Plan Your Career
Create Your Career Pathway at Chico State
Create your own career growth plan that includes reflection, exploration, personal growth and career planning. Discover your strengths, explore options, and foster your career growth through experience, exposure and learning.
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- Reflect and Self Assess
- Update Your Resume
- Explore & Set Goals
- Network
- Prepare for Interviews
- Manage your Career
Search for related topics on CSU Learn.
Reflect and Self Assess
It is important that you spend adequate time taking an inventory of your interests, skills, values, personality and work environment preferences. While there are many tools to assist, we suggest you try one of the following:
- Career Center: CSU, Chico employees have free access to the Career Center’s tools, including Career and Major Planning. From there, you can jump to the Focus2 Login to complete the self-assessment tool. This is ideal for early-career employees or selecting a major.
- Online career exploration tools: for example, the O*NET Interest Profiler(opens in new window), My Next Move(opens in new window) and O*NET Online(opens in new window) are sponsored by U.S. Department of Labor, statistically reliable and FREE.
- Or, self-reflect with these additional links:
- Personality: What motivates you and makes you happy
- Interests: What you love
- Values: What's important to you
- Skills & Strengths: What you're good at
Update Your Resume
Review your current resume. Does it reflect your strengths, experiences, and transferable skills needed for your dream job? Your resume contains your background, skills, and accomplishments. Updating your resume from the lens of your career aspirations can help you identify areas you may have missed or may need to include.
Explore & Set Goals
Explore options that align with your personality, interests, values, skills and strengths.
Review a job posting for a position for which you aspire to apply. CSU Chico job postings are available at the following sites:
Complete a Skills-Gap Analysis
- Identify Job Requirements Beyond Skills – look at job postings and job classifications to see what you may be missing
- Learn more about how to map out your career path and gain experience for your long-term goals. Consider if there are target positions that you may need to gain experience for your dream job.
Complete an Individual Development Plan
- This can be submitted to HR for your personnel file. You may wish to use the Employee Fee Waiver/Reduction Program to take courses toward your plan.
- Know the value of your total compensation at Chico State (salary + retirement + benefits)
- Review your current position description
- Try taking a class
- Getting a degree? Add an internship
- Consider volunteering to gain experience to transfer to your dream job
Network
Seek out coaching, mentoring, and ongoing feedback from your supervisor, clients, and coworkers. Consider contacting departmental managers for informational interviews.
- Foster Positive Relationships
- 10 Steps to Effective Listening
- The Secret to Success? Be Kind
- Engage with a Mentor
- 4 Steps for Engaging with a Professional Mentor
- EDUCAUSE Mentoring Program - create a login and check it out!
Prepare for Interviews
Before you apply for a position and land an interview, be sure to tailor your resume:
You work on campus, so doesn't the committee already know what you do?
It is important to realize that candidates that interview successfully express their knowledge, skills and experience effectively during the interview – even if they know everyone in the room! Savvy candidates know that they are competing with others from both within and outside the organization, and prepare as if they are from off-campus. They dress professionally and prepare to answer the questions thoughtfully and thoroughly.
Here are some tools to prepare you for great interviews:
Manage your Career
Chico State is a community. It is important to realize that how you handle yourself with your peers, co-workers, and managers today can have an impact on your future job opportunities. Cultivate positive work relationships now rather than wait for the perfect time or co-worker. Develop effective habits to maintain a high level of performance.
- Consider your reputation on campus.
- What are you known for? Develop a growth mindset (Book: Mindset by Carol Dweck)
- Do people trust you? Learn more about The Speed of Trust
- How to Effectively Manage Your Own CareerManage your career
- Maintain a high level of performance
- View the CSU Competencies