Chapter 4 Activities & Resources

Proactively develop oneself and one’s career through continual personal and professional learning, awareness of one’s strengths and weaknesses, navigation of career opportunities, and networking to build relationships within and without one’s organization.

□ Participate in a mock interview in the Career Center. Use a job description to practice connecting your skills to the needs of an employer.

□ Stay aware of trends in the job market.

□ Conduct informational interviews. Job shadow. Seek mentors.

□ Find out what types of jobs exist in a career area that appeals to you.

□ Do volunteer work, internships, or summer jobs in fields that appeal to you.

□ Review your social media through the eyes of a future employer and determine appropriateness.

□ Develop a resume or a functional resume with a career counselor.

□ Join a professional association.

□ Work on campus as a student aide.

□ Get involved in campus professional organizations to further develop and test out career interests.

□ Identify and prioritize what you will discuss each time you meet with a career counselor.

□ Read professional journals that relate to your chosen career.

Clearly and effectively exchange information, ideas, facts, and perspectives with persons inside and outside of an organization.

□ Check for understanding by asking clarifying questions.

□ Proofread your papers to avoid errors.

□ Participate in class discussions and debates.

□ Practice your interviewing skills. Complete a mock interview in the Career Center.

□ Get your professional job and graduate school documents reviewed in the Career Center.

□ Develop your elevator pitch which is a professional sounding introduction about yourself.

□ Take a speech or public speaking class.

□ Record your voice. Eliminate “filler words” such as “um” and “like.”

□ Review and clean up your social media accounts–employers will check these.

□ Ask for feedback on your writing and speaking skills.

□ Videotape or watch yourself in a mirror yourself speaking on a topic then watch it to assess your verbal and non-verbal strengths and areas for improvement.

□ Attend a networking event.

Identify and respond to needs based upon an understanding of situational context and logical analysis of relevant information.

□ Practice making step by step plans to solve problems.

□ Brainstorm various ways you could solve a problem.

□ Ask yourself, “What’s missing here?” when analyzing a situation.

□ Ask questions. Avoid accepting ideas as fact. Practice gathering information that will help you solve problems.

□ Monitor your emotions during decision making.

□ Participate in class discussions and debates.

□ Join a club that engages in problem solving activities such as debate, robotics, chess, entrepreneurial club, etc.; or write an opinion piece for the student newspaper.

Equity and Inclusion

Demonstrate the awareness, attitude, knowledge, and skills required to equitably engage and include people from different local and global cultures. Engage in anti-racist practices that actively challenge the systems, structures, and policies of racism.

□ Volunteer to help people in need.

□ Do Harvard’s Implicit Bias Test to learn about your biases.

□ Read books or listen to podcasts by authors with differing backgrounds and perspectives.

□ Participate in trainings such as Safe Zone Project training.

□ Take cultural diversity courses and/or attend campus events.

□ Attend events with people who have different politics, education, religion, ethnicity, race, affectional or sexual orientation.

□ Participate in study abroad and/or alternative break trips.

□ Take a Diversity or World Cultures class.

Recognize and capitalize on personal and team strengths to achieve organizational goals.

□ Take on leadership responsibilities in a club, work, internship, or student group.

□ Think about how to maximize people’s strengths when managing a project.

□ Take a Leadership class.

□ Explore blogs and webinars on leadership.

□ Run for a campus office or become an officer of a campus club or organization.

□ Understand your preferred leadership style.

□ Seek opportunities to learn from people you see as leaders and use those lessons to hone your own leadership.

□ Assess yourself on a team. Identify ways you can be a better leader by understanding those around you.

Build and maintain collaborative relationships to work effectively toward common goals, while appreciating diverse viewpoints and shared responsibilities.

□ Work on being transparent and taking concerns directly to individuals.

□ Avoid engaging in negative interactions in school and in the workplace.

□ Listen and reflect on what other people are saying before you talk.

□ Review your social media presence. Would you want to share your social media image with your employer?

□ Keep a positive attitude and be cordial. In a tough situation or when dealing with negativity stay positive and proactive.

□ Work in a part-time job and observe workplace behavior.

□ Look for/ask for opportunities to contribute at work if you have finished your tasks rather than sitting around waiting for your next assignment.

□ Be punctual for all classes, meetings, and work shifts.

□ Join a professional association to learn industry specific professionalism.

□ Welcome and use constructive criticism as a growth opportunity.

□ Arrive on time for work or class and communicate when you cannot attend appropriately.

□ Visit your career center to learn about professional dress.

Teamwork

Proactively develop oneself and one’s career through continual personal and professional learning, awareness of one’s strengths and weaknesses, navigation of career opportunities, and networking to build relationships within and without one’s organization.

□ Work with your teammates to develop guidelines for each team member’s responsibilities.

□ Practice being respectful of people’s viewpoints even if you do not agree with them.

□ Work with your team members to develop a detailed plan on how to approach a project.

□ Come to a group decision on how team members will communicate and when.

□ Get involved! Join student organizations/clubs; engage in service learning; join a sports/intramural team; look for campus involvement opportunities to practice and enhance teamwork skills.

□ Respectfully and professionally address any issues regarding team members’ contributions and workload.

Understand and leverage technologies ethically to enhance efficiencies, complete tasks, and accomplish goals.

□ Search job postings and O*NET in your intended field to see what types of technologies are essential and recommended for your future career and focus on developing your skills in those areas.

□ Use online tutorials to expand your knowledge of software used in your industry/career area.

□ Help a club/organization build a digital presence.

□ Use an online calendar such as Microsoft or Google to keep up with all appointments, meetings, classes, tests, and due dates.

□ Learn how to use Microsoft Excel effectively.

□ Create a LinkedIn profile and use LinkedIn regularly. Seek out social media responsibilities in a student organization.

□ Take a computer & digital literacy or Intro to Computer Information Systems class.

□ Look for opportunities in internships and jobs that use new technology.

□ Subscribe to trending technology-related Twitter feeds.

□ Put your digital resume on LinkedIn and explore the information LinkedIn sends back to you based on your likes and interests.

□ Practice using technology tools to develop presentations, communicate online, and coordinate group projects.

□ Learn about personal branding and how to do so effectively.

□ Research what tools & technologies are important for your specific field of study.