Career Exploration Worksheets

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. (1^st-8^th Grade)
• Career vs. Job: In this worksheet, kids fill in information bubbles to compare and contrast careers and jobs. (3^rd – 8^th Grade)
• Career Survey: This worksheet has students answer the question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?”  (7^th -12^th Grade)
• Stages of Career: This worksheet has older students think about their interests and which careers are available for their preferences. (6^th-12^th Grade)
• A Career For Me: This worksheet lets students explore career possibilities through writing, unlocking little learners’ potential. (1^st-2^nd 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-2^nd Grade)
• Career Interest: This worksheet requires middle and high schoolers to research and complete the sheet, learning which careers they might enjoy. (6^th-12^th Grade)
• The Top 3: In this worksheet, kids decide on their top three career choices, describing why they chose them. (6^th-12^th 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. (6^th-12^th Grade)
• Career Assessment Worksheet: This worksheet shows kids the responsibilities and tasks of their chosen career path. (7^th-12^th 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. (9^th-12^th Grade)
• Career Research Worksheet: This worksheet lets students look into future professional paths and answer pertinent questions. (6^th-12^th Grade)
• Career Research: In this worksheet, kids research two different professions and decide which one they may want to pursue after school. (8^th-12^th Grade)
• Career Research Graphic Organizer: Kids fill out the different bubbles in this worksheet, including salary, benefits, skills, employment outlook, and more. (7^th-12^th 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. (1^st-3^rd 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. (9^th-12^th 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. (9^th-12^th Grade)
• Employability Skills Growth Assessment: This worksheet shows kids how to self-improve and grow their skills to prepare for career success. (6^th-12^th Grade)
• Soft Skills Self-Assessment: This worksheet evaluates students’ soft skills after they read an informative article. (8^th-11^th 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. (5^th-12^th 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. (5^th-12^th 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. (10^th-12^th Grade)
• Practice Job Interview: This activity has kids interview each other and then reflect on the process on the worksheet. (9^th-12^th 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. (5^th-8^th 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. (9^th-12^th 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. (6^th-9^th Grade)
• My Career Plan: This simple worksheet lets kids list their skills and items they need to improve, laying the roadmap for the future. (4^th-12^th 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. (9^th-12^thGrade)
• Career Plan: This worksheet shows students how to create a detailed career plan that they can use in the future. (4^th-5^th Grade)
• Career Exploration: This worksheet requires students to go online to find essential information about prospective career choices. (6^th-9^th Grade)
• Career Exploration Activity: In this worksheet, kids research a future career of their choice, answering several questions about the profession. (4^th-8^th Grade)
• Career of Your Choice: This worksheet is a graphic organizer that students fill out, preparing them for a more extensive writing assignment. (3^rd-4^th)
• Reality Check: This worksheet shows kids the actual cost of living independently, demonstrating the importance of careers that have decent salaries. (9^th-12^th 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. (6^th-8^th 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. (6^th-8^th Grade)

Navigate to our Teacher’s Center for Teaching Career Exploration for lesson plans and more materials for your curriculum!