FOCUS 2

Online Career and Education Planning Tool

Brought to you by Lorain County Community College Employment and Career Services

How to Create Your User Account in FOCUS 2 

Create an Account:

To create your personal account in FOCUS 2, the Online Career and Education Planning System

• Click here to access the FOCUS 2 login page
• Select “If you need to create new account, click here.”
• Enter the following Access Code: cinciohio
• Enter your personal information being sure to select a user name and password that you will remember easily. It's a good idea to write your user name and password down.
  

The next time you use FOCUS 2:
(You do not need to create another account to reuse FOCUS 2, your original account remains active and will store all your results each time you use it.)

• Click here to access the FOCUS 2 login page
• Enter your user name and password (do not create a new account) The system is cAsE SeNsITIvE!  So if you capitalize your password when you are registering, you will need to always capitalize your password when you are logging on as well.

On the FOCUS 2 main menu, FOCUS 2 will guide you through the career planning process and save all of your results. You may use FOCUS 2 as often as you wish anywhere, anytime (24/7) on any PC or MAC. You do not have to complete every assessment at one time. You can use the FOCUS 2 Main Menu tools in any order and repeat any assessment. Once you have completed an assessment, a check mark will appear next to that assessment on the Main Menu.  

CAREFUL:

• You must complete an entire assessment for FOCUS 2 to save your results.
• Use the buttons within the FOCUS 2 program;-do not use the back browser button.
• Be sure to save your preferred majors and occupations with your comments.

How to Get Started With the FOCUS 2 System

Use FOCUS 2 to help you:

Choose Your Area of Study
The FOCUS 2 system enables you to identify occupations that best match your personal qualities and the requirements for those occupations. You should review the occupations that most appeal to you as potential career goals paying particular attention to the skills, training, courses and/or degrees required to prepare you to work in those occupations.  This information will help you choose the career and/or major area of study that best supports your career goals.  

To help you decide about your career/major area of study, it is recommended that you first complete the following two assessments listed in the FOCUS 2 Main Menu:

• Work Interests Assessment
  You answer questions to describe your work interests.  FOCUS 2 identifies occupations that match your interests and helps you analyze and compare the critical features and skills required for those occupations.
   
• Personality Assessment
  In this assessment you will answer questions that provide a picture of your personality type.  FOCUS 2 identifies occupations that best match your Personality and helps you analyze and compare the critical features and skills required for those occupations. 
   
  To help you narrow down your options select Combine the Results of Multiple Assessments:  This allows you to combine the results from the assessments you have completed to help you narrow down your occupation results.
   
  To further explore majors offered at LCCC, select “What can I do with a major in…? on the main menu to review the occupations that a specific major will typically prepare you for. 
   
  To further help you select an area of study:  While exploring an occupation the appeals to you, be sure to select “Areas of Study” on the occupation screen to learn what majors and education plans are typically pursued by people working in this occupation. 

Verify Your Preferences or Early Choice of a Career Field
It’s best to double check your early decisions about your career goals and study programs so that you do not overlook career options that are compatible with your personal qualities.  You undoubtedly have talents, interests, values, personality and skills that qualify you for a wide range of occupations. 

Be sure of your choice by completing all the FOCUS 2 assessments in the Main Menu so you can discover all the occupations and career fields that match your assessment profiles.  From your broad career horizons; you can narrow down your options by comparing the critical features of the occupations that appeal to you.  This process will assure that you have made the best possible choice.

Start Your Job Search or Future Planning with FOCUS 2

Select  “What can I do with a major in…?" on the main menu to review the occupations that a specific major has typically prepared you for.  Review and select occupations that interest you, while reviewing an occupation be sure to utilize the following features:

• Select “Overview” to review additional education or certifications recommended for this occupation
• Select “Contact Information” to contact Professional Organizations to learn more about an occupation and applying for a job. 
• Select “Advancement” to learn about the educational requirements, training or experience typical of people advancing in this field.
• Select “Outlook” to learn about trends in the job market to help you plan your future career and any additional training you may wish to pursue. 

Here is a list of the Assessments and other services on the FOCUS 2 Main Menu that you should use to help you make decisions about your career goals and major area of study.

FOCUS 2 MAIN MENU FEATURES

Career Readiness 

• Career and Educational Goals:  You enter your career and educational goals.
• Academic Strengths:  You specify your academic strengths and weaknesses.
• Career Planning Status:  You specify where you are in your career planning.
• Personal Development Needs:  You specify your personal development needs.

Self Assessment

• Work Interest Assessment:  You assess your work interests and explore matching occupations
• Leisure Interest Assessment:  You assess your leisure interests and explore matching occupations
• Skills Assessment:  You assess your skills and explore matching occupations
• Personality Assessment: You assess information about their personality and explore matching occupations.
• Values Assessment: You assess your values and explore matching occupations.
• Combine the Results of Multiple Assessments:  You combine the results from the assessments you have completed to help you narrow down your occupation results.

Explore the Possibilities

• Search by Name:  Allows you to search for occupations by name.
• Search by Industry: Allows you to search for occupations by industry.
• What can I do with a major in...?  Allows you to explore majors.
• Compare Two Occupations Side by Side:  Allows you to compare 2 occupations of your choice

Your Personal Portfolio

• Review and update your saved occupations
• Review and update your saved majors
• Review and print your portfolio

Recommended Tools & Websites
Link to helpful websites.

Calendar of Events
See what career events are planned.

Additional features:

• Select “update my account” in the upper right hand corner of the main menu to change your user name or password or add details to your portfolio including uploading a photo.
• If you forget your logon information:  Go to the logon screen and select “If you have forgotten your username or password, click here” Your log on information will be emailed to you shortly.  
• Contact career services by email (upper right hand corner of the main menu) directly from FOCUS 2 while logged onto the program