Four-Year Career Guide
A Career Development Plan by Class Year
Career development is a process that happens over time. The earlier you begin to engage in career building activities, the more prepared you will be at graduation. Your first year at Emmanuel should be spent engaging with people and resources to lay the foundation for the next four years.
It’s never too early to meet with your Career Advisor and we encourage all First Year students to make an appointment during your first year. In your first appointment, your Career Advisor will explain how the two of you will partner over the next 4 years to prepare you for your future career. You can also discuss your interests, goals, and thoughts on a major!
Assessing your skills, interests, personality, and values provides you with insight about yourself that can help you to choose a path of study. The McCafferty Career Center has resources available to help you determine a major.
Career Planning + Engagement is a required First Year course designed to prepare students for the undergraduate career development process.
On-campus employment is an opportunity to not only earn money, but also develop critical workplace skills.
Your sophomore year is the time to start narrowing down some of your interests and explore career and internship opportunities.
If you have not yet declared your major, working with your Academic Advisor this year to select a major is a important step in your career development. If you are still unsure of a major, consider meeting with your Career Advisor to explore majors.
Second Year is a great time to use tthe O*Net Interest Profiler to explore your interests and Labor Market Insights to explore different occupations. Make time to meet with your Career Advisor to discuss career exploration including early internships in various career fields.
Employers regularly site leadership on-campus as an area they look for when recruiting new grads. If you are currently a member of a club on-campus, considering seeking a leadership role this year. Also consider the many academic clubs at Emmanuel that help students develop professional skills.
Sophomore year is a great time to work with your career advisor on early internships, career exploration, and resumes.
Junior year should be spent engaging in career building activities such as internships, research assistantships, clinicals, or student teaching. This is also the time to decide whether pursing graduate school immediately after graduation is right for you.
Internships for course credit are typically completed in Junior or Senior Year. If your schedule allows, consider completing an internship in your Junior Year, which will give you a chance to add an additional one in your final year.
The McCafferty Career Center holds multiple recruiting events throughout the year. Students should also consider attending one of the many off-campus events held within the City of Boston.
Graduate school plans vary from student to student, and no single timeline fits everyone. For students who plan to attend graduate school directly after graduating from Emmanuel, junior year is an important time to begin selecting schools and preparing for any required entrance exams.
It is highly encouraged that you meet with your Career Advisor each year, and by junior year, all students should have completed at least one meeting with a Career Advisor—ideally more!
Senior year can be both exciting and daunting. You may have a clear idea of your post-graduation plans, or you may still be exploring multiple options. The McCafferty Career Center is here to support you, wherever you are in the process.
Most majors require an internship in the senior year. The McCafferty Career Center can help you to develop an internship search strategy and help you to identify potential internship sites. It is recommended that you meet with your Career Advisor a full semester in advance to plan your internship search.
The McCafferty Career Center holds multiple recruiting events throughout the year. Students should also consider attending one of the many off-campus events held within the City of Boston.
Crafting an industry-tailored job search plan is a critical step in gaining employment. A productive job search plan should include an application timeline based on your industry, a list of job-specific job boards, guidance on networking, and more. Work with your Career Advisor during the fall semester to develop a plan for your spring job search.
The McCafferty Career Center recommends meeting with your Career Advisor to update your resume and plan your job search. If you are unsure about the type of work you would like to pursue after graduation, use this time to reflect on your interests and experiences and develop a plan for life after Emmanuel.
Use this guide to help you determine the actions you can take to maximize your undergraduate career development.