Assignment Description:
Write an autobiography of you in relation to your career. The purpose of this assignment is to give you an opportunity to reflect on how your career has been shaped by your life thus far and what you are looking for in future career opportunities. It will also allow your instructors to shape the course to most effectively meet the needs of the students. Before you begin, be certain to familiarize yourself with the first two chapters of Your Guide to Career Opportunities.
Please write a 1-2 page autobiography that includes the following information. More important than the exact length is the thoroughness with which you answer each question.
1. Think back to your childhood. What were your first ideas about what your career would be?
2. What is one career value (something that is important to you; e.g. variety, friendships, benefits, competition, etc.), one career skill (something you are good at; e.g. leading, analyzing, building, etc.), and one career interest (something you enjoy; e.g. helping others, organizing, being creative, etc.) that you hope your career entails? (Please don't limit yourself to just those values, skills, and interests listed in the text.)
3. What are your current career goals? (Short term and long term; Example: Short term: To complete my degree and get a promotion to Assistant Manager; Long term: To get a Bachelor's degree in business and open my own interior design business)
4. What is one career-related fear or obstacle you have? Why is it a fear/obstacle?
5. What is one goal you hope to accomplish by being in BUS 260: Career Development? How can the instructor help you accomplish your goal?
Discussion Topic:
What is your greatest strength?
Similar to last week, when spoken your answer should be between 30 and 90 seconds.
Be sure to use an example to illustrate your point. NEVER just say "I am a hard worker." You need to tell me HOW you are a hard worker and how this trait will benefit my company.
You can use the STAR method as a format for your examples. STAR stands for
Situation, Tasks, Action, Results. An answer to this question could be "(s) My greatest strength is my analytical skills. At work, I am often given problems that require me to analyze information and present a solution. For example, last week, my boss asked me to figure out if UPS was the best option for shipping our products. (t) To come up with an answer, I collected information on how many packages we shipped on a daily basis, where they were going, and how much they weighed. I then developed a spreadsheet and compared how much it would cost using five different companies. (r) In the end, I decided that FedEx would actually save the company $4000 a year over UPS.