1. Helping Students Make
Educated Career Decisions
Presented by
Marshall J Karp MA NCC LPC
Faith Sheaffer-Polen

2. Agenda

3. Agenda
• Evolution
• Assessments
• Customer Service Skills
• Holland Codes
• Information Interviewing
• Social Media
• Session Sequencing
• Internship Tools
• Bibliography

4. Toolkit for Career Advising

5. Evolution of Career Advising

6. Career Counseling –1900s
• Counselor probably would have given
you a few assessments
• Analyzed the results
• Told you which occupations provided
the best fit for you
• Stayed there for 40 years

7. Donald Super Ph.D.
1910 to 1994

8. DONALD SUPER’S THEORY OF CAREER
DEVELOPMENT
• Career decision making as a
developmental process that spans one‘s
entire lifetime
• The degree to which a given individual‘s
career development is successful
depends—at least in part—on how well
that person is able to identify and
implement her or his career self-concept

9. DONALD SUPER’S THEORY OF CAREER
DEVELOPMENT
• Career self-concept is directly influenced
by your personality, abilities, interests,
experiences, and values

10. Super‘s Stages of Career
Development
• Growth
• Exploration
• Establishment
• Maintenance
• Disengagement

11. Exploration

12. Exploration
• Considered by many to be the heart of
the career decision-making process
• Super described the exploration stage of
career development as consisting of
three major developmental tasks
• Crystallizing, Specifying, and
Implementing a career choice

13. Assessments

14. What is an Assessment?
• Assessment is a systematic process of
looking at client achievement by
gathering, interpreting and using
information for improvement.

15. Why Do Assessments
• Improvement
• Accountability
• Goals and Plans

16. Sun Tzu

17. Sun Tzu
• If you know the enemy and know yourself, you
need not fear the result of a hundred battles.
• If you know yourself but not the enemy, for
every victory gained you will also suffer a
defeat.
• If you know neither the enemy nor yourself,
you will succumb in every battle

18. Three Types of Assessments
• Non-Verbal
• Verbal
• Written

19. Non-Verbal

20. Non-Verbal Assessments
• Body Language
• Mannerisms
• Appearance
• Tattoos – Skin Illustrations
• Rings/Earrings/Piercings
• Clothing
• Smells/Odors

21. Body Language

22. Body Language

23. Body Language

24. Body Language

25. The Science of Deduction
http://youtu.be/im4TYITM0VE

26. The Science of Deduction
• I'm Sherlock Holmes, the world's only consulting
detective.
• I'm not going to go into detail about how I do what I do
because chances are you wouldn't understand. If
you've got a problem that you want me to solve, then
contact me. Interesting cases only please.
• This is what I do:
• 1. I observe everything.
• 2. From what I observe, I deduce everything.
• 3. When I've eliminated the impossible, whatever
remains, no matter how mad it might seem, must be
the truth.

27. Improving Deduction Skills
• Observe
• Deduce
• Block out everything else
• Focus on this person
• Overthink what you observe
• Use your imagination and creativity
• Take emotion out
• Practice

28. Customer Service Skills

29. Disney Customer Service
Skills• Smiling, attentive, helpful, friendly,
proactive, and annoyingly happy, peppy,
and perky
• What time is the three o‘clock parade?
• Separate on-stage and back-stage
presence
• Two Ears, two eyes and one mouth, use
them in that ratio
• This person is the most important

30. Words That Get You Fired vs Words That Keep You
Hired
Fired Hired

31. Career Advising Customer Service
• Provide Unprecedented Levels of
Customer Service!
• You Will Revolutionize Your
Department!

32. Basic Career Assessments

33. Motivational/Strengths Based Questioning
• Strengths questions are designed to
elicit motivation and values
• Gets to who you are – the authentic you
• No preparation, elicit honest answers
• Describe things they enjoy and are good
at
• What energizes or motivates them?
• Theoretically, enthusiasm should show

34. Strengths Based Questions
• What your friends and family know you for - how
would they describe you to a stranger?
• What you enjoy doing, and what you are like at
your best
• The achievements you have made and how you
made them
• What a ‗great‘ day looks like for you - when did
you last go home energized, and why was that?
• Activities that you do not particularly enjoy, and
why

35. Strengths Based Questions
• Are you a starter of a finisher?
• What do you love to do in your spare
time?
• What do you find quick to learn?
• How would a close friend describe you?
• Are you a big picture or a detail person?
• What activities give you an energy
buzz?

36. Basic Verbal Assessment
• What do you want to do?
• Why are you here?
• Describe your
background/experience/training?
• Why aren‘t you doing this?
• What do you like to do?
• What do you like to do with your friends?

37. Basic Verbal Assessment
• May help with undecided, exploratory,
and ―reluctant‖ students
• Listen, listen, listen
• Set objectives
• If a realistic and feasible job target, no
need for written assessment
• Great time saver
• Set this as a goal

38. Written Assessments

39. Written Assessments
• Identify potential student goals
• Collect, analyze and interpret data
• Develop a direction in writing
• People are enamored with assessments

40. Written Assessments
• Any written assessments they have
previously taken and can bring in is
extremely valuable and useful

41. Basic Written Exercise
• Write three accomplishments
• At least three sentences each
• What are you proud of?
• How did you do this?

42. Your Career Autobiography
• Career dreams
• Previous paid employment experiences
• Volunteer experiences
• Internship activities
• Hobbies
• Leisure interests
• Athletic participation
• Ethnic background and heritage
• Socioeconomic status
• Gender roles
• Current educational status
• Questions about your future
• Careers that seem interesting to you

43. John Holland Ph.D.
• John Holland (1919 to 2008)
• Psychologist
• Professor Emeritus of Sociology
• John Hopkins University

44. John Holland Ph.D.
1919 to 2008 Photo by Permission
John Hopkins Gazette

45. John Holland Ph.D.
• Creator of the Holland Occupational
Codes
• The basic premise was that one's
occupational preferences were in a
sense a veiled expression of underlying
character

46. The Holland Codes
• Theory of careers and vocational choice
based upon personality types
• Personalities seek out and flourish in
career environments they fit
• Jobs and career environments are
classifiable by the personalities that
flourish in them

47. Holland Codes

48. The Party

49. Discuss and Deduce
• Movies/TV Shows
• Hobbies
• Friends
• Activities
• Dress
• Books/Magazines
• Web Surfing
• Weekends

50. Realistic
• Movies/TV Shows
• Hobbies
• Friends
• Activities
• Dress
• Books/Magazines
• Web Surfing
• Weekends

51. Investigative
• Movies/TV Shows
• Hobbies
• Friends
• Activities
• Dress
• Books/Magazines
• Web Surfing
• Weekends

52. Artistic
• Movies/TV Shows
• Hobbies
• Friends
• Activities
• Dress
• Books/Magazines
• Web Surfing
• Weekends

53. Social
• Movies/TV Shows
• Hobbies
• Friends
• Activities
• Dress
• Books/Magazines
• Web Surfing
• Weekends

54. Enterprising
• Movies/TV Shows
• Hobbies
• Friends
• Activities
• Dress
• Books/Magazines
• Web Surfing
• Weekends

55. Conventional
• Movies/TV Shows
• Hobbies
• Friends
• Activities
• Dress
• Books/Magazines
• Web Surfing
• Weekends

56. Public Domain Assessment
• http://career.missouri.edu/index.php/car
eer-interest-game

57. Transferable Skills
• Portable Characteristics or Attributes
• Able to Move from Environment to
Environment
• Often Referred to as ―The Basics‖

58. Transferable Skills Scale

59. Transferable Skills Scale
• Breaks Skills Areas Into Categories
• Matches Categories with Job Titles
• Matches to Academic Course of Study
• Useful with Interview Skills
• Useful with Resume

60. O*NETTM is a trademark of the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and
Training Administration.

61. O*NET Career Interest Profiler
• U.S. Department of Labor Occupational
Information Network
• Provides valuable self-knowledge about
their vocational interests,
• Fosters career awareness, and
• Provides a window to the entire world of
work via the 800+ occupations
within O*NET OnLine.

62. O*NET Career Interest Profiler
• Compatible with Holland's R-I-A-S-E-C
Interest Structure
• Can be self-administered and self-interpreted
• User Guide provided for workforce
development professionals
• Results can be directly linked to over 800
occupations in O*NET OnLine
• Approximately 30 minute completion time

63. Ultimate Goal
• Develop a Written Ideal Job Description
• Interests
• Transferable Skills
• Disabilities and Limitations
• What is it?

65. • Great
• Single
• Jelly
• Season
• Tree
• Window
• Lion
• Share
• Purple
• Car
• Test
• Green
• Zero
• Paper
• Up
• Gross
• Search
• Down

67. • Great
• Single
• Jelly
• Season
• Tree
• Window
• Lion
• Share
• Purple
• Car
• Test
• Green
• Zero
• Paper
• Up
• Gross
• Search
• Down

68. • Great
• Single
• Jelly
• Season
• Tree
• Window
• Lion
• Share
• Purple
• Car
• Test
• Green
• Zero
• Paper
• Up
• Gross
• Search
• Down

69. What If No Goal?

70. What If No Goal?
• Indicator of Possible Field
• Look for Patterns
• Confer/Ask for Ideas
• Beyond the Basic Level of this
Workshop
• Referral to Career Services Office

71. Career Exploration

72. Career Exploration
• Books
• Internet
• Information Interviews

73. Books
• Occupational Outlook Handbook
• Dictionary of Occupational Titles
• O*NET
• Career Books

74. Internet
• Google Searches
• www.bls.gov/ooh
• Occupational Outlook Handbook
• www.onetonline.org
• LinkedIn
• U.S. Department of Labor
• http://lmi.state.oh.us
• ODJFS Labor Market Information

75. Caution
• Never base a career or training decision
on book or internet labor market
information

76. Employment Projection
Assumptions• The following assumptions underlie the BLS
employment projections:
• Broad social and demographic trends will continue.
• New major armed conflicts will not develop.
• There will be no major natural disasters.
• The projected U.S. economy will be at approximately
full employment.
• Existing laws and policies with significant impacts on
economic trends are assumed to hold throughout the
projection period.

77. What Is Full Employment?
• The CBO defines ―full employment‖ to
be when the national unemployment
rate is at or below what it calls the
―natural unemployment rate.‖
• Now projecting that the U.S. economy
will never achieve full employment
through 2017
• The last Full Employment year was
2007

78. Employment Projection
Assumptions• http://www.bls.gov/opub/hom/pdf/homch13.pd
f
• Page 6
• BLS employment projections should be
considered as likely outcomes based on
specified assumptions, and not definitive
outcomes

79. Ohio LMI Projections
Limitations• As with all forecasts and projections,
Labor Market Projections are subject to
error, especially if events negate
underlying assumptions. Generally,
relative error increases with smaller
industries, occupations and areas.
• http://ohiolmi.com/proj/projections.htm

80. Never Base Career Decision on
Trends

81. Never Base Career Decision on
Trends
• 1960s – Math, Science, Engineering
• 1970‘s – Solar, Wind, Gasohol
• 1980s – Teaching
• 1990s – Computers, Y2K
• 2000s – Internet, Telecommute, Security
• 20--s – Healthcare, Green Energy

82. Keep in mind

83. Information Interviewing
• The most accurate way to make career
decisions

84. Information Interviewing
• Talking to people to research the job or
career
• Meet, call, or email
• Always have questions prepared in
advance
• Stress this will help make a
career/training decision
• Get names of two other people

85. Workplace Matching

86. Questions
• What skills are important?
• What personality traits are important?
• What training/school would you suggest?
• How many employees do you have?
• How often do you hire here?
• Is this industry expected to grow?
• Starting salary and after one year?
• What are the physical requirements?
• Names of two other people?

87. Look for Consensus
• People in the field are considered
subject matter experts
• Do five information interviews and look
for consistency
• Continue to do information interviews
until a trend develops
• Verify!

88. Making Educated Decisions
• Labor market information is crucial
• Need to know what to expect when done
• Get subject matter experts to lay out the
training/school

89. Social Media

90. KSU Career Services
• http://www.kent.edu/career/index.cfm
• http://whatcanidowiththismajor.com/majo
r/
• http://www.myplan.com/careers/database.html

91. LinkedIn Alumni
• LinkedIn Alumni provides high-level insights
about alumni of your school, as well as
access to the more detailed professional
profiles they've shared.
• See what alumni in your field have
accomplished since graduation
• Expand your sense of what's possible for you.
• http://www.linkedin.com/college/alumni

92. Twitter
• Use Twitter as a Research Tool
• Follow and Engage Relevant People
• You can search any topic and Twitter
will display the results based on
people‘s use of your search query in
their tweets

93. Facebook
• Marketplace
• Job Boards

94. Achievement Barriers
• Fuzzy goals or action strategies
• Incorrect focus
• No agreement on priorities

95. Effective Career Planning

96. Effective Career Planning

97. Major Selection
• What will you do to reach goal?
• Which program elements could assist?

98. Suggested Session Sequence
Move Toward Outcome, Action, and Change

99. One Session
• Assess Person
• Verbal Assessment of Holland Code
• Suggest major fields of study goal
• Provide handout of websites for
information
• Mark relevant ones

100. Two Sessions
• Session One
– Verbal and Non-Verbal Assessment
– Holland Code Assessment
– Major Field Suggestions
– Homework – Holland Codes and Google Fields
• Session Two
– Review Holland Codes
– Suggest Job Goals and Major Field Suggestions
– Give Sources of further Career Exploration
– Agree on a goal/course of action

101. Three Sessions
• Session Three
– Add in Information Interviewing
– Agree on a goal

102. Four Sessions
• Review Information Interview
• Encourage another information interview
• Better Quality Decision
• Agree on a goal

103. Coaching on Internships
• Know values, interests
• Target list of companies
• Research companies
– Ask
– Use Social Media
• Network a connection

104. Tools to Help Land Internships
• Business Cards
– Vistaprint.com
• Cover Letters
• Highlight Paid / Unpaid Experience
• Finance Part of Your Education
• Mock Interview
Start researching summer internships in
the fall

105. The Process Here
• The Corporate U makes contact
• Paid internships – Chris Paveloi
• Others - Faculty

106. Add-Ons
• Takes just as much effort to finding a job
versus finding a paid internship
• Much more career advantageous
• Starting to build career related
experience
• Could lead to employment

107. Student Responsibility
• Develop a 30 – 60 Second Elevator
Speech
• Use a mini-resume card
• Call or email everyone they know
• Email or hand them the card
• Check back
• Basic interview skills

108. Mini-Resume Card
Name Number
Career Objective:
Skills: Total Experience Statement
Total Education Statement
Skills and Abilities
Accomplishments
Positive Personal Traits

109. Example
Jonni Public (330) 327-XXXX
Career Objective: Social Service Agency Internship Position
Skills: One and a half years of paid work and volunteer experience.
Dover High School Graduate. Enjoy working with people,
listening, caring, and spending quality time.
Perfect attendance in high school. Member of Dover HS Key Club.
Reliable, dependable, and fast learner

110. Remember
• Be flexible, adaptive and prepared to
adjust to change
• There will always be problems
• Things always change (mandates,
circumstance, personal priorities)
• View career goals as an evolutionary
process

112. Bibliography and Resources
• Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor,
Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2012-2013 Edition
• The O*Net Dictionary of Occupational Titles, Jist Works, Inc.
Indianapolis, IN. 1998
• U.S. Department of Labor, Dictionary of Occupational Titles, Jist
Works, Inc, Indianapolis, IN. 1991
• What Color Is Your Parachute?: A Practical Manual for Job
Hunters and Career Changers, Richard N. Bolles, 2013
• JIST Inc. – (800) 648-JIST
• Darrell Anthony Luzzo and Lisa Ellen Severy . Making Career
Decisions that Count 3rd Edition. Pearson – Prentice Hall,
Columbus, Ohio, 2009