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Project Career Research: how to set yourself up for success in choosing a new career

July 20, 2020

Launching a new career can be an exhilarating process, but also a complicated one. One of the most important steps is the first one—choosing which career to pursue. Whether you’re a college student getting ready to join the workforce for the first time, a mid-career professional looking to make a career switch, or someone returning to the workforce after time away, the challenge is the same—how do you know which career to pursue, and how do you get started?

This article is designed to help you explore potential careers in an analytical way. You’ll learn how to choose the career that’s right for you, and determine exactly what’s required to land your first job in your new chosen field. You’ll do this with a process called Project Career Research .

Project Career Research Overview

In Project Career Research you’ll speak with five professionals working in the career you’re exploring. This will help you develop a well-rounded overview of the field, and a plan for approaching different companies in your job search. 

The goal of Project Career Research is to answer three big questions.

Question #1: What is it really like to work as a [job title]?  

A particular career might sound exciting when you see it featured in a press article, or when you read the job description, or when you see the salaries highlighted on a hiring site. But if you’re going to actually work in the field, you need to understand the day-to-day realities of the role. Conversations with industry professionals can tell you what articles and career sites can’t—what it’s really like to have that job. 

What percentage of time do you spend in meetings, focusing on your own projects, writing emails, planning, etc? Who are the people you work with the most, and how do you interact with them? What skills and personality traits are required for success? What time of day do you usually eat lunch? What’s your stress level? Do you talk to lots of people every day, or are you on your own all the time? Do you collaborate often, or very rarely? How much freedom do you get to decide which projects you work on? How do promotions happen? 

These “real life” concerns can make the difference between loving a job, and just going through the motions. Talking with someone who is already in the field is a great way to understand the actual reality of life as a data scientist, a marketer, a social worker, or whatever role it is you choose to pursue.

Question #2: What skills do you actually need to succeed in this job?

Job descriptions can be very helpful, but they can also be very overwhelming. It’s unfortunately all too common for people to abandon pursuing a particular role, because they look at the long list of requirements in the description, and conclude they’re not qualified. The truth is, these sections are often just laundry lists of every single thing a hiring manager might wish to see in a candidate. They don’t necessarily reflect what’s actually required to succeed. Talking with people working in the field is an excellent way to learn what really does and doesn’t matter.

Questions #3: What do you need to land that job? 

There is a difference between being able to do the job, and being able to get the job. As an applicant, it’s your responsibility to prove that you’re qualified. So, it’s important to know what hiring managers are looking for from a candidate. Being credentialed for a particular skill can be very beneficial for some jobs, but not matter at all for others. Some jobs require that you have a portfolio of pre-existing work to show, while other jobs will ask you to complete a new task during your interview, and prioritize this above your portfolio. Some roles require very specific technical skills, while for others the ability to learn quickly and soft skills are much more important. Before you fully commit your time and energy to your job search, make sure you know exactly what it will take to get the job, so you’re ready when the opportunities come.

At this point, you may be wondering why you have to speak to real people—can’t this all be researched online? While there are many great online resources available, there is no substitute for the real insights and opinions that emerge in direct conversation with industry professionals. Take this step, and you’ll enter your job search well-prepared, and with confidence. Avoid it, and you risk everything from resume missteps and inadequate interview preparation to spending money on the wrong classes or training programs. As an added bonus, when you make contact with industry professionals, you’re expanding your network in your future field, which will be especially helpful once you begin the actual job search process.

How to find people to speak with

Your existing connections . An important first step is to consider your own existing network. This could be your LinkedIn network, other professional circles, or people in your shared community spaces—parent groups, civic groups, volunteer organizations, sports teams, and more. Is there someone you know who’s already in the field? Before you became interested in, say, mobile development as a possible career, you might not have consciously registered the fact that you actually already know a mobile developer! Auditing your own network is a great way to quickly discover people with whom you might be able to schedule an informational interview.

Professional groups. Search LinkedIn, Facebook, and Meetup for groups connecting professionals in your target field and reach out to individuals within those groups. Generally, you’ll find that people who are proactive enough to join professional groups are also the kinds of people who enjoy talking about their careers, and are eager to share their knowledge and their experience.

Here’s a task for you. Search professionals on LinkedIn by your target job title, and your geographic location. Review 100 profiles, and from there, choose 20 who feel most relevant to your career objectives. Reach out to all using the template below. If they respond, follow up right away with a thank-you note, and reiterate your interest in a conversation.

LinkedIn outreach template:

Hi <name>, I discovered your profile while researching digital marketing. Your experience at <company> is very interesting and I’d appreciate an opportunity to ask you a few questions, as I am exploring a career change from office management. Thank you in advance for connecting with me!

Tip #1: Make scheduling easy for the other person by suggesting a specific time to speak, and offer to work around their calendar.

Tip #2 : If they don’t reply, don’t take it personally. Just move on with your list.

Tip #3 : On LinkedIn you can only access profiles of people who are in your network (i.e.,  your 1st-degree, 2nd-degree, and 3rd-degree connections), as well as fellow members of your LinkedIn groups. You can expand your network by adding more 1st-degree connections and joining groups.

Preparing for your conversations

To make the most out of each conversation while being respectful of everyone’s time, do your research in advance, so you can ask valuable questions that only they can answer for you (as opposed to those you can get answers to through an online search). Not only does this help ensure a productive conversation, it demonstrates your respect and appreciation for the other person’s experience, and their generosity in taking the time to meet with you

I know you transitioned from teaching high school to a role as an instructional designer, and I’m trying to do the same. But also noticed that most people in similar roles tend to have formal training in instructional design. How were you able to get recruiters to notice you?

There are many ways to do research but you should always include:

• LinkedIn – review profiles of the person you are speaking with (and potentially their colleagues) to understand their backgrounds and experiences.
• Website of the company the person works for, to get a sense of everything from product catalogues to company culture.
• Industry associations and organizations – staying current with industry trends demonstrates your active engagement with your chosen field and its community, and helps to ensure your career questions are specific and relevant.

Tailoring your questions to be specific to each individual is essential, but it’s also important to prepare a set of core questions you can ask in every interview, in order to gather baseline information. For example:

• Can you describe a day in the life of a [role]?
• What are the on-the-job skills required to be successful in this role?
• Are there similar roles I should look into as well?
• How does someone with my background land a first job in the field?

During and after each conversation

Set the context for the meeting. Begin with an overview of why you reached out and what you are hoping to learn from the conversation. This enables the other person to focus on what’s relevant and will make them feel comfortable, as they’ll understand the goals. Remember: as the one who initiated the conversation, it’s your responsibility to establish both the tone and agenda. 

Introduce yourself. To ensure a productive conversation, it’s important that they understand who you are—this helps to establish context for your questions. Spend a couple of minutes in the beginning explaining why you reached out and what your goals are. Remember that while you are there to learn, this person might be able to connect you to a professional opportunity at some point. Be prepared to speak about your skills, accomplishments, and personal qualities that can bring value to an organization. You might not know how your experience transfers onto this new role but you should demonstrate passion and confidence that you can learn and grow quickly. Keep it short and focused.

Let them speak. Since you are there to learn, the primary focus of the conversation should be on the other person. Some people might be more talkative, while others may need more input from you in order to engage. Ideally, they should be speaking for 50% to 80% of the conversation. Don’t be afraid of short pauses, and be respectful and patient if they need time to gather their thoughts. 

Send a thank-you email. You have created a valuable connection, so stay in touch! A thank-you email is a great way to strengthen the connection by reiterating your appreciation for their time and following up on any action items that came out of the discussion. Also, be sure to think through ways you might return the favor, and, as appropriate, share resources, connections, or thoughts they might find valuable.

Wrapping up your project

Now that you have completed five conversations with professionals working in your target career, it’s time to go back to your main three questions and provide answers based on what you’ve learned.

Upon completing that step, you should have a clear sense of whether your target career is actually the one that you want to pursue. You should know if there are opportunities in your area, and you should have a good sense of what skills are required for the role. 

If all that is in place, then you’re ready to proceed!

Your next steps will involve addressing gaps related to job requirements (skills, credentials, degrees, experience) and building an optimal resume. We’ll cover those topics in future posts. Until then, good luck choosing a great career path, and we’ll look forward to seeing you on Coursera when you need to learn new skills!

About the author: Vera Fishman

Vera Fishman a Career Services Program Manager at Coursera and a career coach. Over the past 5+ years she coached hundreds of professionals from major Silicon Valley companies and ran workshops on every step of the job search process at Lee Hecht Harrison (resume writing, career discovery, interviewing – you name it!) and created an innovative job search curriculum at Udacity. Prior to becoming a coach Vera had a whole different career in marketing, and a shorter one in non-profit community management – so she is no stranger to career-changing herself.  A native of Saint Petersburg, Russia, Vera has spent her adult life in Silicon Valley, where she feels most at home and comfortable – aside from not liking to have to drive everywhere.

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Explore Your Career as If You were Doing a Research Project

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Like many graduate students, after two or three years in school, I find myself more prepared for research projects than exploring careers. The two seemingly distinct tasks – exploring careers and doing research – actually share a lot of commonalities. In a recent article from Inside Higher Ed, Tina Solvic, Program Manager of Graduate Career Education at the University of Texas at Austin, suggests that the process of investigating one’s career opportunities and conducting a research project is similar by nature – they are both long-term processes requiring information collection, analysis, and assessment before findings or discoveries surface.

One thing I learned by reading this article is how to transfer my experience and skills from my graduate training to researching my career through its step-by-step guide. The article also includes tools and resources to help one start their career research project. Read the full article here .

Inside Higher Ed is a free daily news website for people who work in higher education. Breaking news, lively commentary, and thousands of job postings bring more than 1.2 million people to the site each month. One of its columns – Carpe Careers features career-related advice and opinions specifically for doctoral students.

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If you are chosen to move forward, a member of our HR team will reach out to you to schedule a phone interview.  There are typically 2-3 rounds of interviews and they can include video calls, in-person meetings, and skills assessments.

All jobs are all based in our office in Washington, DC.  We are unable to accommodate full-time remote work.  Relocation assistance is available for some positions.  Due to the high volume of applicants, if you are not selected you will not be notified until the position has been closed.

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How to Conduct Career Research

Going Global

The wellesley hive, occupational outlook handbook, connecting to industry advisors.

Regardless of where you are in your career — whether you are unsure where to begin or you are preparing for a final round interview — conducting research can help you learn more about and prepare for potential career opportunities. There are many ways to gather information when you’re in the beginning stages of exploring your options, including career research and networking. Below you’ll find ideas and general resources to get started. Use the online resources to gain preliminary information about industries and job titles, then connect to professionals for conversations where you can ask questions and hear the details and realities of the paths that interest you. In addition, once you’ve narrowed your interests to a particular industry, refer to the industry-specific resources listed on the applicable Career Community page.

As you learn more about a particular career path, be sure to stop and reflect on what you have learned. Ask yourself these questions:

• Am I still interested in this career path?
• What excites me the most about this role/industry?
• What concerns do I have about this line of work?
• Can I see myself working in this environment?
• Does this path capitalize on my strengths?
• Does this path align with my values?
• What skills do I need to develop?
• What information am I still missing?

As you conduct your career research, we encourage you to make an appointment with your Advisor for Career Exploration (ACE) to discuss your reflections, learnings and ideas further. These appointments will be helpful in identifying next sSETPH in terms of your research and exploration.

Going Global Going Global is the leading provider of both country-specific and USA city-specific career and employment information. It is a great resource for international students who are hoping to find opportunities within the United States and any student who is interested in working abroad. Learn about employment practices, workplace culture, and key industries of 40+ countries, and more!  

In May 2017, Career Education and the Wellesley College Alumnae Association launched The Wellesley Hive , a platform where current Wellesley students and alumnae can mentor, or be mentored. It is a  platform where you can ask questions and seek guidance, coach and inspire, and find paths to professional aspirations. Think of it as a digital space exclusively for Wellesley.

The Wellesley Hive is designed to be flexible, user-friendly, and interactive. Key features of the platform include the ability to:

• Search and connect with the Wellesley Network as a mentor, mentee, or both
• Customize involvement levels and fully manage your time commitment as a mentor
• Search for opportunities shared by fellow alumnae and Career Education
• Discover and post event listings, including networking mixers, career fairs, conferences, and more
• Join discussion groups to connect with others around shared career interests and identities
• Learn more about forming meaningful mentorship relationships through digital resources  

LinkedIn With over 350 million users across the globe, LinkedIn is a go-to resource for networking, and also a great tool for career research. Here are a few ways to use LinkedIn to explore career paths and options:

• Find and connect with professionals for informational interviews using the Wellesley College Alumnae pages or the “Find Alumni” tool offered by LinkedIn
• See where others with your major now work, and what types of jobs, experiences and education they’ve had
• Research companies using individual company pages
• Stay current of news and events using LinkedIn Pulse
• Participate in career-specific groups with others sharing your interest  

Using O*NET OnLine , you can find detailed descriptions for very specific job types in many different fields. You can browse different occupations by their outlook, by field, skills used, or jobs specific to STEM or in the Green Economy Sectors.  

The Occupational Outlook Handbook , published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, can help you find basic career information on duties, education and training, pay and outlook for hundreds of occupations. To get started, choose an Occupation Group to explore, then learn about common job functions within that interest area of field.  

Wellesley College provides you complete access to Vault.com , an online tool for career research and preparation. Vault provides in-depth knowledge and information on what it’s really like to work in certain industries and professions. You can also use Vault to research background information about companies, schools, and internships.

To start learning about various career fields based on your interests, select “Career Resources” from the top navigation and select “Industries” from the drop-down. For each industry, an extensive overview is provided, along with background on the industry, structure, and helpful resources and specific organizations to continue your specific learning and information gathering. At the bottom of each industry page, Vault will provide you with a list of related professions & companies.

Also under the “Career Resources” section, you can select “Professions.” In particular, if you are not sure where to begin, this is a good place to start. Select “Browse All Professions” which will allow you to search for professions based on your favorite subjects, areas of interest, and personality traits (among other search criteria).

As you get further along in your career research, you may sense your career interests begin to narrow. Particular industries may intrigue you more than others and even within a given industry, you may find yourself more excited by a certain niche area. As your interests become more clear, connecting with one of Wellesley College’s Industry-specific Career Advisors is a great way to further explore career options in these areas. Connecting with these advisors provides you with opportunities to:

• Familiarize yourself with career options and opportunities connected to your interest areas and how to prepare for them
• Look through job specific search engines and read through job descriptions to get ideas of what you might, or might not be interested in
• Attend on and off campus events to learn more about careers in this field
• Gain advice and knowledge from experts, alumnae and employers within this field
• Connect with and learn from professionals with careers you’re interested in through events, job shadows, informational interviews, and mentorship

Wellesley College’s industry clusters

• Business, Consulting,Finance, Marketing
• Education, Nonprofit, Human Services
• Government, International Affairs, Law
• Health Professions  
• Arts & Media
• Science, Technology, Engineering, Public Health

​ Not sure what Industry is right for you? Reach out to your Advisor for Career Exploration (ACE who will be able to help you learn more about your values, interests, personality, and skills and how they might overlap within these industries

Sign Up For Newsletters Finally, if you haven’t already, be sure to sign up to receive industry newsletters and information! To do this, log into Handshake , select “Career Interests,” and complete the brief survey.

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Careers in Genomics

Scientists and thousands of other professionals are using discoveries in genetics to revolutionize the world. This means careers in genetics and genomics are booming. And there are many other careers you don’t usually think of as science, like education, social work, and even law and the arts that are affected by this growth, creating even more career opportunities.

The Careers

Computational Genomics and Data Scientist Scientists develop and apply analytical methods and mathematical modeling techniques to the study of genomic systems. They use computational tools and approaches to organize, analyze and visualize data from genomic sciences and genomic medicine research.

Technology Development Technologists innovate fundamentally new solutions, develop those innovations into useful tools, show those new tools work with exemplar work, disseminate their findings and approaches, and provide a path to commercialization and utilization in basic research and clinical settings.

Genomics Researcher Genomic researchers study genes effect on physical traits and how multiple genes and their inter relationships influence the growth and development of an organism.

Ethical, Legal, and Social Implications (ELSI) Research ELSI researchers investigate the ethical, legal, social or policy implications of genetics and genomics related to patient care and research. ELSI investigators have backgrounds in medicine, genetics, biological sciences, social sciences, ethics, philosophy, history, health services research, public policy or other related disciplines.

Genomic Medicine Clinician Clinicians including nurses, nurse practitioners, pharmacists, physicians, and physician assistants that apply genomic information about an individual as part of their clinical care (e.g. for diagnostic or therapeutic decision-making).

Clinical and Laboratory Geneticist Doctors with either a Ph.D. or M.D. that specialize in providing comprehensive laboratory, diagnostic, management, and genetic counseling services for patients with, or at risk for, genetically influenced health problems.

Genetic counselor Genetic counselors are professionals with education in genomics and counseling that specialize in helping patients and families make decisions about their genomic health and adapt to genomic risk.

How could you impact people’s lives

From prenatal genetic screening to the genetic testing of women with family histories of breast cancer, genomics is rapidly becoming a fixture in our lives.

Genomic findings are also beginning to guide treatments for other common diseases and the right dose of medications. Other exciting clinical genomic advances involving the study of rare diseases.

Where can you work

Academia Impact future generations of scientist and science by educating students and performing grown braking research in your laboratory.

Industry From new biotechnology start-ups, including starting your own company, to large pharmaceutical companies an education in genomics lead you to exciting opportunities developing new medications and products that have not even been conceived today.

Healthcare Assist other with their health needs as a healthcare provider in either your own office or as part of a team of professionals in a large academic research hospital where you can teach, perform research and treat patients.

Government Government jobs offer a wide range of opportunities to be involved in genomics research from working as a researcher in a laboratory or a clinician in a hospital to forging the future of scientific research as science administrator.

Last updated: March 31, 2020

For Teachers

Home » Teachers

Career Research Projects for High School Students

Immersive projects are a great teaching tool to get students excited about a potential career path.

As a teacher or homeschooler of high school students, you know the importance of in-depth, hands-on instruction. The more your students see how to apply their career planning and exploration skills, the better. Check out these career research projects for high school students that you can use in your classroom immediately! You can head to our careers curriculum center for lesson plans and more materials you can use as well.

Career Research Projects – Essays and Written Products

Sometimes, the best approach is the simplest. These projects require students to research and type up essays or written reports.

• Career Research and Readiness Project: In this project , students take a personality assessment to see what kinds of careers they may enjoy. They research the job application and interview process, narrow their search to a few career choices, and then set SMART goals to help them achieve their dreams. 
• Career Research Project Paper: Students will like this project’s   simple, straightforward instructions and layout. The components are broken into manageable chunks, letting your high schoolers tackle the project in parts. By the end, they will produce a well-researched essay highlighting their career. 
• 3-Career Research Report: In this project , students choose three careers to focus on and create a written report. They learn MLA documentation, write business letters to organizations, take notes, and go through the formal writing process. This project has everything your students need to develop their career research reports with a rubric, parent letter, works cited page instructions, and more.
• STEM Careers Research Poster and Brochure: Students conduct comprehensive research in this project , using what they learn to create several items showing their knowledge. They research and learn about a specific career and make a posterboard presentation. Then they can create a brochure, present their findings to the class, and answer any questions that classmates and others may ask.
• Job Research Project: In this project , students first do research on any career they want. They must look up the various requirements, necessary skills, salary, and other details about the profession. They end with a thorough essay about their career, hopefully armed with the knowledge to help them in the future. The project is customizable to adapt to multiple grades, so your high school students will all benefit from the project. 

Career Research Projects – Digital Presentations

Fusing technology and research, these projects allow kids to show their knowledge through technology. Students create digital presentations and share them with the class using PowerPoint, Google Slides, and other formats.

• Career Research Project: This project works with many grades, and teachers can customize it to fit their students’ levels. They use PowerPoint to make a comprehensive slide show to demonstrate their knowledge. It breaks down career research into ten slides (you can add more as needed), and students will have a solid understanding of their future career path by the end of the assignment. 
• Career Presentation Project: In this project , high schoolers need to research career clusters, narrow their choices down to only one profession, and find many details about it. They look up median salary, entry-level pay, education requirements, required skills, and any additional benefits or perks that would attract potential applicants. They put all this information into a PowerPoint or Google Slides presentation.
• Career and College Exploration Project: This project is broken down into clear and detailed descriptions for each slide of the presentation. It differs from other projects on the list because it weaves college research into the assignment, showing students the connection between education and careers. With 22 slides to complete, students will have an in-depth understanding of their chosen careers and how to navigate school and plan for future success.
• Career Exploration Project: This project is unique as it takes a realistic approach to career exploration, requiring students to find the pros and cons of three potential careers. They see that every job has perks and drawbacks, and part of pursuing a specific one comes down to their personal preference. The project includes a detailed outline, so students know precisely what to research and have on each slide of their digital presentation. Presenting their findings is a significant part of their grade, which helps strengthen their accountability, quality of work, and public speaking skills.
• Life Skills Career Research Project: This project is an excellent blend of hands-on production and digital skill-building, letting students show their findings in multiple formats. They research a career, finding things like education/training requirements, job responsibilities, drawbacks, benefits, opportunities for advancement, specific places of employment, and salaries. Students need to create a functional resume and attach it to the project. They use Google Drive to design poster components and can submit the project digitally or on a poster board.

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Directions Inc - the collective of Directions, SEEK Company, and Aimpoint Research® - is one of the most established and respected names in the insights industry.  

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