Frequently Asked Questions
What services does The Career & Job Development Center offer?
Please review our Career Center Services.
What is an assessment? How do I choose a career that is right for me?
Self-assessment is a process by which you learn more about yourself: what you like, what you don't like, and how you tend to react to certain situations. Knowing these things can help you determine which occupations and work situations could be a better fit for you.
Choosing a career is an involved process that is based on a number of things. Once you have completed your self-assessment and have a solid understanding of your interests, skills, and values, it’s time to begin researching careers and comparing them to your assessment results. You might want to meet with our career counselor who will use various tools to help you in choosing a career that is right for you.
I’m undecided. How do I choose a major?
Your first step is to do some self-assessment. The more you understand yourself, the clearer your life goals and the way to reach them will become. Asking yourself the following questions will give you some important clues:
- What do you truly enjoy? Consider the classes and activities that you have liked the best. What did they involve? Why did you enjoy them? There are careers related to every interest you have!
- What are you good at? Identify your skills and abilities. What types of things do you seem to do well? Are they technical…adventurous…intellectual?
- What is really important to you? Is enjoying your work more important than prestige? Is creativity more important than security? You want your choice to be compatible with your values.
- What is the coolest job you can imagine? Describe it as specifically as you can. Try to locate and contact one or two people in this area and have an informational interview.
- Ask your Career Center staff what assessments they offer. These can help you discover more about yourself.
- Examine the majors available to you in LACC’s catalog. Make a list of your options and eliminate those that don’t interest you. Read about the majors remaining on your list.
- Mark the courses in each major that most interest you, match your abilities, or share your values. This should help you further shorten your list.
- Review additional information about the majors on your shortened list. Visit each department’s web pages or read print materials they offer.
- Talk with a career counselor, academic counselor, students currently in these majors, and faculty members. Visit the Career Center for resources.
- What is available? Does the Career Center offer a workshop in choosing a major?
- Talk with the career counselor. The more information you find, the more informed your final decision will be.
- It’s time to put together the information you have collected. Consider what you have learned. Weigh the pros and cons of each option.
- If you haven’t already, narrow your list down to two or three majors. Consider the feasibility of a second major or making one of your options your minor.
- Does LACC offer an interdisciplinary major or minor in any of the majors you are interested in? This is a major or minor you create yourself within prescribed parameters. It allows you to take classes selected from different departments that share some theme or career goal.
- If you are still having difficulty deciding, talk with the career counselor who can help you evaluate the information you have collected, suggest additional resources, and guide you through the decision-making process.
- Choose student activities, internships, volunteer work, and/or part-time employment that can help you further develop your skills in areas that interest you.
- Talk to people who work in the career fields you are considering. Ask them about their major and how it helped them.
- You can attend our annual Career/Job Fair to interview people in your intended field.
How do I find a job that is a good fit with my major?
Research, research, research! Utilize the Eureka system and the Vocational Biographies at the Career Center and Occupational Outlook resources online to find the titles of potential jobs within the area of your major. Examine this information and compare the opportunities to what your personal preferences are. From there, access the Vocational Biographies program at the Career Center to read about people working in your careers of interest.
Another way to find out the "nitty gritty" of a job is to actually talk to people doing the job. Ask the Job Developer to help you set up and prepare for an Informational Interview. In an Informational Interview you sit down with a professional who works in the field you are interested in and you get the opportunity to ask them questions about the job and their life in that work environment.
You can also participate in a Job Shadow field trip. The Job Developer will set up Job Shadow field trips where you can join a group of students in a visit to a local employer. This will give you a chance to talk to people already working in the industry and see what they do.
How do I write a resume?
Your resume is a personal marketing tool used in securing an interview. It is a written summary of your education, work experience, professional skills, and interests. It is a sample of your ability to organize and express yourself in writing, clearly, concisely, and neatly. Resume preparation begins with self-analysis. What is your career goal (objective)? What are your skills, strengths, values, and interests? What is your experience? Target your resume to your audience and think about how your experiences match the employer’s needs.
A resume should be:
- Brief: No more than one page with a font size of no less than 11. Keep the margins to one inch.
- Organized: Categorize information: Heading, Objective or Professional Profile, Skills Summary, Work History or Experience, and Education and Training.
- Neat: Always typed and NEVER hand-written.
- Clear: List the facts about you and what you have to offer in a clear statement that can be easily understood.
- Dynamic: Start each phrase with a verb and state what you did. Talk about yourself, not others in your workplace.
Can the Career Center find me a job?
We refer you to off campus locations for this service. The Job Developer offers assistance through each step in the process of finding a job and keeping it. From completing an application to interview preparation to advising while you are in your job, the Job Developer is there to help. Depending on how much help you need, the Job Developer will work both cooperatively and collaboratively with you to help you find a job.
What is a Career Fair?
A Career Fair is when employers from all disciplines come together to recruit, screen, and hire qualified candidates. By attending a Career Fair you can gather information about a company and its programs, find out what opportunities are available, and even land an interview! So dress to impress, bring questions, and meet recruiters! Going to a Career Fair is one of the best ways to search for a new job. Furthermore, even though you may not be searching for employment, you can use these events to network and meet people in the industry of your interest.
How do I make an appointment to discuss career exploration and planning?
Call or visit the Career Center.
What are Green Careers?
You can find out by viewing the Green Careers slideshow