Our 4-Year student success plan is a roadmap to help you discover your possibilities, gain experience, and chart a path toward your professional goals! You should take specific steps to help you explore various options. It takes time, reflection, and different experiences to help you define your goals. Just remember, selecting a major and finding a career is a process, and our success team is here to help support you each step of the way. 

The Advisement Center uses the Navigate and Degree Works as a framework to help support students through our advisement, programming, and educational resources. 

We encourage you to use this guide to help you build your roadmap to success at WP and beyond!

View our Complete Student Success Plan 

Our student success plan will help you identify key academic, co-curricular, and career development action items all in one place. Find out who your specific student success team members are by logging into your Navigate App; these success team members will help you navigate your individualized student success plan.

• First Year Guide 
• Second Year Guide
• Third Year Guide 
• Fourth Year Guide 

Resources you need for your Career Journey

• Major Exploration

•  Explore Majors

  Your major doesn’t define your career path! Explore options using the below resources. 

  PathwayU	What Can You Do With Your Major?
  ONETONLINE	Occupational Outlook Handbook

• Forage: Virtual Project Based Job Simulation

• 

  Gain Valuable Work Experience with Forage

  Ready to boost your resume and explore career paths? The WP Career Center offers free virtual work experience programs through Forage.

  Career Experience Program - Experiential Learning Pathway 

  • All students are required to complete experiential learning as part of their WP Experience. Forage is a pathway option for students to fulfill this requirement. To complete this pathway please review the process outline below

  What is Forage?

  Forage is an online platform that provides immersive and hands-on virtual experiences designed by top companies. These self-paced modules simulate real-world tasks, helping you develop skills and gain insights into various roles and industries.

  Top Companies

  Fortune 500 Employers are Using Forage to Recruit Talent

  J.P Morgan	BCG	Bank of America	Bloomberg	Wells Fargo
  Fidelity Investments	RedBull	Lyft	Pepsico	ThermoFisher Scientific
  Lululemon	Walmart Global Tech	PwC	Girls Who Code	British Airways
  Accenture	KPMG	Citi	Pfizer	Mastercard

  How Does It Work?

  • Real-world tasks: Work through a series of hypothetical tasks that simulate the day-to-day work of an intern or full-time employee.
  • Flexible learning: Complete programs at your own pace and in your own time.
  • Free for WP students and alumni: Access all programs without any cost

  What kinds of job simulations can I complete?

  Simulation vary across industries and range from one to hours or six to eights hours in a variety job functions and career prep areas including: 

  Marketing	Software Development	Human Resources	Finance/Accounting	Government, Public Policy, Law	Life Sciences
  Engineering	Supply Chain	Technical Consulting	Data Analysis	Design	Security

  Benefits:

  • Gain WP Credit toward your Career Experience Program - Experiential Learning Requirement 
  • Sample real-life work: Experience what it's like to work at leading companies.
  • Explore career paths: Try out different types of work to discover your ideal career path.
  • Build confidence and skills: Develop essential workplace skills and boost your confidence.
  • Enhance your CV: Showcase your virtual experience with a company-branded certificate on your LinkedIn profile

  Start Exploring Forage Simulations

  Career Experience Program Credit through Forage

  • To fulfill your Experiential Learning Requirement  with Forage please follow the steps below:
  1. Complete the your Request & Registration Form for the Career Experience Program on Handshake
  2. Once your Request form is reviewed and approved you will be registered for a  (0) Non-Credit Career Experience and entered into a Blackboard Course 
  3. Complete the Forage Simulation and Blackboard Course Activity & Assessment during the semester you selected 
  4. Once completed you will fulfill your requirement 

  Please note we can only provide Experiential Learning Credit for students who complete the registration/ request process via Handshake.  Please connect with your Career Coach if you have any questions. 

• Resume Resources

• Resumes play a crucial role in the job search process and are often the first chance you have to make a positive impression on a prospective employer. This document allows you to showcase your skills, experience, knowledge, and background effectively. By presenting clear, concise, and well-organized information, you can demonstrate your value as a candidate and increase your chances of landing an interview.

  ---

  General Format Guidelines 

  • Length: 1 page ideal, 2 pages Maximum

  • Font: Use standard 10-12 point font and use select font styles (bold, italic, all caps) to highlight important elements

  • Margins: 0.5-1 inch margins all around 

  • Descriptions: Use bullets to describe experiences, and avoid using paragraphs

  ---

  Resume Categories 

  Sections in a resume help keep the document organized and easy for readers to scan. The sections should be listed in the order of importance and within each section, items should be listed in reverse chronological order beginning with the most recent position or role. 

  Required Categories 

  • Contact Information

    • Place at the top of the resume and include name, email, and phone number. 

  • Education Section

    • Include degree name, university name, and graduation or expected graduation date. List schools in reverse chronological order beginning with the most institution. 

  Strongly Recommended Categories 

  • Related Experience

  • Skills 

  • Volunteer Experience 

  • Campus Involvement  

  • Honors & Awards 

  Additional Categories 

  • Academic Projects 

  • Research Experience

  • Publications 

  • Presentations

  • Teaching or Clinical Rotations  

  View Our Resume Writing Guide 

• Cover Letter Resources

• Cover Letter

  Cover letters serve as a bridge between your resume and the specific job to which you are applying. Its purpose is to introduce you and expand on the experience in your resume. It will also serve as a reflection of your writing skills, so be sure to proofread and review your document. Your cover letter needs to be specific to the organization and position.

  General Guidelines 

  • Keep your cover letter formal, polished, and written in active voice
  • Varied sentence structure– don’t begin all sentences with “I”
  • Should be grammatically correct with no spelling or punctuation errors
  • Targeted to the needs of the company and requirements of the position
  • The font and formatting should match that of your resume
  • Cover letters should be in a business letter format
  • Keep length to 1 page and 3-4 paragraphs at maximum

  Body of the letter 

  • First Paragraph (Why Them?): Introduce yourself, mention what role you are applying for, and state why are you interested in applying.
  • Second Paragraph (Why You?): State what qualifications you can bring to the position, and make connections to the qualifications in the job description and your skills. 
  • Third Paragraph (Next Steps): Reiterate your interest, express gratitude, and let them know what you want next: an interview or an opportunity to further discuss your qualifications.
  • Signature: Use "Sincerely" followed by your full name. 

• Networking via LinkedIn

• 

  With over 600 million users across the globe, LinkedIn is the go-to resource for building your professional networking, conducting career research, and managing your professional identity.  LinkedIn is an asset to your professional development toolkit. This platform is instrumental to your career development from your first year in college to retirement! 

  Below we have compiled a list of helpful LinkedIn resources for your career development journey that will help you build a dynamic profile, grow your network, and build your personal brand. 

  ---

  Get Started with LinkedIn

  • Create your own LinkedIn profile to build your personal LinkedIn network and gain visibility with employers and contacts.
  • Create your profile using the Linkedin Profile Checklist for College Students  & Checklist First Year College/ High School Students 
  • See where others in your major now work using the Linkedin Alumni Tool 
  • Find jobs and internships using LinkedIn’s Job & Internship Tool 
  • Join Groups! Start off by joining WP Career Center Group and the WP Alumni Group
  • Research companies  and connect with their employees. Make sure to make a personalized connection request! 
  • Explore and develop new work skills via LinkedIn Learning