
Faculty
Supervisors
UCC/ Advisors
Media
Career Decisions Making Basis
Inaccurate Information
Incomplete Information
Jobs and Careers: what do these
have in common?
Print Director
Healthcare Billing Specialist
Legislative Intern
Quality Administrator
Satellite Systems Operator
Operations Specialist
Road Show Host
Student Outreach-Veterans Affairs
Career Decision-Making
Internal Exploration
• Values
• Skills
• Interests
External Exploration
• Jobs
• Careers
• Further Study
Career Decision-Making: Internal
•Asking the question, “How well do I know myself?,”
engaging in exploration of:
Values – What matters to me?
Interests – What do I enjoy?
Personality – What are my preferences?
Skills – What am I good at?
•Tools: career self-assessments, career advising,
personal reflection paper or presentation
Career Decision-Making: External
•Asking the question, “How well do I know my
career options?”
•Tools: Career Prospector job shadowing program,
informational interviewing, UCC career resource
library and publications (WCIDWAMIs – What Can I
Do with a Major in …? and How to Get a Job in …
series), online career tools (CareerSpots), portfolio
on information obtained
Career Planning and Preparation
•Exploring career options, gaining career-related
experience, building professional/job search skills
•Tools: Experiential Learning
(49erships, co-ops), part-time
employment, UCC workshops and
online tools (OptimalResume),
career fairs (Experiential Learning
& Part-Time Job Fair), short-term
experiential work as part of course
requirement
Career Employment
•Connecting with job/graduate school
opportunities, becoming employed in
a satisfying, career-related position
or graduate program
•Tools: Resume and cover letter critiques, mock
interviewing, job search consultation, career fairs
(Career & Public Service Expo), NinerJobNet,
on-campus interviewing, employer information
sessions, online tools (Interfolio)
Career Reassessment
•Continuously reassessing
values, interests,
personality, and skills as
career progresses for
effective lifelong career
management
Advising Integration
• As part of establishing goals, commitment
to success and 4 year planning
• Major and career discussions
• Parental pressure-referral and helping
• to educate
• Experiential learning readiness, plan for
Job and grad school search resources
• Events and location awareness
• What we do-dispel myths
Where to start
• Drop-ins or appointment with career
Counselors-discipline base
• Outreach tables
• Give card of the advisor
• Newsletter
• NJN-show website. www.career.uncc.edu
• Workshop and events schedule
• EL info
Course Integration
Go beyond
awareness of
services
UCOL and HONR Courses
UCOL 1000
UCOL 1011
UCOL 1200
UCOL 1300
HONR 1100
College Transition First Year
College Transition Transfers
First Year Seminars
Academic Success Seminars
University Honors Freshman
47 of 52 classes scheduled to visit UCC or have
completed group self-assessment interpretation in
class.
UCOL and HONR Faculty Survey
Most frequent integration activities beyond UCC visit
and self-assessments:
Career paper (11)
Attendance at Majors Day (10)
Resume/Cover Letter instruction (8)
Career Portfolio (6)
Career Fair Attendance (5)
(Respondents=20)
UCOL/HONR Student Feedback
(Respondents=418)
• This program/workshop has enabled me to
increase my knowledge base about careers. Mean = 4.33
• As a result of participating in this program,
I have a better understanding of the connection between
my personal/academic/and career goals.
Mean = 4.41
• As a result of participating in this program, I feel more
motivated to take action steps toward my career planning
and/or decision-making.
Mean = 4.41
• This program has allowed me to obtain educational
and occupational information to aid my career and
educational planning.
Mean = 4.52
413/418 students would recommend the session to other students.
Additional Classroom Integration
Mock Interviews
– Public Health, Communications
NJN Orientation
– Business, Kinesiology, Math
Experiential Learning
– Business
Networking
– Public Health
Whole Life Concepts Project
– Engineering
University Career Center
– Career/Academic Action Plan
Self-Assessment
– Business, ITCS, Anthropology
Pre- test/Post-test T-Test Analysis 20122013
9 out of 10 mean differences statistically significant
on the Strong, indicating individual
mean increases from pre-test to post-test were due to
the assessment and not increased purely by chance.
7 out of 9 mean differences statistically significant
on the MBTI,
indicating individual mean increases from pre-test
to post-test were
not increased purely by chance.
SA
B
B
B
B
B
S
B
B
Pre-test/Post-test Statements
MBTI
I am aware of how my interests, abilities, and values
4.12 4.40
relate to academic
majors.
SA Pre-test/Post-test
Statement
MBTI
I ammy
aware
of how
my interests,
abilities, and
I am awareBof how
interests,
abilities,
and values
4.08 4.12
4.36
relate to academic majors.
4.40
related to careervalues
decision-making.
B I am aware of how my interests, abilities, and 4.08
I understand how to research various career fields.
3.74
values related to career decision-making.
4.36
4.12
B I understand how to research various career
3.74
I fell prepared tofields.
select a major that relates to my career 4.05 4.12
goal.
B I fell prepared to select a major that relates 4.29
to 4.05
I am aware of career
pathsgoal.
related to some majors of
4.07 4.29
my career
interest. B I am aware of career paths related to some 4.37 4.07
interest.
I feel motivatedmajors
to takeof
action
steps toward career
4.35 4.37
S I decision
feel motivated
to take action steps toward 4.41 4.35
planning and/or
making.
career planning and/or decision making.
4.41
I am familiar with UNC Charlotte resources and campus
3.90
B I am familiar with UNC Charlotte resources
3.90
offices that can support my academic success.
4.14
and campus offices that can support my
4.14
academic success.
I have a strong
baseknowledge
about careers.
3.48 3.48
B knowledge
I have a strong
base about careers.
3.95 3.95
purely by chance.
Strong
4.07
4.55
Strong
4.07
4.14
4.55
4.53
4.14
3.61
4.53
4.31
3.61
3.66
4.31
4.10
3.66
3.84
4.10
4.41
3.84
4.41
4.29
4.29
4.46
4.46
3.92
3.92
4.32
4.32
3.41
3.41
4.06
4.06
Career Planning Scale
Knowledge of the World of Work
Self-Knowledge
Knowledge of Occupations
Career Decision Making
Career Planning
Career Implementation
Career Planning Scale
Self Knowledge
 Describe what would motivate you to keep working even if you
won the lottery. Make a list of three or more occupations
 that could fill these needs and values.
Knowledge of Occupations
 Look for information on the Internet about three occupations
that interest you. Identify salary information, working conditions,
employment outlook, and education needed to do the job.
 Shadow an employee in an occupation of interest. Follow that
worker for one day and ask about the work he or she does.
Career Decision-Making
 Discuss your occupational choices with your family and friends.
 How does their feedback weigh into your decision?
Career Implementation
 Make a list of barriers you face in reaching your career goals.
 Next to each barrier, write what you will do to overcome it.
Integrating Career Concepts into
Academic Classes
• Psyc 1000 or any course for
first-year students or transfers in
any discipline (including Prospect
for Success courses)
• Psyc 3405 or Practicum/Internship
courses in any discipline
• Psyc 4630 or Capstone Courses
in any discipline
QUESTIONS?
Courses for First-Year Students or
Transfers in Any Discipline
• Career Development
– Overview of UCC and tour
– What can I do with a major
in…? workshop
• Career Self-Assessment
– Workshops on personality and interest inventories
(MBTI, Strong, Focus-2)
• Majors Day
• Career Panels and Information Sessions
• Career Paper or Related Assignment
Practicum/ Internship Courses
in Any Discipline
• Introduction to Experiential Learning Workshop
• Job Shadowing
• Career Panels and Information Sessions
•Introduction to Online Career
Tools Workshop
•Career & Public Service Expo
•Internship Journal or
Related Assignment
Psyc 4630 or Capstone Courses in
Any Discipline
• Job Search Tools
–
–
–
–
–
–
Resumes & Cover Letters 101
Interviewing 101
Mock Interviewing
Introduction to Online Career Tools Workshop
Career Panels & Information Sessions
Career & Public Service Expo
• Career Portfolio/ Related Assignments