Career Exploration Unit
Interest Inventory & Career Research Project
- Grades
- Grades 7–12
- Formats
- Google Slides, PDF, PowerPoint
- Pages
- 30
- Answer keys
- Included
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Help students answer "What do I want to do?" with a complete career exploration unit. Students discover their interests with a 36-statement interest inventory built on John Holland's six RIASEC types, sort their skills and work values, explore the 16 career clusters, research a real career with the Occupational Outlook Handbook and O*NET, compare education pathways, and share what they learn in a career poster or presentation.
What's included
- Teacher guide with 10-day pacing, materials and differentiation (support, on level, challenge)
- Teacher notes on Holland's RIASEC model, research tools and using results well
- Career Words: 12 key terms + warm-up
- 36-statement interest inventory (original statements) with scoring guide, Holland code and bar graph
- The Six RIASEC Types: descriptions, classes and activities to try, and careers that often match
- My Results & Careers to Explore reflection
- Skills & Values sort: 2 sort mats + 24 cut-apart cards
- The 16 Career Clusters overview (the original National Career Clusters Framework, still used by many states) + a 16-career cluster match
- How to Use the OOH & O*NET guide with a profile diagram and practice run
- 2-page career research organizer
- Education & Training Pathways: apprenticeship, trade school, community college, 4-year college and military
- Which Pathway? scenarios + pros and cons
- Comparing Two Careers chart with a claim-and-evidence response
- Informational interview planner, question bank, notes page and thank-you note
- Career poster or presentation project, planner and 24-point rubric
- My Career Plan reflection with a goal for the year
- Career Exploration Check quiz
- Answer keys and scoring check
How to use it
Use it in career exploration, CTE, advisory, homeroom or school counseling lessons over about 10 class periods, or pick individual pieces for a career week. Students need internet access on research days; everything else is print and go.
Skills practiced
Self-awarenessinterest and values reflectioncareer researchreading data with source and yearcomparing options with evidenceinformational interviewingpresenting
