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As you pursue your career at Buffalo State University, this timeline can be a useful guide to establish goals, make effective decisions, and gain employment and/or
admission to graduate school. These are suggested activities to engage in your
career development; the order in which you follow the guidelines below is not
sequential or absolute. For additional career advice and support, please contact the Career and Professional Education Center (CAPE).
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First Year
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- Develop effective career decision-making skills by learning about yourself and researching majors and careers.
- Use Focus, an online career assessment to learn more about your interests, abilities and values.
- Register for UNC 111: Career Planning in Theory and Practice, a course designed to help you choose a major/career.
- Take classes that seem interesting to you.
- Use CAPE resources to write your first resume.
- Explore volunteer opportunities and service-learning courses.
- Participate in clubs and organizations to gain skills, meet people and become more connected to Buffalo State.
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Second Year
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- Research majors of interest using the CAPE online resources.
- Investigate careers related to the majors you are considering by watching our Candid Career videos.
- Meet with faculty and professionals to learn more about your major or careers that you are interested in.
- Begin researching departmental internship requirements.
- Update your resume highlighting new skills and experiences.
- Evaluate and confirm your tentative major/career decision.
- Meet with a career counselor in the CAPE to help clarify your major/career decision
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Third Year
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- Determine the skills employers are seeking and identify experiences outside of the classroom to develop those skills.
- Gain relevant experience to build job specific & professional skills (E.G. internships and research fellowships).
- Explore the requirements and qualifications for jobs in your desired field.
- Research potential graduate schools including admission requirements such as entrance exams (GRE, GMAT, LSAT, MCAT).
- Professionalize your image. Make sure you have a professional email and voicemail.
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Fourth Year
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- Understand and connect your experiences and knowledge to the requirements and qualifications for the jobs in your desired field.
- Utilize CAPE resources including BengalLink and CareerShift to conduct your job search.
- Schedule a mock interview to learn more about interviewing techniques.
- Attend the Job and Internship Fair and the Graduate and Law School Fairs.
- Meet with a career counselor to review your personal statement, and resume for graduate school.
- Join LinkedIn to network and increase your chances of finding a job.
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Ongoing
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- Meet with a career counselor at the CAPE to have your resume, and cover letter critiqued or to learn about interview or job search techniques.
- Diversify your experiences and search the CAPE job posting site, BengalLink to find part-time and summer jobs, volunteer work or internships.
- Update your resume highlighting your new experiences and skills.
- Attend CAPE workshops to learn more about how to write an effective resume, cover letter or LinkedIn profile.
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