Check out below for our tools, resources and ways you can get involved with Career & Professional Development as a new student or parent.
First-Year Checklist: Increase Self Awareness
- Make an appointment with your Career & Professional Development counselor to become familiar with our resources
- Research majors and careers that relate to your skills, interests, values, personality, desired education and lifestyle
- Take a career assessment by making an appointment to use Gallup Strengths, MyPlan, Myers-Briggs Personality Type Indicator. Discuss results with your Academic Advisor and Career Counselor
- Attend virtual and in-person career-related workshops, panels, career fairs, and other professional development events sponsored by Career & Professional Development & University Park Career Services
- Join a club or organization relevant to your interests
- Get involved in the Leadership series offered by Student Engagement & Leadership
- Read the Career Guide to learn how to write a resume. Make an appointment to have your resume reviewed with a Peer Career Advisor or Counselor
- Attend the Employment Fair in August to land a student job on campus or in the local area
- Network and conduct informational interviews by talking to family, friends, faculty and staff about the nature of their jobs. Attend networking and alumni events on campus
- Contact Alumni through LionLink and conduct informational interviews
- Look for an internship for the summer following your first year
- Visit the Plan Your Career webpage for more information
Tools to help students build self-awareness, explore majors and career options:
What Can I Do With This Major – Explore a range of career paths based on majors.
MyPlan – Explore your skills, interests, values, majors, careers and much more with the MyPlan assessment.
Major Quest – Explore Penn State majors.
NEW! Gallup CliftonStrengths Assessment – Speak to a Career Counselor for more information.
Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) Assessment –Two assessments to help students build self-awareness of their personality type and strengths and to discover majors and careers. Speak to a Career Counselor for more information.
Bureau of Labor Statistics-Occupational Outlook Handbook – The OOH can help you find career information on duties, education and training, pay, and outlook for hundreds of occupations.
O*NET Online – The O*NET program is the nation's primary source of occupational information.
PARENTS: HELP YOUR STUDENT NAVIGATE THEIR CAREER
EXPLORE: Talk with your student about the courses and activities he or she is enjoying. Students discover new things about themselves throughout the college experience. Your willingness to listen and be a sounding board will keep you in the loop.
AMPLIFY IT: Promote extracurricular involvement. Students gain the skills employers value through involvement in clubs and academic programs. Extracurricular involvement should be balanced with maintaining achievement in the classroom.
ACT AS A RESOURCE: Refer internships or job leads
-Is your employer interested in starting an internship program? We can help! -Employment and internship opportunities can be listed on Penn State’s Job posting system: Nittany Lion Careers
BE OPEN: Be open to new ideas and support your student’s exploration of new areas of study and interests. This, after all, is what education is all about. Don't panic if your student is excited about majoring in something like English, history, or art. These can be excellent choices, particularly if they are a good match for a student's interests and skills.
DRESS FOR SUCCESS: Help prepare students for career expos and other employer interactions by purchasing professional attire, such as dress shirts/slacks/suits/shoes.
FACILITATE INDEPENDENCE: Provide your student with the Career & Professional Development contact information and urge him or her to contact the center to schedule a meeting. Assist students with formulating communication tools, but allow them to interact independently with employers.
This information was adapted from the National Association of Colleges & Employers (NACE)
- networking events
- career fairs
- internship deadlines
- graduate school events
- resume workshops
Together, we can help students take advantage of the many resources available to them at Penn State. Please submit this form to receive our occasional newsletters, and follow us on social media for timely updates.
If your employer is interested in partnering with Penn State Abington to bring Penn State talent to your organization, you can indicate the correct contact.