Career Counseling

Seek clarity and become more self-aware of factors influencing career decision making with the informal assessments below. Note these are tools and will not define a path for you. However, they provide reflection and insight into your career options. Take note of the careers that show up in multiple assessments. And don't hesitate to print your results and bring them in to discuss with  Inver Hills Counselor!

To schedule an appointment:
651-450-3508
Counseling@inverhills.edu

Interests

Explore you interests with some of the informal assessments below that you can complete on your own time. Additionally, Inver Hills offers the Strong Interest Inventory, a sophisticated career interest assessment. To take this premier career development assessment, schedule an appointment with an Inver Hills counselor at 651-450-3508 or counseling@inverhills.edu.

CAREERwise Interest Assessment

Career OneStop Interest Assessment

Skills

Skills assessments help students become self-aware of skills that come naturally as well as skills that they may want to develop to pursue a particular career. Remember, you don’t have to have all the skills now as you will develop many skills as you progress through college. Below is an informal assessment:

Skills Matcher
NOTE: Afterwards, don't forget view and print "your full list of skills" link on the left menu bar!

Skills Identification - UW La Crosse

Personality

Every career as a variety of personalities represented so chances are whatever career you chose will not be problematic. However, we do know that that more self-aware of your preferences, such as what comes naturally to you and how you interact with your environment, provides great insight as you begin to explore career settings.

16 personalities

Personality Characteristics – University of Denver

Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)
This assessments can help you identify your preferences and strengths. This assessment can you understand your preferred work environment and tasks. This assessment is offered in CRDV 1100: Career Exploration and Planning class or individually for a fee. See a Counselor for more information.

Values

Values play a key role in career satisfaction. They help you define what you want and need in your work life. Values often define what motivates you and they are often the criteria that help us evaluate career decisions. The following assessment will help you begin to consider values that may play a key role in determining your career satisfaction.

Card Sort Assessment

Work Values - University of Denver

Exploring Majors/Educational Knowledge

Below are resources to assist you with learning about various majors, courses you will take and options available to students upon completion of the major.

Majors available at Minnesota State Colleges

What Can I Do With This Major? Select View Resource

University of Minnesota Major Profiles

Researching Careers

The following resources will help you explore clusters of careers (such as business careers or health science careers) or specific careers.

Careers for Minnesota State graduates

O*NET

MN Career Information System
Username: ihcareercenter
Password: ihccstudent

Exploring via coursework

Students can often explore their interests through coursework. Meet with a counselor or advisor to determine whether this approach might be appropriate and if so, create a plan to explore possibilities.

Reality check

If you have not already visited the Exploring Careers section, please visit this section first. This information will help you confirm your understanding of a career area and help you to check your assumptions.

Once you have conducted thorough research of a career area using these resources, you may find you are still needing more information. Informational interviews are opportunities to interview someone who is working in a job you are considering. This first hand perspective can be highly informative and provide greater clarity regarding a career option. See articles below for more information about Informational interviewing.

How To Rock The Informational Interview

Informational Interviewing

Set Up Informational Interviews

For assistance with setting up or preparing for an informational interview, contact the Center for Career Development and Community-Based Learning.

Decision Making

If you struggle with decision making, you are not alone! Use Career Counseling web resources, register for CRDV 1100 Career Exploration and Planning class and/or schedule an appointment with a counselor!

Facts are that career/major decisions are:

• Complex – there are many factors to consider
• Uncertain – there are no guarantees that it will be like you envision
• High risk – the consequences of the decision will impact nearly every part of your life

For many, making a decision regarding your major, career, or transfer college can be overwhelming, even paralyzing! Let us help you with your career and academic decision making.

Your reasons for being indecisive are unique to you. Inver Hills Counselors can help if you are finding this part of the process especially challenging. Often students find it helpful to gather information as part of the decision making process. Find resources below that will help you:

• Information about yourself: See "Self-awareness and assessment" section
• Information about careers: See "Exploring & Researching" section
• Information about what is it like on the job: See Center for Career Development & Community-Based Learning
• Information about transfer colleges: See "Transfer Resources" page for college transfer and visit information.

Or sometimes, other things interfere with our ability to make a decision such as:

• Lack of motivation
• Don’t have the support of the important people in our life
• Generally indecisive
• Perceptions or beliefs that interfere with our ability to make a decision
• Want a guarantee that our choice will be exactly what we want

If this is you, review the myths section below and feel free to meet with an Inver Hills Counselor! (Contact information on the right!)

Career Development Action Plan: keeping motivated & setting goals

Trying to decide which major or career to pursue OR made a decision? Set goals and stay motivated by creating an Career Development Action Plan! Career decision making is a process, not an event. An action plan will help you develop strategies to make progress toward your career and academic goals. Additionally, it may assist you with clarifying your goals. Contact IHCC Counseling today! (Contact information on the right!)

Myths

Sometimes our misperceptions interfere with either our ability to make a decision or the quality of our decision. Read below some of the common myths that become barriers to students as they try to make career and/or academic decisions. Creating a Career Development Action Plan (see above) with a Counselor and uncover myths that may be impeding your progress.

There is one specific career that will make me happy. - OR - I am afraid I will make a wrong career/major decision.

For most people, there are a number of careers that would be good options. This knowledge can take the pressure off knowing that a fulfilling career can begin with any number of career or academic decisions and it isn’t a matter of making a right choice or a wrong choice.

I am afraid if I make a “wrong” choice that my schooling will be a waste. - OR - I am concerned I will regret this choice and not want this career forever.

Most professionals who change careers or jobs use their initial career as a stepping stone and do not consider it a waste. In most situations, if people need to return to school, they can build upon previous work and do not have to “start over” again. When you make a career decision, it is not a lifelong decision but a first decision followed by many other decisions.

I won't be qualified to do anything with a liberal arts degree.

You will be more qualified than most: the skills you develop in a liberal arts curriculum - communication, problem solving, critical thinking etc. -are those most desired by employers. In fact, they are the skills that help you KEEP your job and provide the flexibility to adapt and change as you progress through your career.