Syllabus for 0802CAPL398A6380
Faculty Contact Information
Lauren Fairley-Wright
Adjunct Assistant Professor
CAPL 398a - Career Planning
Phone: 202-203-8189
email: laurenkfw@comcast.net
Course Materials
Required
AUTHOR
Sukiennik,
Bendat &
Raufman
REQUIRED TEXT
The Career Fitness Program:
Exercising Your Options with Building
Professional Booklet, 8th ed.
Publisher
Prentice
Hall, Inc
ISBN
0536281181
Course Description
A survey of strategies for managing career change. Strategies focus on identifying and
evaluating skills, self-marketing, and tapping into the hidden job market. Topics include
resume development, informational interviewing, salary negotiation, tips for career
success, and the complicated federal hiring process.
Course Goals/Objectives
After completing this course, you should be able to:



identify current interests, values, skills and personality preferences through selfassessment
analyze and document skills acquired through life, work experience and degree
program
identify and write key accomplishments




investigate published and computerized sources of information about
contemporary trends, career requirements, professional associations and specific
jobs, utilizing government publications and Internet resources
design and document job search strategies for a particular career goal, including
resume, cover letter, informational interviewing, and action planning
prepare for job interviews and develop strategies to strengthen your performance
develop a strategic action plan, balancing work, education and life components,
toward stated career goal
Course Introduction
Career planning is a life long process which involves assesing the choices you have made
and analyzing the choices you will make to achieve your goals and objectives as it relates
to your career.
Grading Information and Criteria
Grading Criteria
Grades for this course will be determined as follows:
Assignment
% of Grade
Self Assessment Summary
15%
Job Analysis Summary
15%
Professional Association Identification
10%
Informational Interview
10%
Class Participation & In-class Exercises
20%
Portfolio: Resume w/ optional exhibits, Cover
Letter, plus Action
30%
Total
100%
Grading Scale
The grading scale for this course will be determined as follows:
A = 90%-100%
B =
80%-89%
C =
70%-79%
D =
60%-69%
F =
0%-59%
Additional Information
Please be advised that this syllabus was written and published for the two-day
hybrid course. Changes will need to be made to the syllabus regarding due dates of
assignments, etc to accommodate the fully online version of this course. Please refer
to "Class Announcements" for updates to the syllabus.
Project Descriptions
I. Online Assessment & Writing Assignment
Self-Assessment Summary: Take the Keirsey Temperament and Character Sorter
(70questions, information on personality type and suitable jobs) http://www.keirsey.com
Do What You Are assessment (online), Holland Occupational Themes Analysis (book or
handout) – links for online assessment tools are available in the webliography section of
the course in webtycho.
Write a two-page (12 pt. font) summary of what you have learned from at least 3 of these
tools to develop a composite self-assessment. How are they different or similar in their
'reflection' of your interests or traits? Indicate whether you may agree or disagree with
these indicators based on your own self-knowledge. What are the 3 top career(s) you
think would be best for you, given your set of values, personality type, and motivated
skills?
II. Research /Analysis & Writing Assignment
Career Development Context
a. Job Analysis Summary: Research your ideal career and identify the required
education, skills, conditions of work, and employment trends using the
Occupational Outlook Handbook (OOH), Dictionary of Occupational Titles
(DOT), O*NET , or Onecenter.org ( http://online.onecenter.org ). Evaluate job
advertisements in job databases, such as WashingtonPost , Careerbuilder ,
Monster , or CareerQuest .
Write a one-page (12 pt. font) summary of the experience, education, and skills required
for your job/career goal based on your research findings. Your summary should include
your strengths and accomplishments, as well as the areas in which you need improvement
toward achieving your goal. You may want to create a matrix to show this, such as the
following:
Accomplishments/
Strengths
Areas for improvement
Experience (knowledge, proven
performance in various organizations
and/or field of professional practice
Describe industry requirement
If still needs work, identify what is
Describe strong points to
needed, and possible next steps to
match this
achieve this.
Education (degrees, certifications,
training)
Describe industry requirement
If still needs work, identify what is
Describe strong points to
needed, and possible next steps to
match this
achieve this.
Skills (technical, communications,
leadership, project management, etc.)
Describe industry requirement
If still needs work, identify what is
Describe strong points to
needed, and possible next steps to
match this
achieve this.
b. Professional Association Identification: Identify at least one professional
association or organization that relates to your career field. Also list where and
when local meetings are held.
Your Field:
____________________
Association:_______________________________
Meeting:______________________ Contact: _(website)______________________
c. Networking/Informational Interviewing. Schedule a short (approximately ½ to
1 hour) informational interview with someone who works in the career field that
you have set as a goal. This may be conducted by telephone, email, online forum,
or in-person.
Write a one-page (12 pt. font) paper on some of the responses to your inquiries, and how
you can apply insights from informational interview to your own career.
III. Writing Assignment
Resume/ Cover Letter/ Career Plan
a. Revise or develop your resume, incorporating basic components of objective,
education,
experience, relevant skills and/or other optional aspects such as awards,
community service,
etc. Refer to handouts and the textbook for guidelines. Use the language of skills
and
accomplishment statements developed in class to 'match' the job or career field
you have
researched. Additional exhibits and/or Web site presentation of accomplishments
to enhance
the resume are optional.
b. Write an associated cover letter, directed to a specific job ad, designed to get you
in the door
for an interview!
c. Write a short Action-oriented Career Plan for the next year to help you make
changes and take steps needed to achieve your longer term goals.
Academic Policies
Please find below general information and links to help you as you complete your
coursework at UMUC:

Course Evaluation Form Information

Nondiscrimination - It is the policy of UMUC that no student or employee of the
University or contractor/vendor conducting business with the University may
discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, creed, sex (including sexual
harassment), marital status, age, national origin, political affiliation, mental or
physical disability, or sexual orientation. Individuals who believe they have been
discriminated against because of any factor protected under this policy may file a
complaint of discrimination. Click here to view the Policy and Procedures on
Affirmative Action, Equal Opportunity, and Sexual Harassment.

Information on Disabled Student Services

Information about Writing Resources

University System of Maryland Board of Regent's Policy on Academic Integrity

UMUC's Policy on Academic Dishonesty and Plagiarism

UMUC's Policy on the Grade of Incomplete and Withdrawal

UMUC's Policy on the Code of Student Conduct

Procedures on Arbitrary and Capricious Grading Appeals
For more information on student services and more general information, please go to
UMUC's web site at http://www.umuc.edu.
Makeup Exam Policy
Students are expected to take all exams when scheduled. In the event of illness or
extraordinary circumstances, the student must contact the faculty member and provide
documentation to request an exception and approval to take a makeup exam. If the
request is not approved, the exam grade will be recorded as a zero. Failure to register for
a proctored exam is not an approved reason to request a makeup exam.
Course Schedule
Week
1
Module
Module 1
Introduction
Self-Assessment
Readings/Assignments
Due
Date
View Module 1 - Part A- PowerPoint
Presentation - recorded lecture
3/29/08
Career Fitness
Chapters 1 and 4
Chapter 1 - Read pps 1-4
Chapter 4 - Read pps 72-73, 94;
Complete Exercise 4.2
(Introduction) Personal Statement
Conference
Complete online assessments
Submit Self Assessment Summary
View Module 1 - Part B - PowerPoint
Presentation/recorded lecture
2
Module 1
Skills Identification
Values Identification
Online Career
Exploration Sources (O*Net,
acinet.org)
Understanding the Big Picture
(Current Employment Outlook)
What Employers Want
Career Fitness
Chapters 3, 5, 6
Chapter 3 - Read pps 52-55, 57;
complete Exercise 3.1
Chapter 5 - Read pps 100-104
Chapter 6 - Read pps 145-153
Chapter 7 - Pulling it all together pps
225-227
Accomplishment Conference
Make Accomplishments Quantifiable
(see website)
Submit Job Analysis Summary
4/5/08
Module 2
Job Searching
Networking

3

Association
Memberships
Networking for
Introverts
Information Interview
Research/Strategy
View Module 2 - Part A- PowerPoint
Presentation - recorded lecture
Career Fitness
Read Chapter 9 in its entirety (pay
specific attention to pps 232, 238 [Meet
Felipe], 226-233)
Submit Professional Association
Identification
Identify/Contact Interviewee for
Information Interview - Information
Interview due on last day of class (May
8)
4/12/08
Federal Application Process
View Module 2 - Part B- PowerPoint
Presentation - recorded lecture
4
Module 2
Resumes
Cover Letters
Career Fitness
Read Chapter 10 in its entirety (specific
attention to pps 268, 264-277)
View sample resumes
4/19/08
Submit DRAFT resume/cover letter for
review in "Workbook"
Submit resume for public review www.razume.com




On razume.com - first "Browse"
posted resumes and feedback
Then create an account (put
"capl" somewhere in your
username - so that I can identify
you)
Submit your first DRAFT for
review and feedback (use blast
feature for immediate feedback)
I will also check the website for
ratings
5
Module 2
Interviewing
Professional Image
References
Salary Negotiation
View Module 2 - Part C- PowerPoint
Presentation - recorded lecture
Read Chapter 11 in its entirety - salary
negotiation (p. 327)
4/26/08
6
Module 3
What do you do...now that
you've achieved your dream
career goal?
More Action Planning
Work Maturity
Time Management (balancing
life and career)
View Module 3 - Part A- PowerPoint
Presentation - recorded lecture
Read Chapter 8 in it's entirety - Time
Management
5/3/08
7
Module 3
Reflection
Motivation
Finalize portfolio assignment
(resume, cover letter, action
plan)
View Module 3 - Part B - PowerPoint
Presentation - recorded lecture
Information Interview - due on May 8th
11:59 pm
Portfolio (cover letter, resume, action
plan) - due on May 8th 11:59 pm
5/8/08