CAREER PROJECT ASSIGNMENT | LITERATURE HOMEWORK

CAREER PROJECT
Submit your paper to Microsoft Teams by April 18th. Your paper should have the following sections, use
headings (just like the ones I used here) to organize your paper:
Career Goals and Plans for Reaching Them (10 points) ABOUT ½ PAGE LONG
The purpose of this section is to encourage you to think carefully about your career goals and
your plans for achieving them. Include your immediate and ultimate job and career objectives.
What job and educational experiences will you seek out as you work to achieve your goals and
objectives? What is your backup plan if this plan does not work out?
If you have not yet identified a job or career goal, outline the general characteristics of the type
of job or career which you desire. Present a specific plan for deciding upon job and career
objectives.
Strengths and Selling Points (10 points) ABOUT ½ PAGE LONG
The purpose of this list is to help you assemble important job-related information about yourself.
There are several reasons why this list is important. The first is that some interviewers will force
you to provide structure for the interview. This list can be used as a guide in that situation for
describing yourself and your accomplishments. The second reason is that an interview is very
short. The interviewer will not ask you for everything that you want him/her to know. It’s
important that you systematically assemble this information and present it during the interview.
Important themes for the list are a) high motivation, b) high ability, c) time management skills, d)
leadership skills, e) interpersonal skills. (The last page of this document includes a list of example
strengths and selling points.)
Note: Do not give this list to an interviewer. Use it as a basis for developing “your story” which
you will then present in an interview. If an interviewer does not give you an opportunity to present
this information, ask permission to do so near the end.
Assessment of Employability (15 points) ABOUT 1 PAGE LONG
Find a person with in depth knowledge of the field that you are interested in. This CANNOT
be a family member, unless you plan to join the family business. You cannot interview one of
your classmates! You must list first and last name of your interviewee, along with their
current title.
Give the interviewee a copy of your resume and ask them to give you feedback on your
employability. What do they see as your strengths and weaknesses?
Note: If you have a situation that does not fit the employability scenario (you work in a family
business or plan to start your own company), find someone who can effectively critique your
approach to your situation and someone (perhaps the same person) whom has done the thing that
you want to do.
Interview of Someone Who Does What You Want To Do (15 points) ABOUT 1 PAGE LONG
Interview someone who holds the type of position that you will seek. Possible questions include:
What do you do? How do you like your job? How did you get your job? How could someone such
as me land a position like yours? Do you know of any openings in this field? Has there been a time
in your career that you struggled (lost a job, had difficulty finding a job, etc.)? How did you handle
it? Write a summary of what you have learned.
You may use the same person for your ‘Assessment of Employability’ with your ‘Interview of
Someone Who Does What You Want to Do.’

1. I work full time while attending college full time and pay 100% of my college expenses.
2. At the age of 8, wanting to earn my own money, my brother and I went into the “handy kids”
business. We mowed lawns, washed and waxed cars, shoveled snow, washed windows, and
performed any other odd jobs our neighbors would pay us for. I became the first girl to carry
weekly shoppers for our local newspaper. I also had one of the largest routes–1200 papers!
3. I was the youngest person to obtain a real estate sales license in this state.
4. I have had a strong interest in sports all of my life. I earned high school letters in basketball,
volleyball and track. Basketball was my favorite. I served as team captain and was known as the
tough little guard in braids. In my spare time, I like to play racquetball and softball, bowl, and jog.
Another interest of mine is horses. In the past I have owned several horses. I paid for their
boarding expenses by shoveling stalls and breaking horses for a local stable.
5. While working at Ladera Career Paths, I improved the efficiency of the temporary employee files
by implementing a database in the computer system. This simplified the task of matching
employees with the right job assignments.
6. During one month, I researched over 100 customers and discovered over $200,000 in receivables
that could be collected. I researched accounts payable and discovered many unnecessary expenses.
I streamlined the operations, saving the company $2,500 per month. I reconciled bank accounts,
discovering $23,000 in overdrafts which led to the termination of an incompetent accountant.
7. I was awarded a certificate of achievement from Red Carpet Garrett & Associates for achieving
over $100,000 of sales in one month.
8. At HEB, I was the company coordinator for our United Way effort. The year I took over, we
increased our donation by 50% over the previous year.
9. While attending the University of Texas Permian Basin in Odessa, I achieved a 3.9 grade point
average while taking 9 hours per semester and working 50 hours per week.
10. I received the “Partner Development” Award at HEB for consistently developing talented
hourly employees to become managers.
11. My cashier teams at HEB were consistently in the top 10% in the items per minute productivity
measurement.
12. I have a proven track record for handling large projects. I opened four stores with sales
exceeding $1 million per week. For each store, I hired over 175 employees for 8 different positions.
I was responsible for developing a training program and getting all training done on a tight budget
and short time frame.
NOTE: Item groupings 1-4 and 8-12 each came from one person.
13. An alternative format (all are from one person):
Motivation
a. When working to meet the deadline for the federal requirements of the nonprofit
organization I once worked for, I willingly worked several hours (often past 1am) a day
to complete the required work on time.
b. In order to improve and strengthen the work structure and functionality of my
organization, I coordinated and facilitated a feedback meeting with all staff and contract
workers.
Ability
c. When working in a small office with limited support, I stepped to the plate and was able
to simultaneously fulfill the roles of an HR coordinator, facilities manager, marketing
coordinator and property tax assistant.
d. Having only limited prior work experience, I was able to help our short-staffed
department during a “busy season” and assist with high level client related work that was
outside of my scope of duties.
Time Management
e. I am currently working full time while attending school part time, and I am actively
participating in two organizations and firm volunteer work.
f. I assist in the management of over 80 client engagements, many with varying deadlines
and time sensitive needs.
Leadership
g. For two of the clubs and organizations I am involved in, I have worked to help attract
new members and retain current members by creating new ways to motivate and involve
them, and I also revamped each organization’s appearance to make it more appealing to
be a part of.
h. When I noticed that the poor work performance of one member of my work team was
affecting the morale of the others as well as damaging our reputations for good client
service, I devised a plan of action to help rectify the situation and have completed the
first step.
Interpersonal Skills
i. I have been a member of Toastmasters International for about three years and have since
broadened my speaking skills and have become more confident when faced with various
speaking situations, i.e. on one on, or in front of groups.
j. I have been able to learn to work comfortably and effectively with a variety of
personalities. This has helped me to always be able to establish a good rapport and earn
the respect of my coworkers.