Dr. Virginia N. Gordon has extensive experience in teaching, administration, advising and counseling in higher education settings. She has written extensively on topics associated with higher education including academic and career counseling.

Drs. Sears and Gordon also wrote "Selecting A College Major," published in 2010 by Prentice-Hall.

ONE    AM I READY?  (Reflecting)

Why Do I Need to Plan?

            1.1  Personal Factors

Why Do People Work?

            1.2  My Concept of Work

How Do Educational Decisions Influence Career Choices?

            1.3  How Decided Are You about a College Major?

What Are Some Barriers to Career Choice?

            1.4  Overcoming Barriers

Where Do I Start?  The Career Choice Process

            1.5  My Career-and-Life Planning Checklist

Case Studies:  REFLECTING

Summary Checklist

TWO    WHAT DO I NEED TO KNOW ABOUT MYSELF?  (Exploring)

My Personal Characteristics

Personality and Career Choices

            2.1  Holland’s Personality Types

Identifying  My Interests

            2.2  Assessing My Interests

Identifying My Values

            2.3  Assessing My Work Values

Identifying My Skills

            2.4  My Skill Profile

Summary Profile #1:  Personal Characteristics

How Does My Environment Influence My Career Choices?

Socioeconomic Status

2.5  Exploring Socioeconomic Status

Family Influences

2.6  A Career Genogram

The Impact of Gender

2.7  What If?

Summary Profile #2:  Environmental Influences on My Career Development and Choices

Pulling It All Together

            2.8  Reviewing My Options

Case Studies:  EXPLORING

Summary Checklist

THREE    HOW DO I SEARCH FOR OCCUPATIONAL INFORMATION? (Exploring)

Starting Your Search

3.1  What Occupations Interest Me?

3.2  Developing a List of Occupations to Search

Sources of Occupational Information

            The Internet

                        3.3  Using O*NET

            Other Internet Resources

            Career Guidance Systems

            Direct Experience

            Informational Interviews

                        3.4  Conducting An Informational Interview

Narrowing Down Your Choices

Case Studies: EXPLORING

Summary Checklist

FOUR    WHAT DO I NEED TO KNOW ABOUT EDUCATIONAL ALTERNATIVES?  (Exploring)

Choosing an Educational Direction

            4.1  What Type of Education Do I Need?

Why Attend College?

            4.2  Why Am I in College?

Making Initial Decisions

The Undergraduate Curriculum

Choosing A Major

            4.3  Exploring Majors

            4.4  Researching A Major

Graduate or Professional Education

Distance Learning

Experiential Learning           

            Extracurricular Activities

            Work Experiences

            Internships and Cooperative Education

            Study Abroad

            Volunteer Work

            Service Learning

Case Studies:  EXPLORING

Summary Checklist

FIVE    HOW WILL I DECIDE?  (Deciding)

Factors in Decision Making

            5.1  How I Make Decisions

Dimensions of Decision Making

Myself As Decision Maker

            5.2  Identifying My Values

            5.3  Using My Career Values in Decision Making

Risk Taking

            5.4  Am I Risk Taker?

Personal Decision-Making Style

            5.5  My Decision-Making Style

The Decision Situation

            Change

            Indecision

            Obstacles

                        5.6  Checklist of Obstacles

            Control

The Decision-Making Process

            Defining the Problem

            Stating Your Goals

                        5.7  What Are My Goals?

            Collecting Information

            Listing Alternative Solutions

                        5.8  Identifying Alternatives

            Choosing One of the Alternatives

                        5.9  Why Some People Don’t Act on Their Decisions

            Taking Action on My Choice

                        5.10  Action Plan

            Reviewing Your Choice Periodically

                        5.11  Making Decisions

Case Studies:  DECIDING

Summary Checklist

SIX    HOW CAN I PREPARE FOR THE FUTURE WORKPLACE?  (Preparing)

What Factors Are Influencing the Present and Future Workplace?

6.1 Demographic patterns

6.2 Globalization

6.3 Technology

What Do You Know About the Workplace and Hiring Trends for the Next Five to Ten Years?

Workforce Trends

Employment Projections

            6.4 Search for Job Outlook and Projection Data

How Can I Prepare for the Future Workplace?

Life and Career Skills

            6.5 How Ready Are You?

Case Studies:  PREPARING 

Summary Checklist

SEVEN    HOW WILL I ADVANCE MY CAREER?  THE JOB SEARCH AND RESUME WRITING  (Preparing)  

Selling Yourself

Taking Action Steps

Writing A Resume

            Resume Formats

            Common Resume Errors

            Appearance

            Final Touches

Resume Dissemination

            Video Resume

            Electronic Resumes

            Scannable Resumes

Maintaing a Resume File

            7.1 Sample Resume Worksheet

            7.2 Resume Worksheet

Writing A Cover Letter

Case Studies:  PREPARING

Summary Checklist

EIGHT    AM I THE BEST CANDIDATE?  JOB LEADS AND THE JOB INTERVIEW  (Preparing)

Generating Job Leads

Job Search Sources

            Networking

            Newspapers

            Employment Services

            Job Fairs

            Friends and Family

            Direct Contacts

Career Mentors

Job Searching on the Internet

Job Interviewing

            Preparing for the Interview

            During the Interview

                        Interview Formats

                        Cyber-Interviews

                        Appearance

                        Etiquette

            After the Interview

                        8.1 Interview Follow-Up

Legal and Illegal Inquiries

Dealing with Rejection

8.2  Handling Rejection

Job Search Review

Case Studies:  PREPARING  

Summary Checklist

NINE    WHERE DO I GO FROM HERE?

9.1  Method 1: A Snapshot in the Career-Planning Process

9.2  Method 2:  Evaluating Your Career Planning

9.3  Method 3:  Career Checklist Revisited

9.4  Action Planning

Case Studies:  Jed and Maria

CASE STUDY:  ME

References

Index

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