Career Ready Resource Guide Reflect – Stage 1 Identify the core values you want your work to reflect Write a mission statement and career‐related SMART goals Take an inventory of your most marketable career‐related skills Identify your career objectives and how they relate to your chosen field Define your ideal job Review current or past jobs for transferable skills Join campus organizations Audit your online identity Clean up your Facebook page; set proper security levels Create a LinkedIn profile; connect with at least 50 people in your network Meet with a career advisor for initial advising Identify the core values you want your work to reflect Taking an inventory of your values is a critical and often overlooked aspect of the career development process. Why is it important to understand your values as a foundation to your career development? A recent Harris Research poll showed that at any given time:  45% of people are satisfied or extremely satisfied with their job. That means 55% are not.  20% feel passionate about their job. That means 80% do not.  33% believe they have reached a dead end in their career.  21% are eager to change careers. These numbers do not paint a rosy picture. As hard as it might be to find ANY job, a guarantee for long‐
term stress is working in a job or career that is not aligned with your personal values. Knowing what you value can help you make more informed and strategic career decisions. How would you fill in the blank below? Read through all 36 possible answers and circle any item that reflects something you value. Then force yourself to narrow all the items you circled to only your Top 5. For a job to be fulfilling, my work MUST involve ____________________________: 31. using cutting edge or pioneering technologies 1. compassion and caring – helping others and/or being helped 32. opportunities for supervision, power, 2. a supervisor who is a strong role model leadership, influence and mentor 33. responsibility/accountability for making decisions 3. clear expectations from a supervisor 34. autonomy, independence, freedom 4. increasing aesthetics, creating beauty 35. precision work with little tolerance for error 36. adventure, excitement and risk taking 5. creating/building systems from scratch 6. mental challenges and problem‐solving My top 5 values are: 7. physical challenges 1.________________________________________ 8. balance between work and personal life 9. being considered an expert in my field 2. ________________________________________ 10. highly structured and defined work 3. ________________________________________ 11. a high degree of competition 12. consistent practice of integrity/ethics 4. ________________________________________ 13. an opportunity for spiritual growth 5. ________________________________________ 14. a reward for loyalty and dependability 15. having pride in my work Once you have identified your top 5 work values, ask 16. stability and security yourself these questions: 17. above average financial compensation 18. being recognized for quality of work 1) What does your top 5 list tell you about the kind of 19. contributing to society career choices you have made in the past? 20. creativity/imagination/innovation 2) What does your top 5 list tell you about how you feel 21. variety and change – a dynamic, about your current job (if you’re working)? progressive approach 3) What does your top 5 list tell you about the kind of job 22. professional development and or career you are seeking? continuous learning and growth 4) How can you use this information to better align your 23. friendships and social activities values and your career plan? 24. working in teams or groups 5) How can you use this information the next time you 25. prestige, notoriety, social status have a job interview? 26. routine, predictable work projects Read more about this topic at Suite101: Career Values 27. deadlines and time demand challenges Assessment: Determining Your Top Five Professional Values 28. clear opportunities for advancement http://trainingpd.suite101.com/article.cfm/career_values_ass
29. tranquility; comfort; low pressure essment#ixzz0wP1KnN5E
30. day‐to‐day contact with people/public Write a mission statement and career‐related SMART goals If you could only pick one, which of these would you rather have: 1) a map with no destination? 2) a destination with no map? 3) a map, a destination, and a GPS to help you find your way? Maps teach us that there are many paths you can take to reach your destination. Unfortunately, when it comes to making career choices, you have to create the map. A mission statement is your first draft of the map. It is subject to change, but clarity makes everything else easier. Consider the following example: “I want to work in a public accounting firm with a strong portfolio of non‐profit clients. I hope to specialize in this area because it is important for me to do work that supports causes I feel good about and that allows me to feel connected with my clients.” Notice how the mission addresses both the type of work (accounting) and the personal values (wanting to feel good about the cause and the connection to the clients) supported by that type of work. The mission statement helps define the destination. Now take the time to write your own mission statement below: My Mission Statement: ___________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ To help you reach your destination, it is important to set goals for yourself. SMART goals are 1) Specific, 2) Measurable, 3) Attainable, 4) Relevant, and 5) Timely. They help define the map. Consider the following example: ”My goal is to complete my graduate degree coursework by June 2011 with at least a 3.75 GPA and sit for the CPA exam by October 2011.” My SMART Goals: 1. _____________________________________________________________ 2. _____________________________________________________________ 3. _____________________________________________________________ A trusted career services advisor can help you navigate the job market, research companies, take advantage of long‐standing relationships with potential employers, or recalculate the distance between where you are and where you want to be. A map with no destination might as well be an etch‐a‐sketch. A destination with no map is a pipe dream. A GPS with no power might as well be a satellite radio. But with all three in place, no challenge is too far out of reach. Take an inventory of your most marketable career‐related skills Everyone brings a different set of skills to the job market. Students in the same degree program may have a different mix of experience, education, and extracurricular activities. How do you determine which of your skills are the most marketable for your career interests? Luckily it has never been easier to reach some very accurate conclusions about that question. Marketable skills are any skills related to your desired career. But your MOST marketable skills are always the ones that are not only related, but IN DEMAND as well. Employers are very good about telling you what skills are in demand. For instance, let’s say you want an entry‐level accounting job. Using CareerBuilder or Monster, do a search using “entry‐level accounting” as your key words. NOTE: Do no limit yourself geographically when you do this search. At this point, you are not looking for a job; you are looking for information about general job requirements, and it makes no difference if the job is in New York or California. An entry‐level accounting search brought the job description below for an accounting position. Notice the skill sets highlighted in bold: “Company in the western suburbs needs an Accounting Clerk for a special project. Responsibilities include entering information from statements that have been returned undelivered into an Excel database. This information includes account information, address, and statement balance. Other responsibilities include going online to research the new address, or calling the customer directly to secure new address to resend the statement. Successful candidate will have good attention to detail and follow up skills, solid data entry skills, intermediate Excel skills and good organization skills. Entry level candidates are encouraged to apply.” The bold print describes specific skills this employer is seeking. Do this exercise for your career interests to determine what skills are typically required. Then consider if you currently have those skills, how you may develop skills you do not currently possess while in school, and how you can articulate the skills you have in your cover letter and résumé
. We recommend you look at 3‐5 different job descriptions and repeat this same exercise. You will begin to see commonalities, and these commonalities are likely to be industry standards that can’t be overlooked, especially when applying for positions online. The skills you have that match those commonalities are the most marketable. So do a little homework, take some notes, and make a list of your most marketable skills below: My most marketable skills are: 1.__________________________________________________________________________ 2. _________________________________________________________________________ 3. _________________________________________________________________________ 4. _________________________________________________________________________ 5. _________________________________________________________________________ Identify your career objectives and how they relate to your career interests. When your career objectives and career interests are in alignment, the work you choose tends to be much more satisfying. So the honest self‐assessment work you do now might take a little time, but it will allow you to arrive at better career decisions later. Others may share similar goals, but your objective should state your goals in terms with which you are comfortable. Stating a goal identifies who you are and what you want to achieve. By analyzing your direction, you begin to take control of your life and prepare to communicate what you can do in action terms to an employer. Focus on your future to identify steps to take and information to seek. Your focus can be short‐ or long‐term. Clearly identify facts about a work situation, to the extent that you can. Write down your career choice below, and then work through the following questions to gain a greater understanding of the path that you are on. My Career Choice: ____________________________________________________ Who? What skills and knowledge are required of this job? What interests, work styles and work values will be satisfied by this job? What characteristics do you need to possess to be happy and successful in this job? ___________________________________________________________________________________
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___________________________________________________________________________________ What? What are the day‐to‐day responsibilities? Will you work alone, or will you work with others? ___________________________________________________________________________________
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___________________________________________________________________________________ Where? Consider the geographical location. What is the cost of living? Will you be working outside or inside? Is this a desk job or one that takes you away from the office? Will you be traveling? If so, how much of your time will be spent away from your family and friends? ___________________________________________________________________________________
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___________________________________________________________________________________ When? Is this a traditional 9 – 5 job? Will you work evenings or weekends? Will your hours vary depending on the time of year? Is this an event‐driven job? How much vacation will you be able to take the first year? ___________________________________________________________________________________
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___________________________________________________________________________________ Why? What is the purpose of the job? Do you believe that you will find this type of work satisfying? What is appealing to you about this career path? Why do you want to pursue this particular career? ___________________________________________________________________________________
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___________________________________________________________________________________ How? What are the educational requirements? What type of internship and/or experience is required? What is the job outlook for this profession? What are the career advancement opportunities? ___________________________________________________________________________________
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___________________________________________________________________________________ Define your ideal job Medical research reveals that the brain doesn’t make a distinction between that which is real and that which is vividly and repeatedly imagined. That’s why it is so important to be able to visualize what you want, whether it’s a job or a new pair of shoes. To the extent that you can visualize it, your brain begins programming every nerve cell in your body to acquire what it wants. Powerful stuff! So take a moment to visualize your ideal job. Don’t worry about what you are currently qualified for, or restrict yourself to what is available to you in the town where you live. Don’t just dream about it…actually put yourself in the dream, and allow yourself to take in the detail of your surroundings. Now ask yourself these questions: 1. What is the dress code at your ideal job? 2. What hours are you working? 3. Are you in an office, a cubicle, or working out of your car? 4. What kind of personality does your supervisor have? Is your supervisor male or female? 5. If you work in an office, describe the office setting. 6. What kind of skills are you using? 7. How would you describe the company culture? 8. Are you required to travel? You get the point. The clearer you can visualize the elements of your ideal job, the more likely you are to recognize the right fit for you when you get there…or to walk away from the wrong fit. College students often say, “But how am I supposed to know until I get there?” Being Career Ready suggests it might work the other way around…how are you supposed to get there until you know? Collect your thoughts and write the description of your ideal job below. Be sure to share your description with your career services advisor. My Ideal Job: ___________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ Review current or past jobs for transferable skills Your transferable skills are those skills that you that you bring from other life, work, and educational experiences that might also be useful in future jobs. If you can identify and talk about them with potential employers, you can also create more value for yourself. It is these types of skills that are often discussed in phone interviews or even first and second face‐to‐
face interviews. The reason they create value is because they give the interviewer a different basis for comparing your skills to other candidates...and there will almost ALWAYS be other candidates for employers to pick from. So how do you stand out? Selling your direct experience is always valuable, but selling your transferable skills is the next best thing. To create a list of your best transferable skills, ask yourself “What am I really good at doing?” Then be prepared to give a few examples of when you have successfully used that skill (especially in a business context). Some people find it easier to start with a list like the one below: Transferable Skills
Adapting to change Working with difficult Training staff customers Talking to customers Inspecting for quality Learning new technology Analyzing information Completing projects on quickly time Anticipating/solving Conducting market problems Delegating work research Organizing events Working in small groups Managing people Following complex Budgeting time, money or Handling multiple projects directions resources Networking to build Improving systems or Checking information for relationships processes accuracy Operating equipment
Finding information Working under pressure Review your own life, work, and educational background and make a list of your Top 3 transferable skills. Don’t restrict your thinking to the items on the list above. Just be honest about your answer to the question “What am I really good at doing?”, and be prepared to come up with 2‐3 examples that you could see yourself using in an interview. My Top 3 Transferable Skills Skill #1______________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ Skill #2______________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ Skill #3______________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ Join a campus organization Research done at Ohio State University indicated that students involved in extracurricular activities tend to perform better academically and are more likely to graduate than their non‐involved peers. This might come as little surprise, but there are other benefits as well. 
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A chance to be around others who share your same interests The opportunity to establish new friendships Broader access to activities both on and off campus The opportunity to take leadership roles Personal growth and development Team participation A willingness to be involved in extracurricular activities Networking beyond a small circle of friends Any one of those benefits can directly impact your career readiness. Potential employers and graduate schools seek candidates who are actively involved and who take initiative. Most campus clubs will be beneficial to your education as well, and can give you real‐world experience related to your future career. If you are interested in joining an organization, visit your college website or talk to a Success Coach. Also, particular clubs will often place announcements on the campus community boards for future members to see. It is advisable for you to scan these boards for clubs that match your interests, provide a relevant platform for your skills, and actively recruit new members. Any time you can match your interests and career goals with activities that support specific job‐
related or transferable skills, consider what it would take to become a committed and participative member. Like any organization, you tend to get out of it what you put into it. My Personal/Career Interests: Make a list of your personal and career interests, using short phrases like “training”, “public speaking”, or “writing”. _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ Relevant Student Organizations: Now make a list of relevant student organizations available on your campus. Talk to a career advisor about where your interests and campus organizations intersect. _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ Audit your online identity A 2009 study done commissioned by Microsoft (http://executivecareerbrand.com/microsoft‐study‐
finds‐online‐reputation‐management‐not‐optional/) found that 79% of U.S. hiring managers and job recruiters research the online identities of potential job candidates, and 70% of those hiring managers and recruiters said they rejected candidates based on what they found. If a potential employer Googled your name right now, what would they find? Try it yourself (be sure to use quotation marks before and after your name when you do). You don’t need a private investigator to recognize if your reputation is being compromised. According to the study, employers reject job candidates based on the following types of online identity information: 
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59% ‐ Inappropriate comments/text written by the candidate 52% ‐ Unsuitable photos/videos/information 51% ‐ Concerns about the candidate’s lifestyle 38% ‐ Comments criticizing previous employers/co‐workers/clients 35% ‐ Inappropriate comments/text written by friends/relatives 35% ‐ Inappropriate comments/text written by colleagues/work acquaintances 35% ‐ Groups/Networks the candidate was a member of 34% ‐ Discovered that information the candidate shared was false 31% ‐ Poor communication skills displayed online 15% ‐ Concern about the candidate’s financial background Your online identity can and often does have an impact on your overall hire‐ability. Luckily, what information you share and who you associate with are things you can control. Think like an employer, and make deliberate decisions about your online identity. My Online Identity: Put a check mark next to the internet channels below where you spend time. What might a potential employer be able to find out about you? Facebook LinkedIn MySpace Google Your Blog (or comments on other blogs) ClassMates Ning YouTube Craigslist ASmallWorld Foursquare Cyworld Diaspora Hi5 Your local online newspaper Hyves Orkut Plaxo Tagged XING Snapfish FlickR Clean up your Facebook page; set proper security levels Facebook is the most shared social media site among college students, which means it is also one of the largest information databases, and your information is part of that database. Employers know this too, and they use Facebook as a way to search for and collect information, references, and evidence about potential job candidates. This is just one of many reasons why individuals don’t want their information to show up in search results on Facebook. Luckily, it’s simple to turn off your public visibility. Follow these steps to make sure you remove yourself from Facebook’s search results: My Facebook Security 1. Visit your search privacy settings page 2. Under “Search Visibility” select “Only Friends” (Remember, doing so will remove you from Facebook search results, so make sure you want to be removed totally. Otherwise, you can select another group, such as “My Networks and Friends” 3. Click “Save Changes” By default, Facebook makes your presence visible to your network. Frequently, people aren’t aware of their visibility, so this is one of the first settings that users wish to modify. By selecting “Customize” from the search visibility drop down you can make your settings even more granular. Create a LinkedIn profile; connect with at least 50 people in your network Think of your LinkedIn profile as an interactive business card. It’s a summary of your professional experience, interests, and capabilities that is designed to attract the attention of important people who are searching for you online — recruiters, networking contacts and grad school admissions officers. A strong profile is a key differentiator in the job market. 1. Craft an informative profile headline Your profile headline gives people a short, memorable way to understand who you are in a professional context. Think of the headline as the slogan for your professional brand, such as “Student, National University” or “Recent honors graduate seeking marketing position.” Check out the profiles of students and recent alumni you admire for ideas and inspiration. 2. Display an appropriate photo Remember that LinkedIn is not Facebook or MySpace. If you choose to post a photograph — and we recommend that you do — select a professional, high‐quality headshot of you alone. Party photos, cartoon avatars, and cute pics of your puppy don’t fit in the professional environment of LinkedIn. 3. Show off your education Be sure to include information about all institutions you’ve attended. Include your major and minor if you have one, as well as highlights of your activities. It’s also appropriate to include study abroad programs and summer institutes. Don’t be shy — your LinkedIn profile is an appropriate place to show off your strong GPA and any honors or awards you’ve received. 4. Develop a professional summary statement Your summary statement should resemble the first few paragraphs of your cover letter — it should be concise and express confidence about your goals and qualifications. Remember to include relevant internships, volunteer work, and extracurricular activities. Present your summary statement in short blocks of text for easy reading. Bullet points are great, too. 5. Fill your “Specialties” section with keywords “Specialties” is the place to include key words and phrases that a recruiter or hiring manager might type into a search engine to find a person like you. The best place to find relevant keywords is in the job listings that appeal to you and the LinkedIn profiles of people who currently hold the kinds of positions you want. 6. Update your status weekly A great way to stay on other people’s radar screens and enhance your professional image is to update your status at least once a week. Tell people about events you’re attending, major projects you’ve completed, professional books you’re reading, or any other news that you would tell someone at a networking reception or on a quick catch‐up phone call. 7. Claim your unique LinkedIn URL To increase the professional results that appear when people type your name into a search engine, set your LinkedIn profile to “public” and claim a unique URL for your profile (for example: www.linkedin.com/in/yourname). This also makes it easier to include your LinkedIn URL in your email signature, which is a great way to demonstrate your professionalism. 8. Share your work A final way to enhance your LinkedIn profile is to add examples of your writing, design work, or other accomplishments by displaying URLs or adding LinkedIn Applications. By including URLs, you can direct people to your website, blog, or Twitter feed. Through Applications, you can share a PowerPoint or store a downloadable version of your résumé . Visit grads.linkedin.com today!