Career Planning Tools
Managing Your Career Series
"Choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life." -Confucius
Open exclusively to Northwestern employees, Managing Your Career is a series of six monthly workshops for those looking to take control of their careers and find greater satisfaction at work. The series is offered in Chicago during winter and spring and in Evanston during summer and fall.
The Managing Your Career series is free. The sessions take place during lunch hours, so please bring your lunch. Participants register to complete the full six-part series on either campus. Workshops may not be taken individually.
Managing Your Career Part 1: Introduction
In the first session, participants learn about the basic principles of career planning, its challenges, and the different methods we use for making career decisions. Participants receive a career workbook, If You Knew Who You Were, You Could Be Who You Are, which provides the foundational tools to help assess values, interests, work styles, work environment, knowledge, skills and accomplishments. Post-workshop assignment: Participants complete the workbook before the next session.
Managing Your Career Part 2: Assessment
Assessment: Where Are You in Your Career?
In the second session, participants discuss their assessment work and obtain guidance on interpreting and solidifying the results. Post-workshop assignment: Participants read a Harvard Business Review article, "What's Your Story," by Herminia Ibarra and Kent Lineback and start building their own career story. Prerequisite: Introduction.
Managing Your Career Part 3: Exploring Options
Exploring Options: Where Do You Want to Go?
The third session explores how to leverage your strengths in your current position and more fully employ your talents. Participants learn how to use networking and information interviewing to broaden their career options. Post-workshop assignment: Participants conduct an informational interview and further develop their career story. Prerequisite: Assessment.
Managing Your Career Part 4: Creating Your Plan
Creating Your Plan: How Are You Going to Get There?
The fourth session focuses on narrowing options, targeting career goals, and creating an individual career development plan to meet your goals. Participants will get practice sharing their career stories. We'll also start preparing for the next session by evaluating the effectiveness of some good and some not so good resumes and cover letters and discuss how a recruiter/hiring manager screens resumes and of how to avoid red flags. Post-workshop assignment: Participants complete their individual career development plan and prepare their resume. Prerequisite: Exploring Options.
Managing Your Career Part 5: Marketing Yourself - Applying for the Job
Marketing Yourself: Applying for the Job
In this fifth session, participants bring a copy of their resumes and get feedback from a staffing specialist. Participants learn about the University's transfer process, and best practices for preparing for an interview are discussed. Post-workshop assignment: Participants prepare for interviews. Prerequisite: Creating Your Plan.
Managing Your Career Part 6: Marketing Yourself - Interviewing
Marketing Yourself: Interviewing
In the final session, a panel of staffing experts is available to give guidance on how to handle those tough interviewing questions. Then participants have an opportunity to rehearse a mock interview. Prerequisite: Marketing Yourself: Applying for the Job.