Choosing Majors & Careers

Career and Student Employment Services

Choosing Majors & Careers

Career and Self Assessment
Choosing Majors
Link Majors to Occupations
Connect with Professionals
Career Planning Checklists

Career & Self Assessment

Career assessments and inventories help you reflect on your personality and values when you are faced with decisions such as choosing a major, making a career choice, or finding the most ideal employment fit. Being able to articulate your strengths can give you more confidence in your decisions and in your job search. Often we discover what we DO NOT want to do before we know what we DO want to do. Tests do not identify the perfect and only job for you, but assist you in gaining a better understanding of yourself so you can look for potential matches of your skills and goals to career paths, organizational expectations and work environments. Assessment can help you narrow the choices.

Campus Resources

On our WMU campus, we highly recommend three resources:

UNIV 1020 Career Exploration and Development is a one-credit course you can enroll in anytime after your first semester on campus. Take advantage of career assessment instruments to help confirm interests, values and personality, and use this knowledge to explore career directions. You also learn to network with professionals, to write a resume, to apply and interview for an internship, and to confidently sell your skills to employers. Instructors are career development and guidance practitioners. Refer to GoWMU course catalogs or academic advisors for details.
WMU Career Guidance Inventory, a four-part test in a standardized format, allows reflection on Personality, Values, Interests and Aptitudes. Career counselors help correlate these four components and offer insights to define or confirm choices of major, occupational goals, career paths, career changes, vocations and avocations. This instrument is offered at the University Counseling and Testing Center in Faunce Student Services Building (Suite 2513, ground level in the “Birdcage”) to prospective students, enrolled students and alumni, as well as to the general public. For details regarding appointments and fees, phone (269)387-1850 or view University Counseling and Testing Center Counseling Services.
MBTI/Strong Career Report is an electronic version of two well-known assessment instruments which help identify employment roles and settings that match individual personality styles and interest factors. If job satisfaction is a high priority, targeting organizations, work tasks and environments greatly enhances the potential for finding a job you will love. Know yourself first, then research companies that value your qualities, abilities, and priorities. Employers look for “fit,” so your chances of securing an interview and representing yourself well also increase. Call (269)387-2745 to arrange testing with a career advisor in Ellsworth Hall.

JobWeb shows you "How Assessment Can Help You Choose a Major or Career." Always remember the importance of meeting with a career advisor or counselor to help interpret what you learn from career assessments.

Choosing Majors

Good career decision making on the part of students often begins with the choice of a major. Here are some ways to investigate and experiment with interests:

Academic Success
Courses in which you do well and which capture a high level of your interest might be considered a good direction for a major. Review subsequent course titles in the subject of your interest for their content appeal. Examine “What Can I Do With This Major?” and view academic department websites.

UNIV 1020 Career Exploration and Development is a one-credit course you can enroll in anytime after your first semester on campus. Take advantage of career assessment instruments to help confirm interests, values and personality, and use this knowledge to explore career directions. You also learn to network with professionals, to write a resume, to apply and interview for an internship, and to confidently sell your skills to employers. Instructors are career development and guidance practitioners. Refer to GoWMU course catalogs or academic advisors for details.

Career Assessment
University Counseling and Testing Services offers the WMU Career Guidance Inventory in standardized format to promote self-understanding and to help define or confirm direction and choice of major. MBTI/Strong Career Report, offered by Career and Student Employment Services, is an electronic version of two well-known assessment tools, the Myers-Briggs Type Inventory and the Strong Interest Inventory. When combined, these help identify employment roles and settings that match individual personality styles and interest factors.
Exploration and Experimentation
Exposure to professionals engaged in their occupational fields and involvement in activities which build skills employers value give students a more realistic sense of careers and the skills required to pursue them effectively. Learn which majors lead to specific careers—determine where you want to go in order to best identify the path that will take you there. In addition to helping find a direction, related activities help students acquire relevant skills and build experience which gives a decided edge later in the job market. Intentionally select activities such as:

Targeted summer job
Volunteering with local community organizations
Leadership or functional role in student organizations, fraternities, honoraries or specialized interest clubs
Campus employment including orientation or admissions assistants
Internships which provide a high level of insight into work directly related to the field of study

Informational Interviewing
Gather information from individuals active in fields of interest to learn which majors would prepare you best for these careers. Keep in mind that there are often a number of ways to arrive at the same goal:

Network with employers visiting campus
Meet representatives of professional associations through student chapters
Connect with WMU alumni mentors through your BroncoJOBS account

Link Majors to Occupations

Connect with Professionals

Informational Interviewing
Informational interviewing means gathering information about a career or occupational trends from people working in that field. It means meeting or talking with people in an interview setting where information--not a job--is the goal, and the questions are asked by the seeker. It is most useful for early career exploration or in the beginning stages of a job search. It helps the seeker make more informed choices and provides confidence for employment interviewing by encouraging matching of skills and values to career field needs, learning how to market those skills, and where job openings may exist:

What Can Be Gained?

Gain a more realistic view of work in the field of interest--its challenges, downsides, rewards
Identify the skills and personal characteristics needed to succeed
Be realistic about experience and education required to be considered for employment
Create a checklist for evaluating or describing personal related strengths
Expand a professional network
Learn about current trends and/or local needs in the field

Steps to Take:
Identify someone employed in a position or field of interest to you...

Think of people you already know--family, friends, neighbors, church members, roommates and their families, former teachers
Ask professors about professionals or alumni you might contact
Check with local or campus professional associations
Ask our career advisors for suggestions of people willing to talk about their careers, including WMU Career Allies (primarily alumni)
Call an organization or company and ask for a person with a certain job title

Contact the individual...

A phone call is less demanding on time than a letter
Be courteous and concise in describing your request
Ask for 10-15 minutes of time if you phone, and offer to call back if more convenient
Accept if someone who knows the person offers to contact them for you

Plan ahead how to use the interview time well...

Make a list of questions you would like answered
Decide what you most want to learn
Choose 3-5 questions to begin the conversation
Listen carefully and take notes during a phone conversation or immediately following a meeting
Let your contact determine the length of the conversation
Ask what advice they have for anyone entering the field

Follow up...

Learn the correct spelling of the person's name and title
Send a brief note of thanks--courtesy is one of the best habits you can build
Assess what you have learned and make changes in your career preparation, resume, or job search strategy when indicated
Let people know when their input, suggestions, or advice had positive results for you

What to Ask:

What kinds of things do you do in a typical work day?
What skills and personal characteristics should a person possess to be successful?
What degree or major is preferred for entry into this field? Is a Masters degree necessary?
How great a demand is there for people in this occupation?
What are average starting salaries in this field? The career earning potential?
What opportunities exist for advancement in this field?
What types of training do companies offer new employees in this field?
What degree do you hold, what kind of experience did you have, and did you do an internship?
If you could do things all over again, would you choose the same path for yourself? What would you do differently?
Can you suggest any other related fields or professions that I should explore?
Could you suggest other professionals that I should talk to about this field? May I use your name?
Are there professional journals, publications or associations I should explore?

Professional Associations

Groups of professionals gather regularly to further the goals, research, and standards of their fields. Explore career fields or investigate current trends and employment opportunities by making contact with a professional association.

Associations usually have materials available upon request describing the field as a career. To identify societies related to your major, ask professors or view departmental web pages.

Professional associations often have student chapters which reflect specific majors, such as American Chemical Society, Society of Professional Journalists, or the American Marketing Association. Others relate more to job functions, such as “Toastmasters” which build public speaking skills, or “Professional Women Communicators” which represent a broad range of communication-related occupations from marketing to media to fundraising. To connect, ask professors and advisors, look for meeting times in the “Glances” column of the Western Herald, or look for Academic and Special Interest groups of Registered Student Organizations.

JobWeb’s Professional Associations page links you to hundreds of associations representing career fields related to majors in all colleges.

The Community Information Directory published electronically by the Kalamazoo Public Library lists over 100 professional and cultural associations in the greater Kalamazoo area. Click on Catalog -> Local Information -> Local Organizations.

The Kalamazoo Gazette lists upcoming meetings of local organizations in the Business section of the paper on Sundays.

Mentor Program

The Mentor Program is a networking program designed specifically to link WMU students with alumni in various career fields. Students may search for mentors based on such things as present employer, industry, job function, region, or college major. Contact between students and mentors may range from a brief telephone call to ongoing correspondence or meetings.

Students benefit from interaction with alumni by gaining a better understanding of what it means to work in a particular career field or learning what career paths are available related to specific majors. It is also an opportunity to begin or to extend a networking system with professionals to help prepare and move with more confidence into professional life after graduation.

To search for Alumni Mentors, log in through the “Job Search” section of BroncoJOBS and click on “Mentors” on the menu bar.

Career Planning Checklists

Undergraduate Career Development

First Year
Increase Self-awareness

Make a list of your greatest skills and interests
Test your interests through student activities
Gain exposure to the work of organizations and the skills they require through community volunteerism
Identify majors that relate to your abilities and interests
Create a resume
Begin developing a list of individuals who can serve as references
Meet with a career advisor to discuss ways to explore career paths and build related skills
Get acquainted with your academic advisor to explore course options
Register with BroncoJOBS to learn about undergraduate employment opportunities
Target a part-time job, campus job or summer job which develops employability skills

Sophomore Year
Explore Career Alternatives

Enroll in University 1020 for credited career exploration to help with career-related decisions
Update BroncoJOBS registration to reflect current class level and new address information
Utilize career libraries and occupational websites such as the O'Net and occupational outlook handbook to obtain information about occupations
Identify values and what is important to you in a job
Discover or confirm a career direction by taking the WMU Career Guidance Inventory or the MBTI/Strong assessments
Target course electives which will enhance your marketability to employers
Contact professional associations which provide current information about fields that interest you
Consider study abroad to develop language skills and international and intercultural competencies
Meet with a career advisor to discuss relevant employment and portfolio items to begin documenting your achievements and abilities

Junior Year
Gain Professional Skills and Experience

Relate your values, interests and abilities to careers
Find people in jobs that interest you and interview them about the nature of their work
Develop relationships with faculty and professionals in your field
Join and attend meetings of professional registered student organizations
Meet with career advisors to target ways to further develop field-related skills
Attend an internship strategies workshop
Update registration with BroncoJOBS and create a web resume to pursue internships
Seek major-related experiences such as internships, fieldwork, apprenticeships, cooperative education or a practicum
Apply for campus leadership positions which develop skills and expand your experience base
Attend career fairs to learn about employer needs
Create a personal portfolio demonstrating your accomplishments
Apply for graduation to establish your senior year calendar

Senior Year
Implement your Job Search

Update BroncoJOBS registration and web resume to prepare for entering the job market
Have resume and cover letter critiqued
Attend workshops and practice interviews to sharpen interviewing and networking skills
Talk with professionals in your field about opportunities and job search techniques
Meet with career advisors to design your personal job search strategy
Complete portfolio or open credential file
Research prospective employers to target needs which match your skills and interests
Request and schedule interviews with employers conducting on-campus recruiting
Attend career fairs to meet employers
Locate job openings in BroncoJOBS postings.

Career Development Timeline for Graduate Students
As a graduate student, whether currently employed or planning your career, meet with your career advisor as soon as you begin your program. You and your advisor can then develop a timeline specific for your career needs that you can use as a tool throughout your education. Also preview dissertation Information if this is a factor in your plan.

Early: Establish your support network. Make an individual appointment with your career advisor in the Career and Student Employment Services office. Your advisor will help you identify campus resources, opportunities and people to help you in your career planning process. Attend conferences, seminars and workshops offered on campus and elsewhere that will connect you to professionals in your field.

Mid-Program: Meet again with your career advisor. Begin forming your curriculum vitae/resume. Identify skills, experiences and information you have yet to gain before graduation. Set a plan to complete your networking and education with these needs in mind. Serve on departmental, university or other committees, participate in research, author articles or other professional endeavors to stay current and connected in your field.

Nearing Graduation: By now you will have a strong support system at WMU and hopefully in the wider professional community. Consult with your mentor, department chair, advisor or committee chair for assistance and advice on job search strategies and leads.
Gather your professional materials, research, articles or other demonstrations of your work to use during the search process. Determine who your references will be, ask them for support and begin making application to positions.

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