Assignments

Since each student in this class will have individual career needs and different previous work experiences, you will not all need the same exercises that follow each chapter in our book. Therefore, since you are adult students, I recommend that you select those exercises that will help you understand each chapter and fulfill your own career goals. I will recommend certain exercises in each chapter but completing them will be up to you. I will not check your book or ask you to submit them to me.

However, there are some specific assignments on each course page that are not in the book. These include a skills identification exercise, a scavenger hunt for employment websites, an information interview and interviewing preparation and practice. Each of these assignments will be marked in the text.

Portfolio

The final product for the course will be a portfolio of the documents you develop during the course. This portfolio should be emailed to me at craigkm@hiram.edu at the end of the course. Although you will send me parts of it as the course progresses, I would like a final version of all of the following materials for your final assignment so please keep track of each document as the course progresses. The final portfolio will include:

• Reference materials and websites you plan to use in your job search
• A summary of your information interview
• The final version of your resume and cover letter after you implement feedback from me on your initial draft
• The skills assessment
• A final short paper describing your tentative career goals, how your current education or future educational plans supports your career plans, and a brief summary of what you learned during this class about conducting a job search in your field - what resources you will use, how employers typically hire etc. Be specific about what steps you will be taking in the next few months to accomplish your career goals. List at least five activities you plan to accomplish - they can be little steps such as "polish your final resume" or bigger ones like "identify five potential employers and send applications". It is critical that you set specific goals to advance your job search.

Go to Class One