4-Year Path to Career Success

Already know what you want to do after graduation? Looking for guidance on how to figure that out? Somewhere in between? We have just the thing.

The 4-Year Path to Career Success prompts you to reflect on your experiences and interests to help you develop a personalized plan for your time at UVM — and provides a map for how to navigate it. Use it to discover a wealth of academic, career, and co-curricular opportunities available on and off campus, gain experience, and build the skills you need to land that dream job.

Use our worksheets to chart your own path to career success or read more below to see how it all fits together. 

Reflect, find activities that will help you grow, take action. Lather, rinse, repeat. 

Each year, start by doing some self-reflection. How did last year go? What stands out to you about your experiences both in and out of the classroom? Where are your strengths, your opportunities for growth? How developed are your career readiness competencies? Answering questions like these will help you guide your thinking about what to do next. 

Then, find activities that will help you progress from exploring, to building experience, to focusing, and then achieving your goals. Decide which appeal most or you think will serve you best, and make an action plan to keep you on track. 

The Path to Career Success

ONE » Explore

Exploration is an essential part of your time in college and your preparation for a career. Use this first step on your journey to discover more about yourself, UVM, and the wide range of opportunities available to you. 

Connect on Campus

Explore Your Strengths & Interests

Discover Major & Career Options

  • Speak with your friends or student leaders about their major choice
  • Draft a college resume
  • Attend career related workshops or events

TWO » Experience

By gaining experience, you learn more about yourself and opportunities around you. Getting engaged in a range of activities helps you build diverse skills that transfer into career settings. You also become more aware of your values, abilities and interests. The experiences that bring you the most satisfaction could become the basis of your work. Spend some time considering what you’ve learned, and how they can help you build your career readiness.

Commit to Your Studies

  • Get help from the Tutoring Center, advisors & peer mentors
  • Take classes that pique your interests
  • Consider study abroad in your academic planning

Engage in Experiential Learning

  • Get hands-on experience in or out of the classroom
  • Volunteer (Independently or with Alternative Spring Break or Volunteers in Action)
  • International students: Understand CPT & OPT rules

Build Career Awareness

  • Go to career fairs, panels, and workshops
  • Connect with alums through UVM Connect, LinkedIn
  • Check out helpful tools: Candid Career videos & GoinGlobal
  • Brainstorm potential career paths
 

THREE » Focus

Narrowing your career focus will help you deepen and build on the strengths and skills you've gained through your experiences. It's a good time to start researching timelines for post-grad plans and strategies to pursue your particular fields of interest.

Excel Academically

  • Learn about and apply to academic & service fellowships
  • Research graduate/professional program options
  • Consider taking a civic learning or service-learning course

Cultivate Your Career Identity

  • Engage in internships, research, or volunteer work
  • Attend Career Fairs and networking events
  • Conduct informational interviews or job shadow with alums in your field
  • Build multicultural competency & skills

Prepare for Your Search

  • Consult with advisor or career counselors to focus your plan
  • Update your resume, cover letter, and UVM Connect/LinkedIn profile to include internships and leaderships
  • Practice interviewing
 

Four » Achieve

As you prepare for post-graduate life, it is important to continue reflecting on and gaining experiences, asking for help when needed, and doing your best academically and in your extracurriculars.

 

Finish Strong

  • Keep up with your coursework
  • Step into leadership positions
  • Ask faculty/advisors/coaches for traditional or LinkedIn recommendations

Expand Career Connections

  • Join a professional association
  • Attend an industry event or conference to cultivate your network
  • Find opportunities to shadow an alum via UVM Connect

Start Your Search

  • Create a strategy & timeline to stay on top of application deadlines & follow-up
  • Participate in on-campus recruiting & career fairs
  • Applying to Graduate School? Take the GREs
 

 

The University of Vermont Career Center Division of Student Affairs

Drop-In Hours

 

Join an Interest Group

Connect to folks with shared interests in a vibrant social network.

Find your group

Career Champions

Nominate someone who has gone gone above and beyond in encouraging UVM students' career readiness and success.

Nominate