Summertime is a great time to kick-start your career activities! Your ultimate goal is to become employed in your chosen career field OR if you haven’t decided upon a career field yet, then to choose a career field. So, EXPLORE the ways to achieve these goals ~ sooner rather than later.  Regardless of whether you are trying to land that first job or choose a career field, there are many experiences in which you can engage that are vital to YOUR student SUCCESS! These experiences allow you to gain a better understanding of your coursework, develop your communication skills, strengthen your decision-making skills by accessing and working on real-world processes and resolving issues, improve your self-confidence and leadership skills, increase your chance to become more employable, and so much more.  

To determine which opportunities allow you to make those choices and provide you the best options to gain valuable experience, consider the following options:

Explore

Ask yourself, what goal do you have and why do you want to achieve it?  For example, you may like business and music; yet, you may be unsure in which areas you want to be employed let alone which program might be best for you. A goal here could be that you want to learn more about those careers so you can choose one. Then, you can do an informational interview with a career professional in each field to get answers to your questions. So, explore experiential learning (EL-learning outside the classroom). EL will allow you to begin finding answers to accomplish your career goal!

Types of EL to achieve your career goal can include: informational interviews, job shadowing, service learning, community service, mock interviews, studio performances, research projects, volunteering, internships and much more!

Discover

After establishing a career goal, it’s time to discover which EL will help you achieve it. If your goal is to know what a workday looks like in a particular career, then it’s time to do an informational interview/job shadowing experience. If your goal is to showcase your accomplishments and projects to uniquely market yourself, then it’s time to create an E-Portfolio.  

To discover which ELOPs will help YOU succeed in reaching your goal, you should . . .

ATTEND a workshop 🡪 Check out Career Development & Transfer Services workshops here!

Since the latest survey from the National Association of Colleges & Employers (NACE) concluded that 95% of employers want and prefer to hire candidates with internship experience, the best way to land that first entry-level job is to complete an internship.   Internships allow you to apply the knowledge you have learned and practice the skill-sets you have acquired in your program here at HACC while learning new professional skills. NOW is the time to plan on becoming one of THESE students in THAT category.  The best way to achieve that goal ~ develop a plan!  Start early by doing the above ELs first to build up to completing an internship.  Want to feel more motivated to graduate? Participate in ELOPs and do an internship (if it fits into your schedule).

connect

Connecting with career professionals and experiences to achieve your career goals which allows you to make informed decisions, network and become more employable. It’s never too early to jump start your career! Email careerservices@hacc.edu to develop your resume while you have time before the fall 2024 internship season begins and for any of your career needs.

Also, remember to ACTIVATE your College Central Network (CCN) account; HACC’s Career Services Platform. From your CCN account, you can read, listen and watch about a variety of career related topics from exploring a career through mock interviewing to land that first job in your new career, submit resumes to be reviewed and approved, search and apply for internship and employment experiences, register for career services workshops, events, and more!  Don’t delay, ACTIVATE today!  

Email CareerServices@hacc.edu for assistance.