To earn the Career Exploration pin, you must complete the first two requirements below and at least one of the suggested options.  Options can be individual or group projects.

                        1.   Read the discussion of careers in Chapter 4 of A Resource Book For Senior Girl Scouts.

                        2.  Write your own résumé. See pages 101-103 in A Resource Book For Senior Girl Scouts for assistance.

         Option 1:  Plan A Career
        Bring people and careers together to meet a need in your community.

• Decide on your audience.
• Compile a list of organizations and businesses that you would like to see represented.
• Develop a strategy for identifying and contacting people--calling, writing, faxing.
• Find a place to hold the fair, check calendars, and set a date.
• Identify all essential tasks and responsibilities and those people who carry through on them.
• Publicize the fair to your intended audience.
• Afterwards, evaluate the affair--what could have been improved, what did you learn?
• Thank those who helped.

• Identify the career or career areas you would like to focus on.
• Brainstorm a list of potential places to visit--use business directories, newspapers, phone books, and career resources.
• Decide on your time commitment--how many trips will you make, or will there be one trip with multiple stops?
• List places and potential speakers.  If necessary, develop a budget for what you want to do and plan how you will pay for it.
• Develop your plan and itinerary--arrange for all necessary things, such as scheduling, transportation, food, and lodging.
• Research the careers and places you will be visiting.
• Carry out your plan.
• Evaluate--discuss what you learned and how you might do things differently.
• Thank appropriate people with letters.

         Option 3:  Carry Out a Career Internship
        This is an opportunity to go beyond reading and to mentor with someone who is in a career that truly interests you.

        Here are some hints:

• Make a list of possible careers that you are interested in, then research and rank your choices.
• Look for a possible mentor.  Your council might help you by suggesting someone, or you can pick a mentor yourself and clear the placement with your advisor and council.
• When you have identified the possibilities, approach the one that looks best for you.  You may go through a human resources department in a large organization, speak directly to an individual whom you want as a mentor, or work with a person whose job is to match young people with adult mentors.
• Be prepared to answer questions about your interests, why you want to intern, and how much time you can spend doing it.  (You might do it during a school break, after school, or on weekends.)
• When you connect with a mentor, spend some time discussing expectations that you both have for the experience.  This will include time commitments, opportunities for job shadowing, actual work expectations, and possibly tips on dress and conduct.
• An internship is what you make of it.  Work with your mentor to find out about training for a particular job, what typical workday activities are, what other jobs are available in the field, and what the future is expected to be for the job.  Identify professional organizations associated with the job and find out about possible paid internship or apprentice positions for high school graduates.
• Decide how you will evaluate your internship.
• Keep a journal of your experience.

• Read the section on pages 103-104 of A Resource Book for Senior Girl Scouts about job interviews.
• Interview for a job, taking your résumé with you or sending it in beforehand.  Decide in advance what skills you have that will be important for the job so that you can address them in your interview.
• If you do not get the job on your first try, determine what you might do differently in your next interview.  (You might even speak to the person who interviewed you to ask for suggestions.)

Once you have a job, keep a journal about what you learn about work and your personal work habits for a period of time.  Evaluate your experience with your advisor.

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