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Resources for G307 Assignments
Assignment 1: Evaluating future careers due Feb. 6 in class
Resources: This assignment is meant to be done "where you are" right now in terms of what you know about yourself and the careers in which your are interested. However, it is definitely okay to read about careers, career values, etc to help yourself complete this assignment....because you will have to read this information for future assignents anyway.
Write a list of things you like to do. Then write a list of job criteria that your proposed career must have in order to be satisfying to you. List 4-5 careers that you think would want to pursue (even if you think medical school is the “only thing” you want to do!). Be honest about what other kinds of jobs, even those outside of chemistry, that are appealing to you. Write a short paragraph description (~150 words) including what you like about these careers/jobs.
Assignment 2: Self-Assessment Assignment due Feb. 13 in class
Resources:
Three books with assessment tools in them will be on 2 hour reserve in the Chemistry Library:
Now, Discover Your Strengths by Marcus Buckingham and Donald O. Clifton (Note: to do the StrengthsFinder assessment tool online, you will need to purchase the book).
Cornerstone: Building on You Best by Sherfield, Montgomery, and Moody. (See Chapter 5 for a personality assessment tool)
Discover What You're Best At by Linda Gale (there are a number of chapters with different tests).
The library at the Career Development Center at 625 N. Jordan Ave. has similar books. Also there are counselors at the Career Development Center who can administer and help you evaluate the results of these types of assessment tools; see http://www.indiana.edu/~career/students/choose/computerized_tests.php for more details. Note that you will need a referral to use this service, so please plan ahead.
There are many of these self-assesment toolds on line, but many require you to register. Some that I have done include:
http://www.authentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu/default.aspx
http://tools.monster.com/
http://wlb.monster.com/articles/values/
http://www.usd.edu/trio/tut/time/workinv.html
http://www.asvabprogram.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=learn.workvalues
Complete at least one of the assessment tools discussed in class and/or do the Myers-Briggs personality and strenghts test with the career counselor on Feb. 6, 7:30 AM, Career Development Center on 10th and Jordan, basement classroom. Reflect on the results: describe what YOU think are your strengths/talents and areas of aptitude (not necessarily in agreement with any assessment tool); list your skills, including technical, business, and “soft” skills; and finally list your job-related values. Additionally, identify two experiences/events that you have to describe how you overcame them using your strengths, skills, and/or values came into play. Use the “SOAR” model to describe your situations:
S = describe the situation you were in
O = describe the obstacle you faced
A = describe the action that you took to resolve the situation using your skills
R = describe the results based on the action you took
Assignment 3: Assessing/revising sample resumes due Mon. Feb. 19 by 5:00 PM
You will be given two 2-page resumes (below) in an electronic format that you will have to then edit down to 1-page. You must make some judgment calls on what to remove and write a 1-page description of why you took out the things you did. You must proofread the resume well and make any necessary changes to its content to make it into a better resume. This assignment should be submitted before lecture on the preceding Monday by 5:00 pm so that I can include your work in the next day’s lecture. It is okay to submit them via email attachments.
Resume 1
Resume 2
Assignment 4: Writing your own resume due Mon. Feb. 26 by 5:00 PM
First take an “inventory” of all your skills, accomplishments, and experiences: work, education, and volunteer. List everything and anything that you think you might want to include in a resume including technical, business, and “soft” skills and accomplishments in and out of the arena of science. This inventory will not be your resume, so it can be as long and detailed as you want.
Next, use a resume template that you like and your “inventory” to write your resume with a specific type of position in mind. Include everything that you think is relevant to the job to which you are applying. Do not worry about its length (yet); just include everything you think is pertinent. Submit this assignment to me electronically. This assignment should be submitted before lecture on the preceding Monday by 5:00 pm so that I can include your work in the next day’s lecture.
Some Resume and Cover Letter Resources:
Resumes for Undergraduates by Stanford Career Development Center
Resumes for Graduate Students by Standford Career Development Center
Action verbs link1 and link 2 (and there are lots more on the web)
Assignment 5: Writing Cover Letters due Mar. 6 in class
Write a cover letter that would accompany your resume in application for your chosen career/position. Use the templates we have discussed in class to write the appropriate letter including your Introductory paragraph, Selling/Marketing Paragraph, and Action Closing Paragraph. You will need to carefully decide what goes into your letter since you cannot reiterate your entire resume.
Assignment 6: Networking due Mar. 20 in class
About two-thirds of positions are not posted. To tap into these job opportunities, networking is critical. For this assignment, you will need to either attend at least one“Networking Night” event, organized by the Career Center or conduct at least one informational interview with someone in a career field in which you are interested. To find out the schedule of networking nights, go to www.IUCareers.com, create a profile if you have not already, and then select the “Interviews and Events” tab. There are a series of Networking Nights for a variety of fields starting in February. There is one for the Life Sciences on March 6. You will need to sign up for a Networking Night or Nights in advance (these are popular events so I advise you to sign up soon). Write at least 1-2 pages to describe what you did, who you talked with, and what you learned about the career and about yourself.
Assignment 7: Interviewing Preparation due Mar. 27 in class
You will be given a list of questions (see below) to prepare by answering on your own. Your answering this list of questions will help you prepare for the mock interview and for future “real” interview questions.
List of Interview Questions
(Remember to keep the KPF's in mind when answering these questions; see lecture 7 for information about KPF's)
Assignment 8: Mock Interview due same day as your Mock
One-on-One Interview is scheduled outside of class; call 855-2700 or stop in the office to set up a time to meet for this assignment.
You will be asked to perform a 20-30 minute mock interview with me. Afterwards, you and I will discuss your performance to create a list of what you did well and suggestions for improvement. Please bring a copy of you resume and cover letter with you. You may revise the resume and letter before meeting with me for this mock interview, but it is not required.
Research paper due Apr. 24 in class
Choose one of the options below. You must write a full paper, not just an outline. Whatever websites and sources you use MUST be properly cited. (Cutting and pasting directly from websites is unacceptable. All University Guidelines regarding academic misconduct will be enforced.) Indicate which option you have chosen in the title of your paper.
1. Identifying Career Fields
Identify and research three possible career fields that are of interest to you using the web
and class resources. Write a 2-page minimum, typed paper including the following for each of the three career fields:
a. typical types of positions associated with that field
b. day-to-day duties of these positions
c. average salaries for each position, market trends, and long-term outlook for job
advancement.
d. Select a location outside of Bloomington where you would like to work. Use a
salary calculator to determine the cost of living difference between your city of
choice and Bloomington. For example, if you make $34,000 in Bloomington, you
would have to make $80,500 in San Francisco.
e. Indicate your order of preference for the three careers and explain your ranking.
Include a reflection and reaction to your research. Are any fields a good fit to your
career goals?
2. Identifying Employers
Identify and research three different, open positions in a certain career field using the web
and class resources. At least one of these positions must be outside of Bloomington. In a
2-page minimum typed paper, include for each position:
a. Position title, company name, geographic location, info about the company, and
day-to-day duties of the position
b. Average salary for each position or similar positions
c. Market trends and long-term outlook for this position
d. Use a salary calculator to determine the cost of living difference between your city
of choice and Bloomington. For example, if you make $34,000 in Bloomington,
you would have to make $80,500 in San Francisco.
e. Indicate your order of preference for the three positions and explain your ranking.
Include a reflection and reaction to your research. Are any positions of these a
good fit to your career goals?
3. Identifying Graduate Programs, Law Schools or Medical Schools
Identify and research three different graduate schools or medical schools in your field using
the web and class resources. In a 2-page minimum typed paper, include for each position:
a. General information about the program
b. Either specific faculty names or specific research areas (do not list courses)
c. Use a salary calculator to determine the cost of living difference between
Bloomington and the graduate/medical school location.
d. What admissions tests (GRE/MCAT/LSAT) do you need to apply? What are the
deadlines for these tests and for the application?
e. From the list, identify your first choice and explain why this program has particular
appeal to you. What do you hope to get specifically from this program?
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