Bulletin of Pharmaceutical & Medicinal Research2959-91992958-65182022-10-133354810.58398/0005.000017articleSafa NoorJawaria JabeenWaseem KashifNabeel AhmedCollege of Pharmacy, University of Sargodha, PakistanCollege of Pharmacy, University of Sargodha, PakistanUllevål Hospital, Oslo, NorwaySchool of Pharmacy, Kunming Medical University, Kunming, ChinaCollege of Pharmacy, University of Sargodha, PakistanPharmacy students face critical decisions about their career paths as they approach graduation. However, in Pakistan, data are limited on how academic performance, job preparedness, and career orientation are interrelated among pharmacy undergraduates. This study aimed to assess academic performance, job-seeking preparedness, and career orientation among fourth- and fifth-year Doctors of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) students and to evaluate the availability and utilization of institutional career counseling services. A descriptive cross-sectional study involving 183 fourth- and fifth-year Pharm.D. was conducted at the College of Pharmacy, University of Sargodha. students. Data were collected via a self-structured, expert-validated questionnaire covering academic performance, job preparedness, and career orientation. The data were analyzed via SPSS and RStudio, which employ descriptive statistics, independent samples t tests, and Pearson correlation analysis. Most participants were female (65.57%), urban residents (72.68%), and unmarried (95.08%), with 69.95% having one to three siblings with a university education. A CGPA ≥ 3.5 was reported by 60.66% of the students, whereas only 20.77% had research experience. Workshop and conference participation was high (85.25% and 83.06%, respectively), but institutional support was limited—only 19.67% received help from the student affairs department, and 29.51% received guidance from a student society or organization. Although 89.62% could make a CV and 71.58% could independently apply for jobs, only 46.45% could write a cover letter, and 42.08% felt prepared for interviews. The awareness of private-sector pharmaceutical roles (15.85%) exceeded that of public-sector roles (13.11%), and the knowledge of community (70.49%) and clinical (64.48%) pharmacies was greater than that of industrial (8.20%) or hospital (38.25%) positions. Career orientation toward nonpharmaceutical sectors was relatively stronger in the public (49.73%) and private (45.90%) domains. Gender (p = 0.030) and year of study (p = 0.047) were significantly associated with preparedness, favoring male and 5th-year students. A moderate correlation existed between academic performance and preparedness (r = 0.38), whereas correlations between academic performance and career orientation (r = –0.02) and between preparedness and career orientation (r = 0.09) were weak or negligible. Pharmacy undergraduates in their fourth and fifth professional years were academically sound but demonstrated deficiencies in job-seeking readiness and awareness of nontraditional career paths. However, exposure of students to career counseling by institutions has remained limited; findings highlight the need for career guidance services in a structured manner, intense research engagement, and vast exposure of students as well as fresh graduates to diverse professional pathways beyond traditional pharmacy roles.