Center for Career Success

Main objectives: Clarify your interests, sharpen your skills, get involved and get to know faculty and staff who will support you throughout your time at Western.

Set Yourself Up for Success

• Attend every class, whether in person or virtually. Numerous studies have found that class attendance is a key indicator not only of your grades but also of developing peer relationships, feeling connected to the university, and more.
• Get to know each of your instructors individually, but don’t overthink it. At the end of your first day of class, simply approach them and introduce yourself. While you’re there, take the opportunity to ensure your success by asking them, “What do I need to do to be successful in this course?” Trust us, it works.
• Learn about opportunities in your field by speaking with faculty, staff, the Center for Career Success, and others who study or work in your field(s) of interest. Don’t forget to activate your Handshake account and complete your profile to start getting noticed by potential employers right away.
• Take the NACE competency assessment.

Explore Majors and Careers

• Take courses that interest you. Explore a range of courses that you might not normally take. Exposing yourself to new ideas will help you clarify your interests and aspirations for the future.
• Meet with your advisor, chat with your EPIC Mentor, or check out the Exploratory Program for support and resources.
• Whether you’ve declared a major or not, explore where different majors can take you after college using What Can I Do With This Major?
• Read (yes, read!) the University Catalog to understand the requirements of your current or potential major(s) and minor(s).

Get Involved

• Join at least one club or organization in your first year at Western. The Multicultural Center, the LEAD office, and Wilderness Pursuits are great places to start.
• Build connections in the Gunnison community by volunteering with a local non-profit.
• Get out of your room and participate in events on campus and in the community.
• Attend a job fair or networking event.

Main objectives: Declare your major, continue to explore career options, pursue experiential learning opportunities like job shadowing, internships, student research, and study abroad, and document your experiences in a resume.

Deepen Your Involvement

• Take on more active roles or leadership positions in campus clubs and organizations. Consider campus leadership roles through offices such as Orientation, Residence Life, and Student Government Association.
• Explore whether your volunteer gig could become an internship.
• Branch out to community leadership positions or new roles that allow you to learn and practice new skill sets with different organizations.
• Attend career fairs and career workshops.

Declare Your Major

• Identify and commit to a major (or majors) that fits your personal and career interests. To learn more about how your values and interests could inform your career direction, try the O*NET Interest Profiler.
• Consult with your academic advisor, trusted friends and family, the Center for Career Success, and the Registration & Advising Services for support and guidance with any lingering questions.

Prepare for Internship and Job Applications

• Browse Handshake to see what kinds of internships and job opportunities are available. Learn how to set up and save filters to make future searches a little simpler. And don’t hesitate to reach out to employers directly if you have questions.
• Write or update your résumé and cover letter based on a position description that you could see yourself applying to in the future.
• While you’re preparing for interviews, explore and use StandOut, a relevant interview playbook, or complete a virtual mock interview with AI-powered feedback (share with an advisor or the Center for Career Success for individual feedback, too).

Main objectives: Gain relevant experience, solidify your résumé and grow your professional network

Build Your Reference List

• Keep in touch with former employers, teachers and supervisors. Make sure they know what you’re doing and where you’re headed so they can best advocate for you.
• Network with professionals in your career field via LinkedIn, workshops, conferences and other opportunities.
• Make sure you have at least three professional references and two academic references ready to go when needed.

Get Serious About Work Experience

• Look to upgrade that part-time job to one that is related to your academic pursuits or professional goals. Leverage Handshake and good old-fashioned networking to identify opportunities.
• Continue to pursue internships, job shadowing, volunteer positions, and research opportunities to build your résumé, skillset, and experience base.
• Get virtual work experience replicating real projects at real companies with Forage.

Develop Your Employment Portfolio

• Ask your advisor, parents/friends, supervisors, and the Center for Career Success to give you feedback on your résumé and cover letter.
• Give your online brand a tune-up. Employers will search for you via social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and others. Make sure you portray yourself in a way that strengthens your candidacy rather than weakens it.

Main objectives: Put your knowledge, skills, and experience to work and put your plan for life after Western into action.

Put It All Together

• Using your résumé, cover letter, and social media presence, package it in a consistent brand that flows naturally from what an employer reads about you on paper to how they see you online to your physical (or virtual) presence in an interview setting.
• Take advantage of the numerous supports available to you—including Handshake, StandOut, and academic and career advising- to maximize your preparation before graduation.

Initiate Your Search

• Plan your search strategy, including networking, leveraging online resources and databases, graduate school planning, and personal preferences (e.g., location, salary, and family considerations).
• Develop your personal branding strategy: How will you market yourself? How do you want to be perceived? What do you want potential employers to know about you?
• If you are seeking a career position, plan to submit two applications per month during the first semester of your Senior year and two applications per week during the last semester of your Senior year.
• If you are planning to attend graduate school, aim to submit 4-6 applications in total, but this number may be more significant depending on the type of program and acceptance rate of the school to which you are applying.
• Apply, interview, and accept an amazing job or graduate school offer!

• My Colorado Journey connects students and job seekers to careers, education planning and support resources through a guided process that drives action and goal completion.
• My Next Move helps you explore career options and information through keyword search, industry browsing and the O*NET Interest Profiler.
• The National Career Development Association has compiled many free resources ranging from self-assessments and tutorial videos to jobs search advice and occupational data.

• The Keirsey Temperament Sorter is based on Keirsey Temperament Theory, which will help you understand how you communicate and take action.
• The Big Five Personality Test identifies your dominant personality trait, which may help you to understand your learning styles and work preferences.
• The DISC Personality Test helps you find out how the Dominance, Influence, Steadiness, and Compliance (DISC) factors predict your behavior toward others and the everyday things you do.
• The NERIS Type Explorer is based on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) questionnaire and applies archetypes to the classic MBTI types.

*These links are provided for exploratory purposes and to encourage self-reflection and dialogue. The Center for Career Success has no contractual or other relationship with the providers of these tools. The links above are provided as free resources only. Western Colorado University does not promote or require any premium or paid upgrades.

• What Can I Do With This Major? makes it quick and simple to see the wide array of career options available to you with your major.
• CareerOneStop is a service of the U.S. Department of Labor that offers career exploration and management tools, job search and training information, and many more resources.
• O*NET offers career information including typical duties, work styles, salary/workforce outlook and links to job search resources.
• The Occupational Outlook Handbook is a comprehensive database from the Bureau of Labor Statistics that includes career information on duties, training and education requirements, pay and employment outlooks for hundreds of professions.