CAREER READY PLAN Career Ready Plan is a four-stage plan that allows students to develop employment-seeking competencies and prepare for the competitive nature of the job search. Students are highly encouraged to follow the plan and work closely with Career Services Advisor and their Faculty Mentor.
STAGE
PREPARE
STAGE
EXPLORE
STAGE
DEVELOP
STAGE
LAUNCH
Identify your career direction and how it relates to your degree program and courses Write a career related SMART goals Take an inventory of your most marketable skills Familiarize yourself with library/research resources Join clubs/organizations Get familiar with Career Services
Research companies and organizations in your field Start working on your portfolio Research potential job titles, and salaries in your field Research job postings to see what skills employers in your area of interest are looking for Connect with working professionals to learn about career paths of interest Connect with a Faculty Mentor and Career Advisor to discuss your career plan
Develop an elevator pitch Attend networking events and career workshops (conferences, contests, etc.) Apply for internships Conduct informational interviews with alumni, staff, faculty, and people in your professional and personal circle Start working on your professional portfolio (consult Faculty Mentor and Career Advisor)
Reach out to 10-20 employers on LinkedIn and develop professional relationships Follow targeted employers on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Google Alerts Conduct mock interviews with Career Advisor and Faculty Mentor or alumni; prepare answers to common interview questions; practice accomplishment stories and an elevator pitch Gather at least three written or online references
Participate in career oriented events/workshops Audit your online identity Clean up your social media sites and set proper security levels Create LinkedIn profile (connect with faculty, staff and peers) Start preparing work pieces for your portfolio
Draft an industry-specific resume Investigate external learning opportunities (volunteers, conferences, meet-ups, contests, etc.) Participate in CEA (internal annual contest) Continue working on your portfolio and discuss it with Faculty Mentor Keep growing your LinkedIn network
Learn how to professionally dress, talk and conduct yourself in person and virtually Identify a potential coach/mentor from industry Join LinkedIn groups to network and build brand awareness Update resume based on new experience/coursework/skills Check-in with career Advisor and Faculty Mentor
Expand LinkedIn networking contacts; join associations of industry professionals Finalize your professional portfolio and have it approved by Department Director and Career Advisor Complete your graduation responsibilities (Graduation Checklist)
CAREER READY PLAN CONTACT INFORMATION Please select Faculty Mentor according your program and concentration.
Michael Kaczmarek Department Director DAA, mkaczmarek@usv.edu (3D Modeling - Entertainment Design)
DIGITAL ART AND ANIMATION (DAA) FACULTY MENTORS
David Perry Assistant Professor, dperry@usv.edu (3D Animation - Entertainment Design) Charles Kinter Instructor, ckinter@usv.edu (Technical Art)
Ricardo Kayanan Department Director GDD, rkayanan@usv.edu (Game Art - Game Engineering)
GAME ART (GDA) GAME ENGINEERING (GDE) FACULTY MENTORS
Evan Skolnick Professor of Practice, eskolnick@usv.edu (Game Art - Game Writing) Charles Kinter Instructor, ckinter@usv.edu (Game Art - Game Engineering)
DIGITAL AUDIO TECHNOLOGY (DAT) FACULTY MENTORS
SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT (SWD) FACULTY MENTOR
Xo Nguyen Department Director AMT, xnguyen@usv.edu (Engineering - Production) Julius Dobos Distinguished Professor, jdobos@usv.edu (Production)
Bineet Sharma Department Director CS bsharma@usv.edu (Software Development - Cloud Computing) Charles Kinter Instructor, ckinter@usv.edu (Software Development)
BACHELOR OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION (BBA) FACULTY MENTOR
John Hayes Interim Department Director BEI jhayes@usv.edu (Business - Innovation - Operations)
CAREER SERVICES OFFICE usv.edu/careerservices
CAREER ADVISOR
Jason Arana | jarana@usv.edu
USV-22-06-008