CARD405 All Week Discussions (September 2019)

CARD 405 Career Development

Week 1 Discussion

DQ1 SELF-AWARENESS AND CAREER SUCCESS

Why is understanding yourself important in your career development? How can you ensure that an employer will realize that you have a clear grasp of who you are and what you have to offer? How does your self-awareness support success as a leader?

DQ2 CONSIDERING OUR GOALS

An important step of exploring and being an expert in the marketplace is knowing what you want for yourself in your career. Setting goals, drafting a mission statement, and defining success for both your personal and professional lives can help you clarify what you want.

So, in focusing in on this topic, finish the following sentence: “My definition of success is…”

CARD 405 Career Development

Week 2 Discussion

DQ1 COMPANY RESEARCH

During the explore phase of your career readiness plan, you get to research the potential companies that you hope to work for one day. It is important to do this, because although a company may look good on paper, it may not always be the right fit for you. Take a moment to examine the site Glassdoor (Links to an external site.). Type in a few companies that you have worked for, currently work for, or hope to work for one day, and read some of the reviews. Do you agree with what you found, or do you find that this new information alters how you see this organization? Please explain.

DQ2 JOB-HUNTING TECHNIQUES

The prospect of searching for a job can be very intimidating. What techniques have you used in the past when you were job hunting? Which ones were most effective? Least effective? What do you attribute their effectiveness (or lack of effectiveness) to?

CARD 405 Career Development

Week 3 Discussion

DQ1 MARKETING YOURSELF

As the Crafting Your Personal Brand Workbook highlights, developing a brand

helps you focus on the value you bring to employers and identifies the unique traits you bring to the workplace;

delivers an authentic message to hiring managers around your career goals and depicts who you are as a professional;

enables employers to see not only the skills you have, but also the unique personality and character traits you have to offer; and

helps you define how your vision for the future aligns with the long-term business objectives of the hiring organization, effectively elevating your status from commonplace commodity to one-of-a-kind package.

Take a moment to describe your professional strengths and make an argument for why they are important.

DQ2 INFORMATIONAL INTERVIEW

Different from a job interview, an informational interview is a conversation you arrange with someone who works in a field or company that interests you. The purpose of this type of interview is to help you explore an industry, organization, or job title. You may ask questions focused on how to break into an industry, what a career in that field or organization is really like, and whether it fits your skills and interests. Since you are not seeking a job offer, think of informational interviewing as a way to gather information and to prescreen a potential job, industry, or company.

Take a moment to review the Information Interviewing Guide (Links to an external site.), pulled from the My Compass to My Career (MCMC) portal. Discuss some of the benefits of conducting an informational interview.

CARD 405 Career Development

Week 4 Discussion

DQ1 THE “HIDDEN” JOB MARKET

Although estimates vary, it is suggested that 80% or more of the job openings that exist are in the hidden job market. What is the difference between the published job market and the hidden job market? What techniques would you usually use to access the published job market? What techniques would you use to access the hidden job market?

And, if you are already a professional in your field and do not intend on seeking a different opportunity within the next 5 years, how might being aware of the hidden job market be of value to you? Additionally, many of you may be in a position to hire employees (or will be in the future). That noted, how might knowing about the hidden job market impact your strategy to recruit and hire qualified candidates?

DQ2 THE POWER OF SOCIAL MEDIA

What social media tools do you use and why? How do you use social media to support your personal brand? Is there one social media method you prefer over another and why? Include specific examples and screen shots of your social media sites if appropriate.

CARD 405 Career Development

Week 5 Discussion

DQ1 CONSIDERING THE RESUMÉ

This week, you will be preparing a targeted resumé, which is directed towards a specific job posting; however, your text details a few other types of resumés. Take a moment to review other types of resumés and the purposes they serve.

If you are comfortable, please share your resume, and provide feedback to your peers.

DQ2 THE ELEMENTS OF A PORTFOLIO

Your Week 2 and 3 Lessons, as well as your text, explain the process of creating a career portfolio. Last week, you developed a LinkedIn profile, which is a component of an electronic portfolio. Over the next 2 weeks, we will draft items that help build your professional collection of artifacts. Take a moment to reflect on the many projects, certifications, courses and teams you have been a part of. Do you have documentation of these accomplishments? The portfolio (your LinkedIn Profile) is your chance to show-off a comprehensive collection of these highlights from your life experiences. What documents from your life’s accomplishments do you need to locate? Take this time to share and provide feedback to your peers.

CARD 405 Career Development

Week 6 Discussion

DQ1 EXAMINING A COVER LETTER

This week we are covering an important component of your professional brand – personalized communication. In regards to cover letters, there is flexibility in style, lengths, and composition but what elements do you think are most important to include and why?

DQ2 THE IMPORTANCE OF THE FOLLOW-UP

There are several approaches to follow up communications. It is highly recommended that you send an e-mail or handwritten thank you letter after an interview. Why is this recommended, and what are the benefits resulting from this action?

CARD 405 Career Development

Week 7 Discussion

DQ1 PREPARING FOR THE INTERVIEW

Experts will tell you that it is important to “prepare” for an interview. What type of preparation should you do?

Find an article that offers practical advice about preparing for interviews. Summarize the information and add your thoughts to what the experts say. Be sure to also include your interviewing preparation experiences.

DQ2 EVALUATING A JOB OFFER

When interviewing for jobs, you’re interviewing the organizations as much as they are interviewing you. Is it a good fit? Do they have what you need in terms of the various types of compensations that would make the job worthwhile? Does it offer a work/life balance? Is there an opportunity to promote? Can you see yourself leading and fitting into the company culture?