How to Get Started With the FOCUS System

You can use FOCUS during several stages of your college years.   Use FOCUS to help you:

Choose Your Major Area of Study
The FOCUS system enables you to identify occupations that best match your personal attributes and the major / education requirements for those occupations. You should review the occupations that most appeal to you as potential career goals paying particular attention to the education programs, degrees required, courses, skills, requirements and certification needed to prepare you to work in those occupations.  This information will help you choose the major area of study that best supports your career goals.

To help you decide about your major area of study, it is recommended that you first complete the following two assessments listed in the FOCUS Main Menu:

Work Interests Assessment
You answer questions to describe your work interests.  FOCUS identifies occupations that match your interests profile and helps you analyze and compare the critical features and major areas of study required for those occupations.

Personality Assessment
In this assessment you will answer questions that provide a picture of your personality type.  FOCUS identifies occupations that best match your Personality and helps you analyze and compare the critical features and major areas of study required for those occupations.

To further help you select a major:  While exploring an occupation the appeals to you, be sure to select “Areas of Study” on the occupation screen to learn what majors and education plans are typically pursued by people working in this occupation.

To help you narrow down your options select Combine the Results of Multiple Assessments:  This allows you to combine the results from the assessments you have completed to help you narrow down your occupation results.
 
To further explore a major offered at your school, select “What can I do with a major in…?" on the main menu to review the occupations that a specific major will typically prepare you for.

Verify Your Preferences or Early Choice of a Career Field
It’s best to verify or validate your early decisions about your career goals and study programs so that you do not overlook career options that are compatible with your personal attributes.  You are a multi-potential person and undoubtedly have talents, interests, values, personality and skills that qualify you for a wide range of occupations.

Be sure of your choice by completing all the FOCUS assessments in the Main Menu so you can discover all the occupations and career fields that match your assessment profiles.  Once you have broadened your career horizons you can narrow down your options by comparing the critical features of the occupations that appeal to you.  This process will assure that you have made the best possible choice.

Start Your Job Search or Plan for Graduate School with FOCUS

Select  “What can I do with a major in…?" on the main menu to review the occupations that a specific major has typically prepared you for.  Review and select occupations that interest you, while reviewing an occupation be sure to utilize the following features:

Select “Overview” to review additional education or certifications recommended for this occupation

Select “Contact Information” to contact Professional Organizations to learn more about an occupation and applying for a job.

Select “Advancement” to learn about the educational requirements, training or experience typical of people advancing in this field.

Select “Outlook” to learn about trends in the job market to help you plan your future career and any additional training you may wish to pursue. 


Here is a list of the Assessments and other services on the FOCUS Main Menu that you should use to help you make decisions about your career goals and major area of study.

FOCUS MAIN MENU FEATURES
Career Readiness

 Career and Educational Goals:  Allows you to enter your career and educational goals.
 Academic Strengths:  Allows you to specify your academic strengths and weaknesses.
 Career Planning Status:  Allows you to specify where you are in your career planning.
 Personal Development Needs:  Allows you to specify your personal development needs.

Self Assessment

Work Interest Assessment:  Allows you to assess your work interests and explore matching occupations
Leisure Interest Assessment:  Allows you to assess your leisure interests and explore matching occupations
Skills Assessment:  Allows you to assess your skills and explore matching occupations
Personality Assessment: Allows you to assess information about their personality and explore matching occupations.
Values Assessment: Allows you to assess your values and explore matching occupations.
Combine the Results of Multiple Assessments:  Allows you to combine the results from the assessments you have completed to help you narrow down your occupation results.

Explore the Possibilities

Search by Name:  Allows you to search for occupations by name.
Search by Industry: Allows you to search for occupations by industry.
What can I do with a major in...?  Allows you to explore majors.
Compare Two Occupations Side by Side:  Allows you to compare 2 occupations of your choice

 Your Personal Portfolio

Review and update your saved occupations
Review and update your saved majors
Review and print your portfolio

Recommended Tools & Websites: Link to helpful websites.

Calendar of Events: See what career events are planned.

Additional features:

Select “update my account” in the upper right hand corner of the main menu to change your user name or password or add details to your portfolio including uploading a photo.

If you forget your logon information:  Go to the logon screen and select “If you have forgotten your username or password, click here” Your log on information will be emailed to you shortly. 

Contact career services by email (upper right hand corner of the main menu) directly from FOCUS while logged onto the program