Month: November 2014

How to Use This Blog in Career Planning

Photo by ebayink via Flickr
Photo by ebayink via Flickr

Are you a passive or active reader of this blog?  Of course, we sincerely appreciate our passive readers who eagerly anticipate the biweekly arrival of our posts in your inbox.  However, there are some ways to really make this blog work for you.  Here are three ideas for becoming an active reader and getting more out of your experience with us.

First, note the search box in the right-hand column.  Doing a keyword search for your major or a career that interests you could help you uncover posts with exactly the information that you need.  Second, you can use our category tags (also in the right-hand column) to quickly pull information on a career topic that you are researching.  Third, you can interact with us by commenting on posts or contacting us to suggest a topic for future posts.  We want this blog to be helpful to you, so let us know how we can best accomplish that.

International Career Opportunities

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Today, I want to bring your attention to one of the premium resources offered to you by Baylor Career and Professional Development.  The resource is called Goinglobal, and it offers information to students who are interested in international employment, internships, and volunteer opportunities.  Additionally, the site details cultural advice, work permit/visa information, and resume/interviewing tips for individual countries.

We also encourage you to check out our other premium resources, which you can view by clicking here.

Use Your Common Sense Day

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In honor of Use Your Common Sense Day, I thought I would take a few moments to discuss how common sense plays a critical role in career decision-making.  First, consider your academic performance in your major.  Are you making an A in most of your classes?  If not, what could you do to improve your performance?  If you spend an adequate amount of time studying and take advantage of academic support resources, yet you still aren’t making the grade, perhaps a change of major would yield better results.  A strong grade point average is important for keeping graduate/professional school and employment options open.

Next, consider if you are truly enjoying your major classes.  If not, what is your rationale for being in your major?  If you do not enjoy your major, there is a risk that you will not like your career, either.  People who enjoy their work often demonstrate more motivation and initiative.  Consequently, they may experience more success than their colleagues who do not enjoy their work.

Finally, do you have work experience related to your career goal?  If not, you might experience difficulty in your job search or graduate school application process.  Depending on your area of interest, internships, part-time employment, summer jobs, volunteer opportunities, and shadowing could be methods for opening up more opportunities in your future.

The staff of Career and Professional Development are happy to help you explore your options and find relevant experience.  Review the information on our website to determine which of our services could be most useful to you.