Page 287 - Keys to College Success

statusCHECK

How Prepared Are You for Workplace Success?

For each statement, fill in the number that best describes how often it applies to you.
1 = never 2 = seldom 3 = sometimes 4 = often 5 = always

1. I have thought about careers that may suit my interests and abilities. 1 2 3 4 5
2. I have looked into majors that match up with my career interests. 1 2 3 4 5

3. I have, or intend to get, hands-on experience through an internship, job, or volunteer work. 1 2 3 4 5
4. I understand the value of emotional intelligence in today’s workplace. 1 2 3 4 5

5. I am aware of unconventional options for majoring at my college. 1 2 3 4 5
6. I am familiar with online job search, social networking, and career planning sites. 1 2 3 4 5

7. I know how to write an effective cover letter. 1 2 3 4 5
8. I have a current résumé to send out to prospective employers. 1 2 3 4 5

9. I am prepared to give a good impression during interviews. 1 2 3 4 5
10. I plan to stay open to possibilities, and will be flexible if I decide I want to change my major. 1 2 3 4 5

Each of the topics in these statements is covered in this chapter. Note those statements for which you filled in a 3 or lower. Skim
the chapter to see where those topics appear, and pay special attention to them as you read, learn, and apply new strategies.
REMEMBER: NO MATTER HOW PREPARED YOU ARE TO SUCCEED IN THE WORKPLACE, YOU CAN IMPROVE WITH EFFORT AND PRACTICE.

HOW CAN YOU DETERMINE
your academic focus?

Think for a moment about where you stand in the process of choosing a major.
Are you:
■ Already certain of your major, perhaps even in the process of making it official?
■ Thinking of two or three areas of academic focus, and planning to test how you
feel about them by taking particular classes over your first two years?
■ Certain only of a general academic area, such as engineering or the humanities?
■ Completely unsure of what you will choose to major in?
Any of these positions is appropriate for the beginning of your college career. Fur-
thermore, none of them is necessarily reliable. By the end of this term, a student deter-
mined to go pre-med may have rejected it outright because of an intense dislike of a
course, and become interested in art history. A student with no idea at all may have
connected so strongly with a particular course that it becomes the inspiration for a
major. In a way, all of you are in the same boat no matter your status, all able to benefit
from the possibility of change and discovery.

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