Career Development Guide - 1 - Explore career options and job searching

Sep 15, 2026

Upload by Finn

Career Development Guide provides WMU students with a central resource hub for career coaching and student employment. It covers career exploration and self-assessment through tools such as FOCUS 2, CliftonStrengths, and the MBTI, helping students understand values, interests, skills, and work preferences. The guide then supports job search execution: making connections, building professional skills, internships and related experiences, resume and cover letter preparation, informational interviewing, professional etiquette, interviewing readiness, and offer negotiation, plus sample resumes and CV guidance.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResumes

FormatPDF

Pages35

Reading Time12 min

AccessFree to download

Who Am I?

Personal Assessment Tools

What Do I Want to Do?

Career Exploration Resources

Make Connections

Get Experience & Develop Skills

Internship and Externship

Part-Time Job and Community-Engaged Learning

Student Organizations

The Job Search

Writing Strong Application Materials

Interview Preparation and Follow-Up

Merze Tate College Career and Student Employment Services CAREER DEVELOPMENT GUIDE A career is a lifelong adventure... Career coaching and so much more... This is your home base for exploring career options, job searching, interviewing, negotiating and finding internships. All these resources are available to WMU students, employers hiring Broncos, WMU alumni, student-employee supervisors, WMU faculty and staff, and students’ families. Merze Tate College Career and Employment Services 1401 Ellsworth Hall (269) 387-2745 » [wmich.edu/career](wmich.edu/career) Haworth College of Business The Zhang Career Center 3020 Schneider Hall (269) 387-2711 » [wmich.edu/business/career](wmich.edu/business/career) Who Am I? Learn more about yourself and your career possibilities 4 Career Exploration Resources 5 Make Connections Get experience and develop skills 6 Tell me about yourself 7 Build your network, meet people 8 Informational interviewing and tips 9 Professional etiquette 10 Building a great LinkedIn profile 11 What Employers Want Understanding applicant tracking systems 12 AI in the job search 14 Using social media 15 Standard chronological resume format 16 Resume before and after 17 CV or resume? 18 The importance of proper grammar 19 Competencies employers look for 20 Show employers your value 22 Describing your experiences 24 Use your words: keywords, action verbs 26 SPuRS experience on a resume 28 Government resume tips 30 The Job Search Students with disabilities 31 International students 32 Veterans 33 Handshake 34 Making the most of job fairs 35 Writing a strong cover letter 37 Customizing your cover letter 38 Reference list guidelines 39 Prepare for your interview 40 Red flag interview questions 41 The STAR method 42 Thankyou notes 44 Negotiating offers 46 Accepting offers 47 Sample resumes 48-66 4 CAREER DEVELOPMENT GUIDE CAREER DEVELOPMENT GUIDE 5 WHO AM I? LEARN MORE ABOUT YOURSELF & YOUR CAREER POSSIBILITIES In what type of environment would I like to work? How do I like to work with people? What are my strengths and skills? If you have questions like this, these tools can help you! WMU Career and Student Employment Services and the Zhang Career Center in the Haworth College of Business offer several career inventories to help guide you in the process of choosing a major or career. WHO AM I? Personal Assessment Tools These are not tests, nor will they predict what career field you should enter. Instead, they will assist in evaluating your strengths, interests, values, skills and personality type within the workplace and allow you to generate satisfying options for your WMU major and career path. FOCUS 2 Complete the FOCUS assessment to discover your values, interests, skills and personality. Get an interpretation from Career Services or self-select your major options through the assessment site. » [Free at wmich.edu/career](Free at wmich.edu/career). CLIFTONSTRENGTHS for STUDENTS Strengths will provide you with a customized report describing your Top 5 themes of talent. You’ll learn more about how you build relationships, execute work, solve problems and influence others. » Free by making an appointment at [wmich.edu/career or wmich.edu/career/business](wmich.edu/career or wmich.edu/career/business). MYERS-BRIGGS TYPE INDICATOR (MBTI) The MBTI will help you identify with one of 16 personality types so you can explore your natural preferences and compatibility with other people. The goal is self-awareness in reference to life and work choices. » Make an appointment [at wmich.edu/career](at wmich.edu/career) for access and pricing. WHAT DO I WANT TO DO? Career Exploration Resources Explore the world of work and find comprehensive data to answer the questions you have about potential career fields, what responsibilities a job entails and where to search for internships and j

FAQs

How do career coaching and career inventories help students choose a major or career path?

Career Services and the Zhang Career Center offer career inventories and career inventories/assessment tools to evaluate strengths, interests, values, skills, and personality type, generating options for majors and career paths.

What self-assessment tools are included in the guide?

The guide highlights FOCUS 2, CliftonStrengths for students, and the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) to support self-awareness and explore preferences and compatibility.

What experiences can help students build professional skills before graduation?

Internships, externships, part-time jobs, service-learning, and involvement in Registered Student Organizations (RSOs) help students develop skills and improve competitiveness for professional positions.

Sep 15, 2026

Upload by Finn