1. First Last

2. Explore Careers Take assessments to discover careers that fit you
Help you identify strengths and interests
Link those strengths and interests to careers and majors
ICAN utilizes MyACT in Career Advising Sessions
Explore career interests early through job shadows & internships
Exploring careers before you select a college enables you to find the best school that fits your career interests and goals. It does you no good to attend a four-year school if the career that most interests you only requires a two-year degree.
Taking personal assessments can help you match your skills, interests and values to careers. Use ihaveaplaniowa.gov to help you research possible career paths and the education or training level needed to succeed.
Job shadows and internships are another way of truly discovering if a career is right for you. Work with your counselor or talk to local businesses that fit your interest areas to see if you can help out around the office and observe the day-to-day workings of certain careers.

3. MyACT Career Map Discover careers that fit
Help you identify strengths and interests
Explore career interests early through job shadows & internships

4. Job Shadows Sample a Job Observe or “shadow” someone as they work
Spend a day or a week observing a career interest
Ask questions
Learn the ins and outs of the job
Learn about industry trends ( is the career field growing or in decline, where are the jobs located, would you have to move, what are the starting salaries? Average salary is with 5-7 years of work experience, college grads don’t have this and will start at a lower wage.)
Resumes and Cover Letters are a potential employers first impression of you; they should be well edited and polished.
Do mock-interviews at the career center to reduce nervousness and practice answers to tricky interview questions.

5. Internships Professional learning experience
Sometimes paid or for credit
One – Four Months of Work
Hands-on Experience in a Field of Interest

6. Get Hands-On Experience
Iowa Intermediary Network can help
Job Shadow - Spend a day with a professional in a career of interest
Internships -Take a more in-depth look at a career
Volunteer
Sometimes the best way to learn is to leave the classroom and take a career for a test drive. Work with your school counselor to setup job shadows and internships in career areas you think you are interested in.
Job Shadow: Spend a day with a professional in a career of interest and see how their day-to-day job duties fit with your vision. Spending a day in their shoes can open your eyes to how they spend their time and if you could see yourself following the same path.
Internships: While a job shadow is typically a one day experience, an internship is a longer, more in-depth journey through which you can discover unknown aspects of careers and receive hands-on experience performing the tasks and duties of your future career.
Use your free-time to your advantage by volunteering or completing job shadows. Talk to your counselor about job shadow opportunities in your community. This is a great chance to explore potential careers before you commit to anything. This can also be added to your activity resume.

7. Be Active & Get Involved
Gain experience and skills outside of the classroom
Extra-Curricular Activities & Community Service
Build Skills
Leadership
Teamwork
Organization & Time Management
Improve Interpersonal Abilities
You should get in the habit of keeping track of all your accomplishments and activities on an activities resume. The IHaveAPlanIowa website has a tool that can assist you with creating your resume. You want to start recording activities from your freshman year forward to show the length of time you’ve been committed to your activities.

8. Career Center Research careers Create a resume
Learn how to write a cover letter and thank-you note
Practice your job interview skills
Learn about industry trends ( is the career field growing or in decline, where are the jobs located, would you have to move, what are the starting salaries? Average salary is with 5-7 years of work experience, college grads don’t have this and will start at a lower wage.)
Resumes and Cover Letters are a potential employers first impression of you; they should be well edited and polished.
Do mock-interviews at the career center to reduce nervousness and practice answers to tricky interview questions.

9. What are Essential Skills?
Why are they important? Why do they matter?

10. Essential Skills Skills outside your education or training background
Enhance your resume and job prospects
Highly sought-after by employers
Can be a make-or-break for getting the job

11. Job Interview
What do you think an employer is looking for in an interview?
Why have an interview? Why not hire someone with all the background and experience listed on the resume?
What is the hardest part of a job interview?
How can you prepare for a job interview?

12. Job Interview Questions
Easy Questions
What is your ideal job?
Five words to describe yourself?
Tricky Questions
What do you excel at and what needs improvement?
Describe the characteristics of the boss you want and then the boss you don’t want.
Have a few students answer the questions and give tips on how to answer.
Tricky questions – be honest but not negative. Interview is the time to shine and sell yourself without getting cocky. It’s a fine line. Negative questions – try and answer in an honest way that ends up being positive. “ I need to learn to say no sometimes. I sometimes tend to take on too much by trying to be helpful and end up not being able to do it all.” Answer is an honest example of something that needs to be improved upon however it also shows that you are a hard-worker and have initiative, you go looking for work and are willing to help out. Turns the negative answer into a positive as well.

13. Practice Interview Skills
Appearance
Handshake, Posture, Eye Contact
Bring: resume and reference list; portfolio
Khakis at the least, slacks are nice. Dress shirt, tie sometimes optional, but very professional. Suits depending on the company. Pay attenton to the details – iron your clothes.
Be aware that your personal expression may conflict with a potential employer’s idea of professionalism. Certain piercings or visible tattoos could alarm some employers or persuade them to look at another candidate.
Firm handshake, no limp fish! Sit up straight, no slouching. Make eye contact with hiring committee, don’t fidget or stare at your feet. Try to give complete answers with few ums and uhhs.
Bring extra copies of resume and references for committee, just in case.
I like, think I would, like, be perfect for this, like, job..ya know?

14. Practice Essential Skills
With student next to you practice some of the skills listed on the handout.
Have a few students answer the questions and give tips on how to answer.
Tricky questions – be honest but not negative. Interview is the time to shine and sell yourself without getting cocky. It’s a fine line. Negative questions – try and answer in an honest way that ends up being positive. “ I need to learn to say no sometimes. I sometimes tend to take on too much by trying to be helpful and end up not being able to do it all.” Answer is an honest example of something that needs to be improved upon however it also shows that you are a hard-worker and have initiative, you go looking for work and are willing to help out. Turns the negative answer into a positive as well.

15. Career & College Corner Blog Social Media
Tip of the Week Video
Senior Year Alerts
Career & College Corner Blog
Social Media
If you want to fill out the bottom of the survey you can sign-up for our free tip of the week and eAlerts program. We’ll send you reminder and tips on planning, scholarship opportunities and other helpful information.

16. The ICAN website is full of additional resources and information for every step in the college journey. There are many areas of the site that can help you along your journey. Check out the Students/Parents section. Under Planning Tools and Resources you’ll find quick links to the top resources on our site, including our e-newsletter, resource zone and scholarship database. You can also reach all of our social media sites from our homepage.