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Take the initiative
Your unique abilities and aspirations provide the foundation for a life of impact and purpose. What that looks like is up to you. Career development is the process of translating aspirations into action. Taking small steps each week will make a big difference. We will help you.
A few tips to get started
Having a growth mindset will serve you well. You don't need to have all of the answers or know exactly what your future career should look like -- that's why you came to Notre Dame.
Here is some insight to get you started:
- Career development principles you learn at Notre Dame will be needed and used throughout your life.
- The process of career development is just as important as the goals you achieve.
- Small steps you take each week will make a big difference.
- There is more than one path to achieve your career goals.
- A common theme you will hear about is the importance of networking. It is necessary, and it's not as hard as you think.
- Ask questions and embrace feedback. Many people, like us in the CCD, want to help you.
What is career development?
Career development is a complex, life-long process that will provide structure to reach your career aspirations. At Notre Dame, we make career development easy to understand with a three-step framework:
- Discern - The most important part of career development is reflection and discernment. Learn about the intersection of your values, interests, and skills.
- Pursue - You have access to a variety of resources to help you pursue your aspirations. Explore which you believe are most helpful and use them.
- Achieve - Set attainable goals and celebrate your wins. Every win is a win, no matter how small. Achievement is not the end -- it's the beginning of your next step.
It's not one-size-fits-all
We recognize you have a lot going on as a college student. We use tailored approaches to best suit your needs. Here are a few ways of how we will help you:
- Class-specific e-newsletters with action-oriented, simple steps you can take.
- Tailored emails about events, internships, and jobs based on the interests you share in Handshake and our surveys.
- Industry networking opportunities with employers from a variety of industries.
- Self-serve resources to prepare you for discerning, networking, interviewing, and applying for opportunities.
- Workshops and learning labs to develop key skills.
- One-on-one career advising sessions to receive individualized feedback and guidance.
- Professional interview room environments where you can showcase how great you are, whether virtually or in person.
Appointments
Our focus in the fall semester is to support seniors, juniors, and sophomores. First-year students are welcome to participate in group appointments and workshops in the fall semester. One-on-one career advising appointments begin in the spring semester for first-year students.
You can sign up for career advising appointments via Handshake. Look for the "Career Center" option on the navigation, then select "Appointments."
Reflect on insightful advice
Not only will our staff give you advice, we also ask recruiters, alumni, and your fellow students what advice they have for you.
To get you started, we asked graduating seniors for career development advice they have for first-years. Here's what they shared:
Interested in more advice? We have lots of insight from students.