First Year

Make an appointment with the Career Counselor for your specific school to talk about goals, aspirations, and how to best utilize the next four years.
Start working on a resume. Keep a record of all accomplishments and activities.
Get involved on campus. Join and participate in clubs, organizations, sports and/or community service.
Work towards a great GPA. If you are having issues in a class, your first step should be talking with your professor and utilizing academic resources on campus.
Visit the Career Center’s Life@ portal and website for events and updates.
Make sure to keep your social media sites clean, professional, and set appropriate privacy settings (Instagram, Snapchat, or Twitter). Employers will Google you, so it is important to maintain a professional image online.

Sophomore Year

Take one or all of the “self-assessment inventories” such as the Myers-Briggs, Strong Interest Inventory, or Strengths. These assessments are helpful if you’re not sure what career path to pursue.
Participate in Sophomore Success, a weekly program where counselors review different career-related topics such as Resumes, LinkedIn, and the Internship/Job search process.
Work toward a leadership role in a club or organization. Students could also consider a role such as a Resident Assistant, New Student Leader, Career Peer Advisor, or Eucharistic Minister.
Start planning for internships. Career counselors can assist with this process as can professors.
Attend a Stags4Hire Workshop. Stags4Hire is the Fairfield University job board where employers who want to hire Fairfield students post jobs and internships.
Attend Career Center and school-specific career workshops, employer presentations, and alumni panels to start learning more about potential careers.
Start networking. Create a LinkedIn profile. Meet with a Career Counselor to receive important networking tips.

Junior Year

Review your resume with a Career Counselor to further develop it further add your summer activities. High school activities should not be included at this point.
Consider doing an internship for credit during the academic year.
Upload your resume on Stags4Hire for summer internships. Internships are critical to your success and employers look for them when hiring.
Develop tailored cover letters for each position you apply to.
If you are planning to attend graduate/professional school, prepare for entrance tests such as the GRE, GMAT, MCAT, or LSAT.
Practice for upcoming interviews using Interview Prep (https://fairfield.interviewprep.app).
Attend workshops sponsored by the Career Center or your school. Students can find events on Life@ and the Career Center’s weekly Stags4Hire e-mail.
Attend Career & Internship Fairs relating to your area of interest.
Apply for the winter break Alumni Job Shadow Program so you can shadow an alumnus/a in a career field you might be interested in pursuing after graduation.
Update your LinkedIn profile and learn how to use LinkedIn throughout the networking process.
Maintain a professional presence on social media sites. Employers will look at social media profiles during the hiring process.

Senior Year

Update your resume with a Career Counselor to add summer activities.
Make an appointment with a Career Counselor in the fall semester and continue to meet with them to discuss and strategize post-graduation plans.
Be proactive in the job, graduate school, or post-grad service search and be aware of deadlines. Follow up on all applications (set up a spreadsheet to assist in tracking all activity).
Attend the Career & Internship Fairs related to your area of interest.
Apply for the winter break Alumni Job Shadow Program to shadow an alumnus/a in a career field you might be interested in pursuing after graduation.
Hone your interviewing techniques by scheduling a mock interview with a counselor and participate in the Career Center’s Mock Interview Day.
Practice for upcoming interviews using Interview Prep (https://fairfield.interviewprep.app).
Participate in Senior Launch and stay up to date on all programs through Life@ and e-mails.
Continue networking using LinkedIn.
Identify people who will be references for you. Ask them if they are willing to serve as a reference and give them a copy of your resume.
If applying to graduate school, Career Counselors can critique your personal statement essay.
Maintain a professional presence on social media sites and/or used the appropriate privacy settings. Employers will look at social media profiles during the hiring process.
Remember that the Career Center is a lifelong resource. We are here to help you beyond graduation!

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