No matter what your past, you have a bright future
Defining Our Career & Ourselves
How do we translate our experiences and create a career for ourselves? Careers are about a universal understanding of collective experiences, interests, ways of thinking, and connecting to a community of people. Think about the way you may have grown, developed, gained, or practiced. That knowledge can influence others, and be refined for a multitude of careers. Take a moment to reflect on the interests that you have, these skills you developed, and how we can merge the two together!
Skill Building
At our core, skill-building is what defines career readiness and how to best prepare for your future. NACE (National Association for Colleges & Employers) defines Career Readiness as “a foundation from which to demonstrate requisite core competencies that broadly prepare the college-educated for success in the workplace and lifelong career management.”
What does that mean for us? While NACE identifies 8 career skills that employers look for in a new employee, there are other skill-building techniques that can help enhance the way we work! Check out some of these skill-building tools:
- MBTI Personality Test
- Motivated Skills Inventory
- CliftonStrengths (Contact careers@emerson.edu to help you with account setup)
Equal Opportunity
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is a great resource for knowledge. Take a chance to review this material to understand your opportunities and rights. The National Career Development Association mentions, “Many state Departments of Labor are currently reevaluating pre-employment screening laws to make it easier for people with a criminal record to secure employment. Because many individuals with a criminal record also are of a minority race and live in poverty, Title VII of the Civil Right Act may protect job seekers against discrimination (U.S. EEOC, 2012).” We encourage you to check out the EEOC guide to assess how you identify and how you can proceed in your career!
Civic Engagement
Your opportunity to be involved in civic and community engagement is robust. Your focus on media, literature, and culture is integral to an institution of community-based engagement and how we can build connections, develop our careers, and define how our work is created. This experience can help refocus the initiative for artists, activists, researchers, and civic planners on how to enhance our communities. Check the Prisoners Legal Service of Massachusetts for more information, organizations, and coalitions to participate in to further your civic engagement opportunities!