• Fitness & Health
• Sport & Exercise Science
• Physical Education
• Strength & Conditioning
• Sports Medicine
• Sport Management
• Dance

Developing the skills needed by recreation and leisure professionals

This is an excerpt from Introduction to Recreation and Leisure 4th Edition by Tyler Tapps,Mary Sara Wells.

By Tracy L. Mainieri

Student Benchmark Checklist

This checklist provides suggestions for activities beyond required course work that will make a student more successful and competitive when entering the job market.

• Volunteer 50 hours each semester with at least two recreation agencies.
• Create and maintain a professional LinkedIn profile.
• Find a part-time job in a sector that aligns with your career goals.
• Attend one regional professional conference.
• Visit the campus career center once a semester for seminars and mock interviews.
• Join a professional association and become active in it.
• Contact agencies you are interested in working with and familiarize them with your name.
• Review your personal social media presence to ensure information is professional.
• Complete a 10-week internship (more than one internship is recommended by graduation).
• Obtain at least one job in a recreation field.
• Job shadow for at least two recreation sectors.
• Establish at least one professional mentor in a career field of interest.
• Get to know your professors via office hours.
• Meet with three different faculty members to discuss career options in your chosen field.
• Develop your career portfolio throughout your time as a student (résumé, work samples, transcripts and degrees, awards and honors, letters of reference).

More Excerpts From Introduction to Recreation and Leisure 4th Edition

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