Career Exploration

Career Exploration

How to Explore Careers

Use your time in the MPA program to explore opportunities in public service. This involves identifying your skills and experiences, what you’d like to do in a job/career, the types of organizations you could work for, and/or where you want to work.

Start by understanding your priorities, skills, and experiences as you begin to narrow down your interests and goals. The Career Decision and Job Search Process provides steps and resources that can start you in the right direction.

  • Begin with a self-assessment 
  • Gather information 
  • Develop job search skills 
  • Job search 
  • Repeat as needed! 

Create a Professional Development Plan (PDP) for an individualized skill building guide so that you can be intentional and strategic throughout the MPA program. You may not have a goal set… and that’s okay! You can start with your values/priorities, skills, and action steps. Then take time to re-evaluate!

Networking & Informational Interviews

Networking & Informational Interviews

Networking allows you to expand your connections and understanding of the field of public service. Learn how to build your network and conduct information interviews.

When in a networking interaction, follow these tips:

  • Tell the connection how you found them (what do you have in common, UNC, UNC MPA, someone you mutually know, etc.) 
  • Share why you want to connect with them specifically
  • Make them feel important
  • You aren’t asking for a job in these connections; you are asking for information, but you can share a resume or your LinkedIn URL as an FYI about who you are.

Networking opportunities tie into mentorship. Mentorship interactions are opportunities for development that involves people connecting to share knowledge, experience, advice, and support that benefit everyone involved.* This includes formal programs such as the Alumni Mentor Program or informal interactions where you discuss public service in less structured interactions such as MPA Happy Hour Hubs. Don’t forget, informal interactions can be made formal or regular if you just ask!

Want to use AI to support your networking? Check out AI in Career Development for an outline on use. After reviewing, you can consider specific use for items such as LinkedIn.

Sample Prompts:

  • Please write a professional LinkedIn message request for a [e.g., networking connection, informational interview] from a Master student. Demonstrate that I found them [from who/how], our connection via UNC [MPA], and that I am interested in [interests: jobs, skills, organizations] aspects of their career journey.
    • NOTE: Without a premium account, you are limited to 5 messages per month. Save those 5 messages for individuals you’d really like to connect with, and for others send a connection request without a message and follow up with a message after the request is (hopefully) accepted OR send an outside email if you were able to find or get a professional email or business card.
  • Please generate 10 questions for an informational interview using a LinkedIn profile to help me decide if his/her/their career path matches my skills of [insert skills]: [insert profile without personal identifying info (e.g., name)]

​*Source: Qooper Mentoring via NACE​

Where to Learn About Careers

Where to Learn About Careers

Exploring careers builds from a person’s self-assessment. The purpose is to inform an individual on career choices. You gather information, which facilitates decision making, and stimulates continued exploration, allowing you to assess your options and discover possible alternatives. This includes occupational research, company/organization research, employment trends, informational interviewing, and assessing the need for continued education.

UNC MPA provides a variety of resources and outlets to learn about public service careers.

  • Career Discovery Series
  • MPA alumni in courses or workshops
  • First Destination of MPA graduates
  • Career Treks
  • Career & Networking Fair
  • MPA Alumni Mock Interview Program
  • Heels Engage

The UNC Career Center compiled career exploration tools so that you can ultimately make informed choices about occupations. The critical thinking skills gained as a result of the interdisciplinary nature of your Carolina education parallel career educational competencies.

  • U.S. Department of Labor
  • Occupational Outlook Handbook managed by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
  • Vault provides guidebooks about industries and careers, as well as specialized job search preparation. 

Want to use AI to help you learn about careers? Check out AI in Career Development for an outline on use. After reviewing, you can consider career exploration prompts inspired by UMass Amherst.

Sample Prompts:

    • You are an experienced career coach. Ask me a set of questions to understand my career interests, academic and work experiences, skill set, and what motivates me in the workplace. After providing responses, give me practical advice about what actions I should take in determining my public service career path.
    • What is a typical career path for a [role/job title]? Please explain what knowledge, skills, abilities, and experiences are needed to progress in the path and what sites you are pulling your response from.
    • Based on experiences in my resume, what are 5 public service-related career fields I may want to explore? Please share why the field is suggested and how it relates to my resume. [insert resume lines]

Self-Assessment

Self-Assessment

Through self-assessment you can better understand how you might embrace or reject certain careers. Discovery of your interests can lead to short- and long-term career satisfaction. An awareness of your skills, interests, preferences, strengths, personality, and values can drive your decision-making for the future.

Utilize assessments identified by the from the UNC Career Center:

  • Focus 2
    • Focus 2 helps you assess your interests, values, personality and skills and make major and career suggestions based on the answers you provide. The site provides an abundance of information about various careers so that you can begin exploring your options in greater depth. Access code: tarheels
  • NC Careers
    • e.g., Reality Check from the North Carolina Department of Commerce is an online tool designed to estimate the income necessary to support your desired lifestyle. State where you’d like to live in North Carolina and how you spend your money. From there, you’ll be directed to jobs that meet your financial needs.

Other assessments could include…

 Guided Reflection on your Self-Assessment

  • MPA Career Team encourages and can guide reflection and application to workplace settings!

Looking for more ways to explore your career. Review the Professional Development Co-Curricular Experience for more ideas!