Reference no: EM132281052 , Length: 1250 Words

Assignment -

According to the syllabus, one component of this course is a "Reflective Paper on Career Development." As stated in the syllabus, each student will develop a personal development and career plan. A career is a general course a person chooses to pursue throughout working life. Career planning is an ongoing process whereby an individual sets career goals and identifies means to achieve them. There are different approaches to career planning and development; however, every approach will include (under one name or another) the following components:

1. Self-assessment (interests, values, roles, skills/aptitudes, preferred environments, developmental needs, etc.).

Pay attention to consider and mention these in this part: Present a detailed reflection of your personal development and career interests since childhood, taking in consideration knowledge shared about five career development theories (Big Five). Describe all components related to self-assessment: interest, values, roles, skills/aptitudes, preferred work environments, development needs. Uses results of at least one self-assessment instrument to identify values, interests, skills, etc.

2. Career options (occupations in which you are interested, industries in which you would like to work, characteristics of the labor market, opportunities for internships, part-time work, volunteer work, etc.).

Pay attention to consider and mention these in this part: Present a detailed description of your career options, addressing all components related to your career interests such as occupations, industries, labor market information, opportunities for training (i.e. internship, part-time work, volunteer work, etc). Uses results of at least one self-assessment instrument to identify occupations & industries that match your interest and values.

3. Matching and goal setting (evaluating available career options through the lens of your self-assessment results, a sort of SWOT analysis; choosing both a short term and a long term option).

Pay attention to consider and mention these in this part: Present a detailed description of aspects related to match & goal setting, making use of the results of at least one self-assessment instruments to identify best career options for self. Present a detailed description of at least one long-term goal, and also short-term activities to achieve the identified goal.

4. Action planning (developing the steps to take in order to reach your goals - such as exploring sources of additional training and education; developing a job search strategy; writing your resume; gathering company information; composing cover letters; preparing for job interviews; etc. - and establishing the timeline.)

Pay attention to consider and mention these in this part: Present a detailed description of your action plan, addressing all aspects identified in the assignment (i.e. additional sources of training, job search strategy, writing your resume, gathering company information, composing cover letter, preparing job interview. All information is neatly presented in a timeline format.

You may use in this assignment one or more self-assessment instruments in order to describe item 1 of your development and career plan. You were provided with RIASEC questionnaire, if you prefer you may access additional self-assessment instruments but this is not mandatory. Please make sure you address all the above components when creating your personal development and career plan. Let's keep in mind that getting to know yourself is not a singular event. Considering the time available for developing the career plan in this course, we must acknowledge that the value of this exercise is more in familiarizing you with the process than in the quality of the product itself. So, consider this as your initial attempt at developing a career plan, which will - of course - get expanded, modified, or even completely changed in the years to come. But, it is a start. Your career plan should not be shorter than three pages and not longer than five (12 pt font, double-spaced).