Working Your Plan

Students kayaking in Lake Champlain

Dreading those summer “What are you going to do with your life?” conversations with relatives and friends?  Here’s your answer: “I’ve got a plan and I’m working it!”

The 4 Year Plan for Career Success is just that—a well-defined road map of action steps for your four years at UVM to help you engage in experiences to explore your interests and build the skills to be successful in your chosen work.

It’s a self-managed plan, so you can move at your own pace and check off the steps along the way. There are even samples for students in various majors.

The major areas the 4 Year Plan for Career Success addresses are:

  • 1st Year- EXPLORE: What are your strengths and interests?
  • 2nd Year- EXPERIENCE What experiences could help you evaluate a career interest?
  • 3rd Year- FOCUS: What strengths would you want an employer to know about you? Does your resume tell that story?
  • 4th Year- ACHIEVE: What is the strategy and timeline for your job search?

Summer is the perfect time to identify alumni who are working in positions of interest and set up an informational interview, or even a one-day job shadowing. Use your summer job to develop your skills with Excel or to build knowledge of patient care. Reflect on how you will articulate the skills obtained in that summer position on a resume or in an interview. Do an internship.  Develop a LinkedIn profile.

The Career Center is open all summer and we’re happy to talk with you about some of your options for taking action on your 4 Year Plan for Career Success.

Remember the last word in the 4 Year Plan for Career Success— it’s success. Use your summer to dive in and move forward towards your own vision of success.

~Mary Beth

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