Where To Start

As we begin all conversations about vocation, there is a theological base that infuses and undergirds everything we endeavor to accomplish. Life looks different for us as Christians—as it should! Understanding and believing that our lives have purpose will affect our subsequent pursuit of our vocations.

Here are some of the CVC's tools and reflections for faith, career, and vocation:

• Check out Bethany Jenkins' chapel talk, where she discusses how to consider skills versus passions.
• “The word vocation is a rich one, having to address the wholeness of life, the range of relationships and responsibilities. Work, yes, but also families, and neighbors, and citizenship, locally and globally – all of this and more is seen as vocation, that to which I am called as a human being, living my life before the face of God. It is never the same word as occupation, just as calling is never the same word as career. Sometimes, by grace, the words and the realities they represent do overlap, even significantly; sometimes, in the incompleteness of life in a fallen world, there is not much overlap at all.”
  Steven Garber’s definition of “Vocation” in Visions of Vocation
• "As it turns out, the weightiest choice we make is never between two future options - say, taking a job in California or staying in Iowa - but between two ways of life, one for God, the other against God."
  "The will of God concerns the present more than the future; it deals with our motives as well as our actions; it focuses on the little decisions we make every day even more than the big decisions we make about the future. The only time we really have both to know and to do God's will is the present moment. We are to love God with heart, soul, mind, and strength, and we are to love our neighbors as we love ourselves."
  "I define calling as a specific vision of how God wants to use our time, energy, and abilities to serve him in the world."
  Jerry Sittser in the Will of God as a Way of Life
• "Repeatedly, the first chapters of the book of Genesis describe God at "work," using the Hebrew mlkh, the word for ordinary human work... In the beginning, then, God worked. Work was not a necessary evil that came into the picture later, or something human beings were created to do but that was beneath the great God himself. No, God worked for the sheer joy of it."
  Tim Keller in Every Good Endeavor

We start at the bottom of the blueprint pyramid because self-awareness is foundational when thinking about your future. Examining your vocations, interests, competencies, skills, strengths, and values sets you up for meaningful work: work that God has already wired you for. This is where you’ll want to exert most of your initial effort, and it’s where you’ll return as you explore and prepare, adding new layers from the learning you’ve done along the way. 

Below are some resources and events we offer to help students know themselves more profoundly:

• CliftonStrengths. The CliftonStrengths Assessment has been taken by over 18 million people worldwide, and is used by top corporations, non-profit organizations, and universities. At Wheaton, we believe strengths are the combination of how God has wired you and your life experiences. Understanding your top 5 strengths will uncover your natural skills and abilities and provide common language to talk about group dynamics, career pursuits, and leadership opportunities. 
• What Are Your 5? also known as WAY5, is a first-year exclusive event centered around a student's Top 5 strengths. First-year students take the CliftonStrengths assessment and then spend a Saturday morning with their friends exploring their Top 5 strengths with upper-class students.
• Sophomore Series: Voyage. A series designed especially for sophomores, featuring four distinct events to guide students as they begin their journey through the Blueprint layers Know Yourself and Explore Possibilities. 
• Career Coaching. Our career coaches are trained to help students discover, prepare for, and launch into their next steps after graduation. Meet our coaches.
• My Next Move. This resource provides multiple ways to discover opportunities that might be a good fit for you as an individual, and a roadmap on how to pursue those options. This is an exceptional conversation starter that will likely highlight experiences you've not considered before. 
• Career Explorer. This self-assessment tool will help identify careers that other similar-minded individuals like you have pursued with great success and fulfillment. We would encourage you to take this assessment and schedule time with a coach to discuss the results.

Exploration is the primary means for discovering what you will actually enjoy doing, rather than what you think you will enjoy doing. To do this well, you’ll need to first spend time getting to know yourself and then try something out. Discover what you like or careers you could see yourself doing through things like internships, job shadowing, or informational interviews.

Below are many exploration-related events and resources students can take advantage of throughout the academic year:

• Internship Exploration - October 10, 2024. Other Wheaton students share about their internship experiences from the previous summer, linking their peers to the company, industry, or even hiring team.
• AlumNights (3x / semester) - A group of alumni come to address an area of student concern, offering wisdom and a way forward.
• Networking Night - November 14, 2024. Dozens of alumni from a variety of industries and seasons of their career come back to encourage, empower, and help students prepare for the future. 
• Externship Day - February 4, 2025. Students go on-site across the Chicagoland area to experience a day in an industry of their choosing.
• myInternship. 
• CVC Internship Scholarships and Fellowships - Don't let an unpaid or underpaid internship prevent you from experiencing the right internship. We give away ten's of thousands of dollars each year to make sure you can get the experience you need.
• VAULT - Use your single sign-on to login it to find write ups on hundreds of companies, industries, and more. 

Preparation includes assembling all the tools you’ll need to articulate who you are to prospective employers and graduate schools. Spending necessary time here will help you tell your story well through resumes/CV, cover letters, personal statements, and interviews.

Below are a list of tools, resources, and events you can participate in that will help you prepare:

• Resume and Cover Letter Guides. The Center for Vocation and Career has created custom guides for resumes and cover letters based on the latest industry trends and research. Learn how to customize your resume and cover letter.
• How-To Videos. Not sure how to upload a resume for review on Handshake? Looking to learn how to find alumni on LinkedIn? We've created how-to videos for some of our students' most common questions. Check out the full video library on Handshake. 
• Big Interview. Conquer your nerves with Big Interview, an online practice interview platform with hundreds of question sets ranging from role, industry, grad school, and more.  
• Mock Interview Workshop. An opportunity for students to practice interviewing in real time, the Center for Vocation and Career invites local recruiters to campus to host mock interviews. Before that, attend our Workshop on how to prepare for an interview.
• Senior Series. The Senior Series events help graduating students prepare for life after Wheaton. Read more about all three taking place in the spring. 

Once you have leaned into each layer of your blueprint effectively, you are best poised to land in a role that aligns with your interests, skills, competencies, strengths, and values. Whether you land on Broadway, Wall Street, or Main Street, we know God will use you to build the church and benefit society worldwide

• Fall Job Fair. Each Fall the Center for Vocation and Career hosts a Senior Job Fair. This is an opportunity for soon-to-be graduates to meet with employers and learn about open positions at companies that want to hire Wheaton Students. 
• Spring Job Fair. Join us in February as we invite 50+ employers on-site who are actively looking to fill positions. 
• Negotiation Conversations. Our Career Coaches are trained to help students prepare for negotiation conversations when they receive job offers or grad school acceptance packages.