Career Development Timeline

Owned by Jason Victor
Last updated: Aug 11, 2023 by Cathleen Borgman


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!