Career exploration is critical for students – not only in high school but throughout the grades. It is a complex topic, including concepts like understanding careers, student interests, career research, skill development for career success, tactics to increase hiring chances, and career pathway planning and exploration. These worksheets cover the spectrum, providing practice and skill-building for kids of all ages.
Understanding Careers
Before kids can jump into focused research, they need to know what a career is and the difference between a job and a career.
- Career Readiness: Jobs vs. Careers: This worksheet shows younger students the difference between jobs and careers and gives them practice identifying differences. (1st-8th Grade)
- Career vs. Job: In this worksheet, kids fill in information bubbles to compare and contrast careers and jobs. (3rd – 8th Grade)
- Career Survey: This worksheet has students answer the question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” (7th -12th Grade)
- Stages of Career: This worksheet has older students think about their interests and which careers are available for their preferences. (6th-12th Grade)
- A Career For Me: This worksheet lets students explore career possibilities through writing, unlocking little learners’ potential. (1st-2nd Grade)
Student Interest Inventory
You’ll find many inventories that measure student strengths and interests, showing kids possible career choices.
- Career Interest Survey: This straightforward worksheet has young students checking boxes to see what kinds of careers may interest them. (K-2nd Grade)
- Career Interest: This worksheet requires middle and high schoolers to research and complete the sheet, learning which careers they might enjoy. (6th-12th Grade)
- The Top 3: In this worksheet, kids decide on their top three career choices, describing why they chose them. (6th-12th Grade)
- Career Clusters: This worksheet and related activities allow students to see which career cluster they would align with, giving them a broad choice of jobs. (6th-12th Grade)
- Career Assessment Worksheet: This worksheet shows kids the responsibilities and tasks of their chosen career path. (7th-12th Grade)
Career Research
Now is the time for students to research the ins and outs of their career choices.
- Worksheet for Researching Occupations: This worksheet lays out guiding questions to keep students on track as they look into their potential future occupations. (9th-12th Grade)
- Career Research Worksheet: This worksheet lets students look into future professional paths and answer pertinent questions. (6th-12th Grade)
- Career Research: In this worksheet, kids research two different professions and decide which one they may want to pursue after school. (8th-12th Grade)
- Career Research Graphic Organizer: Kids fill out the different bubbles in this worksheet, including salary, benefits, skills, employment outlook, and more. (7th-12th Grade)
- Career Day Research: As students prepare for Career Day, teachers can use this opportunity to have little learners find out more about a given career in this worksheet. (1st-3rd Grade)
Career Skills Development
Developing skills for specific careers is crucial; these worksheets will help show students how to strengthen their abilities.
- Employability Skills Assessment: This worksheet tests students on their strengths and needs for various careers, showing them how to prepare for future jobs. (9th-12th Grade)
- Student Self-Evaluation of Workplace Readiness Skills: In this worksheet, kids test themselves on soft skills, like confidence, problem-solving, teamwork, and creativity, to see if they are ready for the workplace. (9th-12th Grade)
- Employability Skills Growth Assessment: This worksheet shows kids how to self-improve and grow their skills to prepare for career success. (6th-12th Grade)
- Soft Skills Self-Assessment: This worksheet evaluates students’ soft skills after they read an informative article. (8th-11th Grade)
- Career Prep: Job Attributes: In this worksheet, kids see a list of the top attributes employers are looking for and see what they can improve. (5th-12th Grade)
Increasing Hiring Chances
If your students have experience interviewing and preparing for the job, their chances of being hired will soar. These worksheets build those skills quickly.
- Interview Sheet Speaking Activity: This worksheet presents students with various interview questions they may face, to prepare them for the big day. (5th-12th Grade)
- Job Interview Infographic Worksheet: This colorful worksheet lets kids evaluate each other during mock interviews, pointing out their strengths and areas where they could improve. (10th-12th Grade)
- Practice Job Interview: This activity has kids interview each other and then reflect on the process on the worksheet. (9th-12th Grade)
- Classroom Job Application: Students articulate why they’re the best fit for the job in this worksheet, providing practice in confidence and a feel for the hiring process. (5th-8th Grade)
- Ethics In The Workplace: Kids learn the importance of acting ethically in this worksheet, helping them shine as valuable and responsible potential employees to a hiring committee. (9th-12th Grade)
Career Planning and Exploration
Without a plan, students will likely struggle in their career exploration. These worksheets provide a framework and method to plan and prepare for their careers.
- Career Planning Worksheet: This worksheet allows students chances to reflect and think about their career path, including the necessary education and skills. (6th-9th Grade)
- My Career Plan: This simple worksheet lets kids list their skills and items they need to improve, laying the roadmap for the future. (4th-12th Grade)
- College and Career Planning Worksheet: This worksheet combines goals, interests, and pathways with a concrete timeline to keep them focused on their ultimate goal of landing a career. (9th-12thGrade)
- Career Plan: This worksheet shows students how to create a detailed career plan that they can use in the future. (4th-5th Grade)
- Career Exploration: This worksheet requires students to go online to find essential information about prospective career choices. (6th-9th Grade)
- Career Exploration Activity: In this worksheet, kids research a future career of their choice, answering several questions about the profession. (4th-8th Grade)
- Career of Your Choice: This worksheet is a graphic organizer that students fill out, preparing them for a more extensive writing assignment. (3rd-4th)
- Reality Check: This worksheet shows kids the actual cost of living independently, demonstrating the importance of careers that have decent salaries. (9th-12th Grade)
- Increasing Your Earning Potential: This worksheet has students decide on occupational groups, find the median pay and education level needed for three different professions, and then focus on a specific career within that group. (6th-8th Grade)
- Exploring Careers In Your Community: Students interview family members or trusted adults to find information about their careers, which they record on this worksheet. (6th-8th Grade)
Navigate to our Teacher’s Center for Teaching Career Exploration for lesson plans and more materials for your curriculum!