Career Services helps you develop self-awareness through a variety of assessment tools and offers one-on-one assistance as you explore how your interests, skills, and values align with potential careers.
Career Decision-making is a process. You can arrange a meeting with a Career Services professional at any point in this process.
- Call 973-328-5245, or
- Email career-services@ccm.edu, or
- Visit Career Services in SCC 118.
If you are a first-year student, don’t forget to meet with your Student Success Specialist in the Academic Success Center if you have not already done so.
Engage in Self-Assessment
- Discover your interests and values. My Next Move is a recommended tool offering a fun and interactive interest profiler.
- Consider schools subjects you enjoy studying or excel in.
- Identify your academic and extracurricular achievements and what transferable skills you have gained from them. (Not sure what transferable skills are? Ask us!)
- Understand how these characteristics align with potential careers.
Career Exploration: Research and Evaluate Career Options
- Assess your choice of major based on your potential career interest.
- Learn about the career options within a field. Utilize research tools such as What Can I Do With This Major?, a college-sponsored program that digs into the relationship between majors and careers.
- Research work environments, employment trends and outlook, additional education requirements, and any other components of a line of work that are important to you, such as location and salary. O*Net is a regularly updated database of occupational characteristics and worker requirements information across the US.
- Review job descriptions on current job posting sites such as indeed.com for an up-to-the-minute view.
Develop Career Readiness Skills
- Learn about the soft skills that employers are looking for in today’s job market.
- Identify the skills you still need to develop for success in your chosen field. Formulate a plan to develop these skills.
- Consider practical experience. Not only can an internship offer an opportunity to “test-drive” a career and confirm your decisions, but it can also fine-tune skills like time management, communication, working with others and problem-solving, all of which will ease your transition between school and work. Learn more about Internships through Career Services.
Along the Way…
- Set realistic goals for yourself
- Be flexible
- Join student organizations
- Investigate on-campus employment / internships
- Attend career workshops and events
- Maintain a portfolio of your work and achievements
Career decision-making is a journey. Take your time, explore your options, and seek support when needed. Career Services is here to help you every step of the way.