17 TIMETORESEARCH MAJOR&CAREER DECISION-MAKINGRESEARCH You’ve defined your focus and discovered your interests … Now what? After identifying areas of interest from your Strong Interest Inventory, career advice you’ve received and your own personal awareness, conduct informational interviews and research your options to see how they fit with your personal lifestyle goals for: • Income • Work/Life Balance • Professional Growth • Education/Training Required O*NET OnLine | LinkedIn | Family Friends | Faculty | Alumni • Use industry and community resources to research salary and types of positions available • Understand the career outlook and typical position functions, then identify and request an interview with people already in those positions • Understand current needs for this type of position and define which employers hire for those roles Informational Interviews, Job Shadow • Develop a list of questions you want to ask about the position • Prepare the person you are interviewing by providing your questions to them ahead of time • Use Career Services to help you identify and facilitate contact with employers and alumni for interviews and job shadowing Develop a Plan • Select a major that gives you the broadest range of options for your careers of interest • Select a major that allows for internship and experiential learning options to help gain market insight and knowledge • Know what is required and start planning ahead of time “A dream written down with a date becomes a GOAL. A goal broken down into steps becomes a PLAN. A plan backed by ACTION makes your dreams come true.” - Deborah Fraser, Career Coach