The Life Calling and Career office serves as the academic home for students who enter IWU without a major or are between majors and exploring their options. It is also the place that helps students discover who they are while teaching them how to pursue a vocation that fits their unique calling. Life Calling and Career is your ready-to-equip compass for the exciting journey ahead.
Students can start their journey with the Exploratory program. This popular, first-year experience helps students discern their major and vocation through a three-credit course, LFC 150. If students already feel confident about their major, they can experience Life Coaching. Our coaches are ICF-certified professionals who are trained to help overcome barriers and navigate what’s next. To round out the journey, students can opt in for our many Career readiness opportunities. We have resources, events, and workshops to help prepare students to land a job that optimizes passion and personal identity.
Life Calling and Career utilizes Handshake, an online job and internship platform. IWU students have access to view job and internship postings and then apply directly for opportunities based on their preferences.
Students can also use Handshake to set up appointments with our staff team for Life Coaching and Career Coaching.
Life Calling is not “the call” to ministry. It is the home for students without a major as well as a place for those who want to generate the confidence needed to move forward in areas they feel stuck. Life Calling is about discovering who you are with precision and accuracy so you can contribute to the world authentically.
The Exploratory Program helps students make an informed decision on their major, rather than waste time, credits, and money by being uncertain. Nearly all majors can graduate in four (or less) years, even when entering the Exploratory program first semester.
80% of students nationally change their major at some point – often more than once. However, Exploratory students are less likely to change their major once they declare.
Exploratory is the second largest incoming academic program at IWU (behind Nursing) with a persistence rate of 94%.
Whether deciding between two majors, realizing a major isn't a good fit, or not knowing which direction to go because of too many options, students benefit from the Exploratory Program.
LFC 150: Introduction to Life Calling is a three credit-hour course all Exploratory students take in the Fall semester. This course helps students explore vocation by discovering personal mission as well as unique, God-given design.
On average, 65% of students in this course declare their major with confidence by Christmas Break. The rest of the students declare by the end of the academic year.
Life Coaching is a free service, open to all students, with an average of five 45-minute sessions. Trained, certified life coaches work one-on-one with students to pursue change and determine purpose, direction, and/or a major.
Life Coaching is not counseling, advising, or consulting – it is partnering with students to help deepen personal learning to move forward with decisions. Coaches are trained to draw out the answers within the student, not to make the decision for the student.
Coaching can utilize assessments and tools that may include: CliftonStrengths, Mining for Values, MBTI, Strong’s Interest Inventory (SII), and the Enneagram.
Student Employment Training (S.E.T) offers formalized professional development to our Indiana Wesleyan University residential students. Our once-a-month workshops will focus on "Career Readiness" competencies from the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE). Students will be able to gain experience and knowledge from participating in and attending the S.E.T. Workshops.
Career Readiness is a foundation from which to demonstrate requisite core competencies that broadly prepare the college educated for success in the workplace and lifelong career management. For new college graduates, career readiness is key to ensuring successful entrance into the workforce. Career readiness is the foundation upon which a successful career is launched.
Career readiness is, quite simply, the new career currency.
For higher education, career readiness provides a framework for addressing career-related goals and outcomes of curricular and extracurricular activities, regardless of the student’s field of study. For employers, career readiness plays an important role in sourcing talent, providing a means of identifying key skills and abilities across all job functions; similarly, career readiness offers employers a framework for developing talent through internship and other experiential education programs.
There are a total of eight Career Readiness Competencies identified by NACE. Four additional competencies have been added to the list based on need for our Indiana Wesleyan University students.
Career & Self-Development
Proactively develop oneself and one’s career through continual personal and professional learning, awareness of one’s strengths and weaknesses, navigation of career opportunities, and networking to build relationships within and without one’s organization.
Communication
Clearly and effectively exchange information, ideas, facts, and perspectives with persons inside and outside of an organization.
Critical Thinking
Identify and respond to needs based upon an understanding of situational context and logical analysis of relevant information.
Equity & Inclusion
Demonstrate the awareness, attitude, knowledge, and skills required to equitably engage and include people from different local and global cultures. Engage in anti-racist practices that actively challenge the systems, structures, and policies of racism.
Leadership
Recognize and capitalize on personal and team strengths to achieve organizational goals.
Teamwork
Recognize and capitalize on personal and team strengths to achieve organizational goals.
Professionalism
Knowing work environments differ greatly, understand and demonstrate effective work habits, and act in the interest of the larger community and workplace.
Technology
Understand and leverage technologies ethically to enhance efficiencies, complete tasks, and accomplish goals.
Financial Literacy
Having the ability to understand and effectively use various financial skills, including personal financial management, budgeting, and investing. Financial literacy is the foundation of your relationship with money, and it is a lifelong journey of learning.
Mental Health Literacy
Recognize mental health problems and symptoms, know where to seek help and information, and understand that the mental health problems can and should be treated.
Cliffton Strengths at Work
You Are Unique. You Are Powerful. Be Confident With Who You Are. Understanding how our Strengths can be incorporated in the workplace
IWU Mission & Student Values
Developing students in character, scholarship, and leadership to change the world. Understanding the challenge to follow Christ which compels us to pursue a personal and professional lifestyle of commitment, leadership, service, stewardship, innovation, and diversity.
These assessments and resources will help as you research potential fields of study and vocations:
CliftonStrengths is a talent instrument from Gallup that helps individuals discover, understand, and maximize their natural talents and gifts. CliftonStrengths reveals the top five themes from the 34 key life strengths and then provides an opportunity to explore and develop those strengths in more depth.
The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator offers a foundation for understanding individual differences and applying that understanding to the ways people think, communicate, and interact. This personality inventory helps individuals identify where they focus, how they take in information, how they make decisions, and how they interpret the world around them.
The Strong Interest Inventory (SII) is an interest tool used in career assessment. The goal of this assessment is to give insight into interests that help with decisions about career and calling. Based on the Holland Codes, the SII is designed to help students choose a major and explore their career.
The Enneagram helps individuals identify deep-seeded motivations that impact multiple layers of personality. By digging into intrinsic motivation and the resulting patterns of behavior, the Enneagram allows for a unique look at understanding yourself and others.
The Four Tendencies is a simple test to determine how you respond to internal and external expectations. It is designed to help you and others understand how to get motivated around everyday tasks.
The Life Calling team facilitates workshops for classes, departments, and organizations on topics that include:
The Career team is here to help develop your career potential! We help students learn the skills to be successful in, and after college when it comes to professional development and building their network. We are not here to simply give you a job, but to teach you the skills on how to get a job!
Not sure where to start? Meet with a Career Coach to clarify your goals!
Make an appointment today! (765) 677-2520 or lifecallingcareer@indwes.edu
Our team is here to help you revise and strengthen your resume and cover letter. Don’t have a resume or cover letter yet? We can help you get started!
Make an appointment today! (765) 677-2520 or lifecallingcareer@indwes.edu
Whether you’re looking for on-campus, summer, or full-time jobs, our team is here to assist in finding current openings that match your interest and needs.
Reach out today! (765) 677-2520 or lifecallingcareer@indwes.edu
Looking for an internship to develop your career interest? Maybe you’re looking to fulfill an internship credit for class; we can help with connecting you to internship resources according to your career path.
Reach out today! (765) 677-2520 or lifecallingcareer@indwes.edu
Students who have an upcoming interview are welcome to practice their interview and work out their nerves with one of our career coaches. This appointment can help bring to mind potential questions asked in interviews.
Whether your interview is for a job, graduate school, or to become more self-aware, mock interviews are beneficial for career development.
Make an appointment today! (765) 677-2520 or lifecallingcareer@indwes.edu
Students are encouraged to create a LinkedIn profile to job search and network with alumni and other industry leaders. Meet with a career coach to learn how to get the most out of your LinkedIn experience.
Make an appointment today! (765) 677-2520 or lifecallingcareer@indwes.edu
Students who want to go the extra mile to showcase their professional and life journey in a visual way are encouraged to build an e-portfolio to take wherever they go!
Make an appointment today! (765) 677-2520 or lifecallingcareer@indwes.edu
Interested in having a professional headshot for your portfolio or LinkedIn profile, attend one of our Professional Headshot events.
These take place once a semester, connect with the career team to find out more!
Life Calling & Career equips Indiana Wesleyan University students with the vital skill of networking through employer visits on campus.
Employers recruit for jobs/ internships/ and other opportunities weekly at the Career Kiosk in our student center mallway. Employers represent a variety of industries.
We encourage students to network with the employers to gain skills and maybe even land an interview!
The Life Calling & Career team is here to support students by providing professional attire to students for interviews, career fairs, and other professional events.
The initiative gives students from all backgrounds an equal opportunity to feel professional and to pursue their career goals.
We are asking the IWU community to support our efforts to empower IWU students by donating business professional clothing to supply our inventory needs.
Stop by the Life Calling and Career Office in the Barnes Student Center to learn more!
