Career Timetable
What should I be doing and when?
The simple answer is, "It depends." Career development is an ongoing process, involving three basic steps—Understand Yourself, Explore Options, and Take Action.
Each person must go through these steps at his or her own pace, and in fact will need to repeat the process numerous times throughout a lifetime. Some students arrive at Cornell very focused and ready to put a plan into action for obtaining a career-related summer job, for instance. Others are either uncertain about their career interests well into senior year or perhaps they’ve changed their mind and need to start with the first step.
The chart below suggests some activities that students might engage in over the course of their time at Cornell. Don't worry if you’re a first-year student and feel ready to proceed with some of the activities indicated for junior or senior years, or if you're a senior and you're just getting started with some of the "freshmen" activities. It's never too late—or too early—to get started. Come in to see us, and we’ll help you do just that!
Timetable
| Activity | Fr. | So. | Jr. | Sr. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Career Forums informal career discussions with alumni on campus | • | • | • | • |
| ILR Corporate Career Fair talk with employers about careers and opportunities | • | • | • | • |
| Prepare résumé and have it reviewed workshops sponsored by ILR OCS and other career offices; résumé review in 201 Ives | • | • | • | • |
| Interviewing workshops sponsored by ILR OCS and other career offices | • | • | • | • |
| Freshman Extern Program (FEX) one-day shadowing opportunity sponsored by ILR OCS | • | |||
| Library resources: Cornell Career Services, ILR OCS, Catherwood Library, Management Library | • | • | • | • |
| Extracurricular activities on campus | • | • | • | • |
| ILR's Union Days three-day program to connect students with unions | • | • | • | • |
| Social Justice Career Fair part of Union Days; talk with representatives from unions and other nonprofits about job opportunities | • | • | • | • |
| Summer jobs | • | |||
| Practice interviews on videotape sponsored by ILR OCS | • | • | • | • |
| FRESH programs sponsored by Cornell Career Services | • | |||
| Cornell Career Fair employers seek students from majors across the university; sponsored by Cornell Career Services | • | • | • | |
| Externships sponsored by Cornell Career Services | • | • | • | |
| Winter Inter-Session Program (WISP) short-term internships; sponsored by ILR OCS | • | • | • | |
| Summer internship workshops sponsored by ILR OCS and other career offices | • | • | ||
| Investigate the Credit Internship program | • | • | ||
| Sophomore Futures Fair | • | |||
| Summer internship | • | • | ||
| Elective courses to test your interests | • | • | ||
| Enroll in ILR 362 - Career Development: Theory and Practice | • | • | ||
| Complete a Credit Internship | • | • | ||
| Leadership positions in extracurricular activities | • | • | ||
| Summer internship on-campus recruiting | • | |||
| Study Abroad | • | • | ||
| Take appropriate test(s) for graduate study | • | • | ||
| Collect graduate/law school catalogs and begin preparing applications | • | |||
| Job search workshops sponsored by ILR OCS and other career offices | • | • | • | |
| Research job listings on Cornell CareerNet and other web sites | • | • | • | |
| On-campus recruiting for full-time positions ILR and/or Barnes Hall) | • | |||
| Complete applications for graduate study | • |