Note: For those of you satisfied with your current employment and who intend to remain in the position for several years, or those of you who have just received a new job offer, click here for an alternate assignment which you may do if you prefer.
The process of preparing to seek a
job with a BA is one that should be begun as early as possible. While the
suggestions for the career exercise include the basic steps involved in
preparation for a job search, the more intensive your self assessment,
the more complete your research into various job possibilities, and the
broader your range of contacts, the more successful you will be. The texts,
Majoring
in Psych? and The Psychology Major, cover some of
the materials you will need to do a thorough job on the project. There
are also some materials available in the peer advising offices in PSY 206,
but your best resource is the Career
Development Center located in Brotman Hall 250.
It is possible to drop into
the Career Development Center to use their job guides. However, if you
wish additional assistance from the career counselors or wish to use the
computerized assessment materials, you will most likely need to make an
appointment. The computerized assessment materials are designed to be used
in consultation with a career counselor. If you do make an appointment
to meet with a Career Counselor, you will receive extra points as that
is one of the optional bonus assignments.
STEPS INVOLVED IN PROJECT:
150 points to be distributed as follows:
1. (25 pts.) Identifying your skills, values, and strengths.
Begin the career exercise by completing both sides of the jobs worksheet available in the plastic rack in the Career Resources Room of the peer advising office. The skills you point out in jobs, and in classes, hobbies, and extracurricular activities should give you some help in identifying the skills you can bring to a job. The aspects of the job you enjoyed most and least as well as the things you found rewarding about the job should help you identify factors which are important to you in a job or career. Similarly, satisfactions from your hobbies and extracurricular activities should also assist you in recognizing your values. For full credit fill in every blank. ( If necessary, because you may not have had five jobs, supplement your employment positions with voluntary positions or even brief volunteer opportunities you have had.)
2. (20 pts.) Describing your skills, values, and strengths.
Identify on a separate sheet of paper:
a) the skills you possess based on the worksheet above. List as many skills as you can recognize. Write at least a sentence about each skill. Identify a minimum of ten skills. (5 pts.)
b) what you can do to add to your job skills? ( internships, courses, etc.) (2 pts.)
c) factors and values important to you in a career, i.e. work with people, the opportunity for self expression, long vacations, regular hours, etc. Be sure to note at least ten important factors. For each factor, write a brief (one or two sentences) explanation of why the factor is important. Put the factors in their order of importance to you with the most important factors first.(5 pts.)
d) your personal strengths which should prove valuable to employers, i.e. responsibility, dependability, punctuality, neatness, enthusiasm, etc. Be sure to list as many personal strengths as you can, but than fifteen. For each strength, provide (in a sentence) an example of how that strength appears. (8 pts.)
3. (40 pts.) Finding appropriate careers.
In these four sections you will identify at least three career choices whose characteristics match the factors important to you, your personal strengths, and your job skills and experience. These career choices should be careers you can obtain with a BA in Psychology. If the career or job requires graduate study, exclude it from your list even if it is interesting to you. The focus of this project is on seeking work immediately after you graduate with your BA.
a) (21 pts.) Describe the three career choices in detail. (See your text for a sample, but do not use any more than one of the careers described in the text for your other two selections. Preferably you will find career choices specific to your interests.) Include a description of:
c) (6 pts--2 pts. for each career choice) Explain for each career choice, how it matches the factors important to you as well as your strengths and skills. Indicate how many of the factors of importance to you, and how many of your strengths and skills are utilized in each career choice. Try to find career choices which match at least 50% of your important factors and incorporate many of your skills. Refer to question two above to review the factors of importance to you.
d) (10 pts.) Set up a grid with the three career choices at the top and your skills, values, and strengths along the left side. Then mark an x in each box where the career choice utilizes that skill or corresponds to the value or strength. At the bottom of each column, total the x's and see if the career with the most matches is also the one you prefer.
4. (20 pts.) The resume.
a) Construct a one-page general resume. Utilize the information from the worksheet done for question 1, and follow any of the models in the Career Resources Room in Psy 206, the Career Development Center or the Internet. (16 pts.)
b) Indicate where you found the resume format you used. Would you describe your resume format as functional, chronological, or a combination of both? If you used the Internet, provide the URL. (4 pts.)
5. (10pts.) The cover letter.
a) Now select one of the three career choices that you identified in question 3 of this project, and develop a cover letter specifically for that career choice. (8 pts.)
b) Also indicate what changes you would make to your general resume to make it more targeted to the specific career choice. (2 pts.)
6. (10 pts.) References.
a) Indicate whom you will use for references. Be specific. (3 pts.)
b) Explain how you will select your references and how you will ask them. (5 pts.)
c) Also indicate what you would give them. (2 pts.)
7. (5 pts.) The job search strategy.
a) Indicate how you will obtain information about available jobs which interest you and for which you are qualified. Remember, you are considering jobs with a BA in psychology. Do not discuss jobs requiring graduate study. (3 pts.)
b) Specify how you will contact these job sources. (2 pts.)
8. (20 pts.) The interview.
Assume you are invited for an interview by an employer who has received your resume.
a) How would you prepare? (5 pts.)
b) How would you dress? Why? (3 pts.)
c) What questions would you expect to be asked? (6 pts.)
d) What questions will you ask and why? (6 pts.)
All sections of the project must be typed except for the worksheet in section 1.