Career Development Cycle: Making it Happen/Take Action

Building on the other stages of the Career Development Cycle and what has come before now, Making It Happen is all about taking action to achieve your goals after BU – from that first full-time job to graduate school, fellowship program or even taking a gap year. We can help with how to get from here to there, including if you’re stuck or stressed. 

Goals

  • Take action toward post-graduation plans. Apply for jobs, graduate school programs, fellowships and service opportunities, or other alternatives including taking a gap year.
  • Be prepared for interviews. Be able to speak to your interests, skills, and experience, focusing on the relevance for the position or program.
  • Be prepared for offer negotiation. Research location-based salary needs to help you identify a target salary range. Make a list of other benefits you want or need, from professional development to health insurance.

Suggested Steps

  • Attend career fairs and employer events to connect with employers actively recruiting BU students and alumni. Check out calendar for upcoming events.
  • For post-graduation alternatives, make a list of everything you want to achieve. This can include personal or professional goals as well as skills, experiences, or activities. Use our guide to alternative options for ideas.
  • Expand your network, including by connecting with the BU Alumni Association and professional associations in your field. Add connections on both BU Connects and LinkedIn. Utilize your professional network to learn about positions that are not publicly posted.
  • Create or use a tracking system for your applications, such as CareerShift. This will help you remember where you’ve applied as well as any follow-up communications.
  • Once you know where you’re headed after graduation, complete the First Destination Survey (in Handshake) to tell the CCD and BU.

More To Explore

  • Learn more about career skills, including searching, interviewing, and responding to offers
  • Learn more about references, including who to ask and more with our guide to recommendations and references.
  • Curious about where BU graduates go after graduation? Read our outcomes reports covering the new graduates (first destination survey) or alumni 5 and 10 years later (alumni career survey)
  • Did you know that alumni can still use the CCD? Learn more about our support for alumni.

Making It Happen and Career Readiness

Use this as a general guide to understanding what employers are looking for in applicants. Assess for yourself if these are areas in which you feel strong. If not, how can you begin building this competency?

  • Career and Self-Development: Develop goals for future career and take ownership in achieving them
  • Communication: Market skills effectively on resume and in interviews and understand the importance of non-verbal communication
  • Critical Thinking: Evaluate opportunities and use a variety of resources to make decisions
  • Equity and Inclusion: Embrace diverse opinions and ways of working when adapting to a new work or other environment
  • Leadership: Demonstrate innovation and a positive attitude
  • Professionalism: Be prepared, accountable, and dedicated throughout your search and career
  • Teamwork: Build collaborative work relationships and manage conflict in professional manner
  • Technology: Employ technology resources to research, apply, and network using professional channels

For more information and additional examples, view the full list of Career Readiness Competencies.

Self Discovery
Exploring Careers
Building Skills
Making it Happen