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Explore Career Options
Explore is where curiosity meets possibility. As an institution rooted in the liberal arts & sciences, your academic major does not dictate your career path necessarily, while it will always provide you with a perspective you take into any career path you pursue.
Through the Explore Pathway, you have access to tools for self-assessment and career research. Additionally, many events sponsored by the Office of Career Development & Professional Engagement provide you with the opportunity to explore the career paths of others before you.
Focus 2Reflect & take inventory of your career Values, Interests, Personality, and Skills (VIPS) and explore how your results align with potential career paths. This is a self-paced online self-assessment tool to help you determine your priorities for grounding your career decisions. Each assessment takes less than 10 minutes to complete. Once you complete these assessments, we encourage you to meet with a career advisor to unpack your results and show you how to use them and take your exploration to the next level. This is for you if...You're curious about your career options as they connect to your values, interest, personality, and/or skills. Use your W&M email address and the access code: onetribe |
What Can I Do With This Major?Search through 100 major profiles with information on common career paths, types of employers that hire in the field and strategies to maximize opportunities. Scroll to the bottom of each profile for links to professional associations, occupational outlook information and job search resources. You can also search for keywords or roles that interest you to see all the majors that include that potential path. After building your list of career paths and employer types, you can search LinkedIn and One Network to find alumni in those fields as a next step. This is for you if...You're considering careers that align with your academic experience. |
Candid CareerWatch videos from industry professionals, featuring content on a wide range of careers, interview preparation, resume writing and job search strategies. This vast video library can provide a realistic look into different professional paths. After reviewing these videos, you should feel ready to have some informational interviews of your own. See Informational Interviews below. This is for you if...You're interested in on-demand opportunities to hear from people across a variety of fields. |
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Explore company profiles to learn about their culture and opportunities to work with them. You can also filter William & Mary alumni based on where they currently live and work, what they studied and what skills they use in their roles. This is for you if...You're interested in seeing William & Mary alumni career paths and exploring where they landed first, where they are now and the variety of academic majors they pursued. |
One NetworkConnect and chat with William & Mary alumni, parents, faculty, staff and students about industry insights, networking introductions, career exploration and more. Your networking journey can begin by learning more about people’s career paths as you explore a variety of jobs and industries. Use message templates and resources to get started to find and reach out to members of the W&M community. You can then grow your network by staying in touch and meeting more professionals in your areas of interest. This is for you if...You want to begin building your network within the William & Mary community. |
Informational InterviewsAsk people questions to learn more about their current jobs to get a better understanding of the daily tasks and expectations. Also called Career Conversations, these interviews allow you to hear about different roles and industries before committing to a full experience. Some questions include asking about someone’s favorite and least favorite aspects of their job, what they do daily that they didn’t expect to be part of their job and what advice they have for someone starting in that field. Stay in contact by asking follow-up questions, requesting they introduce you to others in the field and providing updates on how you’ve used their advice. This is building your professional network. This is for you if...You want to know more about the current landscape of a field of interest. |
Industry-Specific NewslettersSubscribe to one, or all five, industry-specific newsletters to receive regular details on application timelines, industry resources and upcoming opportunities to connect with employers and alumni. After subscribing, you will have what you need to stay relevant to your industry interests. This is for you if...You want to be able to ignore the details for other industries. |
Industry Community PagesExplore your options, identify your interests, find resources and connect with industry professionals to launch your career. You are welcome to engage with any career communities no matter what your academic major, and even before you declare. Check out the resources on our website for your industry interests, including our team members with your industry focus, clubs and organizations related to your industry, annual events and relevant external sites to use to your advantage. This is for you if...You want to connect with the advising team focused on a particular industry with resources, connections, events and opportunities to explore the roles and sectors within a particular industry. |
Industry Blackboard Resource SitesSelf-enroll in one or more of these non-academic courses in Blackboard used to share resources on industry best practices, resume tips that are based on recruiter feedback for your industry, applied learning and internship opportunities, external resources and career pathways for each sector. Review the current announcements to see what content has been added or updated recently. This is for you if...You want access to updated information on internships and top tips for your specific industry interests. Search:
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Career Advising AppointmentsMeet with a career advisor to learn more about career options and explore the resources described above. This is for you if...You'd like to work 1:1 with an advisor in the Office of Career Development & Professional Engagement to either learn more about a particular industry and/or to go more in depth into one of the resources. |
TribeShadow Externship ProgramApply to shadow someone for 1-2 days, typically over Winter Break, to explore what daily work looks like in different industries and roles. You’ll get a behind-the-scenes view a typical day looks like for them. Follow along as they plan projects, meet with clients, collaborate with colleagues and manage their daily tasks and messages. After participating in TribeShadow, you will have a new perspective on whether that job is for you. This is for you if...You want to learn about various roles and industries before pursuing them for internships or full-time positions. Apply via TribeCareers. Applications typically open in mid-October. |
VIP PassParticipate in this program during the first hour of most Fairs & Expos to get a quick tip session on how to start, continue and end a conversation with recruiters at the fair, including tips on eye contact, questions to ask and how to follow up after. The program includes a walking tour to two employers/institutions during the fair to practice. After participating, you can continue to meet with other recruiters and send a follow-up email thanking them for their time. This is for you if...You have never attended a Fair or Expo and want a little practice and confidence boost before you go. You can also use this to get familiar with a fair long before you are considering applying to positions. |