Personal Inventory Paper

Objectives:
•	Exploration of personal values, visions, aspirations and goals
•	Exploration of options and possibilities relevant to your NEXT STEP
•	Exploration of your degree and how it prepared you for your NEXT STEP experience

This essay will help you articulate a clear, complete and engaging vision for your life. The rationale behind this assignment is that before you can identify suitable options for your next few years you must have a sense of who you are and what is appropriate for you. You need a sense of how the last few years may feed into an attractive framework for how you want to live your life, and what kind of experiences you hope to have as you continue through it. 

Before you can begin this “journey of discovery,” you will need to complete the NEXT STEP Expectations worksheet on my website and review your degree audit.  Attach copies of the completed worksheet AND your degree audit with relevant courses highlighted to your paper.

Guidelines:
•	Prepare a 4-5 page typed (double-spaced) essay in which you describe a clear, complete and engaging vision of your suitability for your NEXT STEP experience. This essay should read smoothly and conversationally. 
•	If you have a specific career goal/objective in mind, begin with a brief description of it followed by your NEXT STEP toward achieving it.  Some of you will describe your next step in terms of an entry level position in your industry while others of you will describe a post baccalaureate experience in a graduate program.  Also, there will be those of you who want to travel or volunteer your time for a few years before engaging with what you want to do for a living.  In either case, be specific about how your NEXT STEP experience will prepare you for your career goal/objective.  Focus on expectations from your worksheet related to the work environment.  Then, using your highlighted degree audit, incorporate your strengths and weaknesses as a communication major. 
•	If you do not know what you want to do after graduation, begin with a brief description of TWO career opportunities that interest you most (consult resources on Career Center's website).  Then, discuss how well suited you are RIGHT NOW for these NEXT STEP experiences.  That is, using your degree audit, discuss your strengths and weaknesses for each opportunity.  Consider addressing questions such as, “Do you possess the skills required for either NEXT STEP?  Do you know the experience required for either NEXT STEP?  What are your cost of living needs?  How will either NEXT STEP experience meet your cost of living needs?  Use your answers to choose ONE opportunity for a career path.  
•	In addition to your textbook and worksheets, you will need to incorporate three outside sources into your essay.  These sources may be labor or salary statistics/trends, position descriptions, or philosophies about life.  ALL sources need to be cited in text and on a bibliography in APA format.
Resume Package
Assignment

This resume package will be used with your capstone experience assignment as well as your mock interview. 

Step # 1	Targeted Position Summary (30 points)
This element will provide you a focus for creation of your resume and cover letter. This element is a summary of the research you would complete before an interview. Each time you apply for a position you will need to tailor your resume and cover letter towards the targeted position. 
•	Identify a formal post-graduate NEXT STEP employment/graduate school opportunity that you are interested in pursuing. This entry-level position (one that is appropriate for your skill/experience/knowledge), the company and the vacancy must be real.  Attach the job announcement or graduate school information to this assignment.  Describe in detail the job title or name of the graduate program, the requisite skills/experience/qualifications and duties listed in the announcement or graduate school information, the basic background information about the organization or institution (i.e., history, distinguishing characteristics, program or services rendered, clientele or publics served, field of studies offered, etc.), and contact information.
•	This information should be provided in an easy to read, bulleted or outlined format.

Step # 2	Targeted Cover Letter (30 points)
•	This cover letter and resume must be targeted towards the position/graduate school described in Step #1. 
•	For information about composing and formatting cover letters, consult Chapter 11 in your textbook, Career Services website, and resources placed on reserve or available at the library. 
•	Final cover letter must be submitted on appropriate paper.

Step # 3	Targeted Resume (40 points)
•	This resume must be targeted towards the position/graduate school described in Step #1. 
•	For information about composing and formatting resumes consult Chapter 10 in your textbook, Career Services website, other online services, and resources available at the library. 
•	Keep in mind that Career Services will review your resume (48 hour turnaround) if you would like their assistance. (Please submit this with targeted resume to the instructor.)
•	Final resume must be submitted on appropriate paper.

Total Points for Resume Package Assignments:  100

RESUME CHECKLIST

First Impression

o	Does the resume look original and not based on a template?

o	Is the resume inviting to read, with clear sections and ample white space?

o	Does the design look professional rather than like a simple typing job?

o	Is a qualifications summary included so the reader immediately knows the applicant's value proposition?

o	Is the resume's length and overall appearance appropriate given the career level and objective?

Appearance

o	Does the resume provide a visually pleasing, polished presentation?

o	Is the font appropriate for the career level and industry?

o	Are there design elements such as bullets, bolding and lines to guide readers' eyes through the document and highlight important content?			

o	Is there a good balance between text and white space?

o	Are margins even on all sides?

o	Are design elements like spacing and font size used consistently throughout the document?

o	If the resume is longer than a page, does the second page contain a heading? Is the page break formatted correctly?
o	

						
COMMENTS

Reviewer’s Name _______________________________________________________

Resume Sections

o	Are all resume sections clearly labeled?

o	Are sections placed in the best order to highlight the applicant's strongest credentials?

o	Is the work history listed in reverse chronological order (most recent job first)?
o	

Accomplishments

o	Does the resume include a solid listing of career accomplishments?

o	Are accomplishments quantified by using numbers, percentages, dollar amounts or other concrete measures of success?

o	Do accomplishment statements begin with strong, varied action verbs?

o	Are accomplishments separated from responsibilities?
o	

Relevance

o	Is the information relevant to hiring managers' needs?

o	Does the resume's content support the career goal?

o	Is the resume keyword-rich, packed with appropriate buzzwords and industry acronyms?

o	Is applicable additional information, such as awards and affiliations, included, while personal information like marital status, age and nationality unrelated to the job target omitted?

Writing Style

o	Is the resume written in an implied first-person voice with personal pronouns, such as I, me and my, avoided?

o	Is the content flow logical and easy to understand?

o	Is the resume as perfect as possible, with no careless typos or spelling, grammar or syntax errors?

Reviewer’s Name _______________________________________________________
Capstone Experience

Targeted Professional Portfolio

Objectives:
•	To collect and organize items (documents, exhibits, etc.) that can support one’s candidacy for opportunities in the short-term future
•	To begin assembling a collection of materials that may be used in promoting your marketability as a candidate for opportunities that you may wish to pursue in the long-term.

Rationale: 
This portfolio is the gathering place for your artifacts that might be used in the future to illustrate your skills to interviewers. You will most likely pull items from this portfolio to carry with you to the interview and to include at appropriate times. For example, you are interviewing for an entry-level position at a Public Relations Firm. During the interview you are asked if you have written a press release. You would be able to say, “Yes and here are two examples of my work.” There may be times when you will be asked to bring a portfolio with you to the interview.

Throughout your next step, whether graduate school or a job/career, you should continue to add to this portfolio.  This portfolio will transition from one targeted toward a specific position to one that is used to gather excellent examples of your work after graduation that will promote your marketability in the long-term.

Sources of Materials:
•	Academic courses
•	Full – or part-time employment
•	Internship positions
•	Extra-curricular activities
•	Social activities
•	Original items created for the portfolio 

Selection of Materials:
It is recommended that you first brainstorm all possible items for inclusion and generate as long a list of items as possible (consult Chapter 6 of your textbook). Look for a variety of examples from academic assignments, internships, extra-curricular activities, etc. This may require looking back at your academic records to refresh your memory about assignments completed. Look for your best work. 

•	Typical portfolios may include: print text, graphics, posters, brochures, fliers, audio tape, video tape, computer disks and/or CD’s, three-dimensional models, photographs, or other relevant items.

•	Items may include: sample scripts, news stories, research papers, original fiction, group project descriptions and related written and presentational materials, sample surveys designed, text of original speeches, video or audio “demo-reels”, PowerPoint presentations, multi-media productions, etc. Materials must be your work. Descriptions of any items completed as part of a group project must accurately indicate your personal level of involvement.

•	For all items, make sure that inclusion of the items in your portfolio is legally and ethically acceptable with the agency or organization for which they were created. Any proprietary or confidential items should be left out.

Required Components:
There are 3 components of your professional portfolio and they are as follows:
•	Table of Contents—no page numbers please
•	Required Items Category
o	Targeted Position Summary (new and improved version of documents  submitted with resume package)
o	Targeted Resume (new and improved version of documents  submitted with resume package)
o	Targeted Cover Letter (new and improved version of documents  submitted with resume package)
o	Professional Reference List
•	minimum of 3
•	may include only 1 faculty member
•	does not include family members, or family friends
•	each reference will include
•	full name
•	title
•	organization name
•	mailing address
•	phone number
•	email
•	brief description of relationship
•	Artifacts
o	minimum of 5 artifacts (maximum of 8)
o	no artifacts from COM 400 (i.e., writing samples)
o	artifacts should be excellent examples of your abilities
•	5 artifacts must be excellent examples of your work for your targeted position
•	the remaining artifacts may be additional excellent examples of your work, or they may be awards or certificates received, letters of introduction/recommendation.  Please do not ask faculty members for letters of introduction/reference just for your portfolio.
o	all items for one project must be included as one artifact.  For example: all items created for a Training and Development Seminar must be submitted as a project file and not 4 separate artifacts.
o	minimum of 2 artifact categories--maximum of 4 artifact categories
•	categories may be organized by genre, project type, or customized format
•	there should be at least two artifacts per category 
o	Orientation Pages for each artifact – These are bulleted descriptions that include at a minimum the context in which your artifact was created, your role in its creation, and the competencies or abilities illustrated by the artifact. Each orientation page should be located on a full sheet of paper directly in front of the artifact.
•	Use power verbs
•	Be specific—instead of the generic label “research skills” list specific skills illustrated such as analytical, surveyed “X” number of individuals, evaluated and summarized
•	Be targeted toward the position you desire

Notes:
•	The storage system should be sensible and practical.
•	Divider pages should be clearly labeled
•	All elements within your portfolio should have aesthetic appeal.
•	Consider the use of plastic “sheet protectors” to hold key elements and as section dividers.

Capstone Experience 

Portfolio Presentation

Objectives:
•	Gain experience presenting yourself, your portfolio, and your experiences in a formal evaluative setting.
•	Demonstrate public presentation skills gained through your experience in the department.

Components for Presenter:
•	Brief targeted position summary
•	Elevator speech
•	Minimum of 2 items from online portfolio (maximum 3) that illustrate your skills as related to position/graduate school you are seeking.  One item should be your “leave behind” artifact.

Brief Targeted Position Summary
Create a bulleted list of key components about the targeted position for which you are striving. This list must include at a minimum:
•	Organization Name/Graduate School
•	Position/Field of Study
•	Key skills/background required

Elevator Speech
As stated in College Grad Job Hunter, the elevator speech “is the basic introductory message when networking, your opening statement in telephone contacts with employers, and the foundation of your “Tell me about yourself” answer in interviewing” (Krueger, p. 82). If you stepped on an elevator and had 25-30 seconds to tell someone about yourself, this is the prepared speech you would give. Your goal here is to create a 25-30 second commercial selling you to your audience. This extemporaneous speech should be fully prepared and practiced, and should sound conversational. However, you will not have a brief set of notes to refer to at any time during this presentation. I will not be satisfied with an impromptu presentation of your elevator speech. A more complete explanation of the Elevator Speech is attached.

Portfolio Items
Present to the audience 2-3 items of your work from your online portfolio. Using Google sites (or other appropriate software/host), you must create an online version of your portfolio to use as a visual aid.  The artifacts should be excellent examples of skills that you have that relate to the targeted position requirements. Your goal is to convince the audience that you have the required skills using the items from your portfolio. Convincing the audience means that you will relate the skills illustrated by the portfolio item to the skills/background/education required by the organization. Do not make the audience guess at the connection between the skills your artifacts illustrate and the skills/experience required by the school and or job. Again this extemporaneous speech should be prepared and practiced and should sound conversational. Once again you will not have speaking notes.

Requirements for presenters:
•	Maximum of 6 minutes for entire presentation.  Your presentation will be terminated at 7 minutes if you exceed your time limit.
•	You must rehearse this extemporaneous presentation so that you deliver it fluently and confidently. Your presentation must be articulate, to the point, and mature in its tone. I will not accept impromptu presentations. 
•	NO speaking notes of any sort. You are talking about yourself and should not need them.  Consider the discussion of your position/grad school opportunity as your introduction, your elevator speech as your central idea, and the explanation of each portfolio artifact as main points in the body of your speech.  A simple “This concludes my portfolio presentation” will suffice as your conclusion.
•	Speak to the audience as if they are responsible for hiring.
•	Interview suit required for the presenter. 
•	Written materials to be turned into the instructor—an email containing a link to your online portfolio. 
MOCK INTERVIEW ASSIGNMENT

You will be required to participate in an ONLINE mock interview for your desired NEXT STEP experience.  You will receive an email inviting you to complete a 15-20 minute interview using InterviewStream.  Interviews will be conducted on the last day of class (July 20) and must be completed by midnight that day. There will be NO make-ups for this assignment so take that into account when you record your interview.  This assignment is worth 25% of your grade.

Guidelines for the Online Mock Interview

•	THIS IS NOT A BLOW OFF ASSIGNMENT.  You play an important role in this assignment, so take it seriously.  Make sure that you understand how to sign in and use the software before you begin your interview and have your resume package, portfolio and company/university/study abroad website in front of you.  

•	Prepare for this interview.  Review your resume packet, the Frequently Asked Interview Questions and illegal questions listed in your book and on any career website.  KNOW how to handle these questions.  Be prepared to give your elevator speech flawlessly, to discuss items from your portfolio (if asked) and to highlight NSE qualifications on your resume.  Pay attention to details.

•	Your verbal and nonverbal communication will be evaluated.  Therefore, remove ALL distractions from your interview environment.  Make sure that your verbal communication is specific and to the point (i.e., not rambly or vague); that you sit up straight; and that you appear interested, pleasant, and involved.  Make eye contact with the camera NOT the interviewer on the screen.

•	Interview attire is required.

Procedural Information about the Mock Interview

•	The goal of this assignment is to give you a taste of what a real telephone interview for your NEXT STEP experience will be like. Therefore, prior to your interview, you must provide your instructor with a copy of your targeted position summary and resume to help him/her prepare a set of questions specifically for you.  On the day of the interview, find a quiet place in your home to work online and have your resume package, portfolio and NSE materials in front of you.  The interview will consist of about 10-12 questions designed to give you an opportunity to demonstrate that you are the best candidate for this NEXT STEP experience. Most of the questions will assess your readiness for your NEXT STEP experience while 3-4 “zingers” will be incorporated to assess your composure.

•	Don't be thrown off if your interviewer isn't “friendly.”  Realize that it is the interviewer's job to keep the interview on track (i.e., focus on relevant skills and experiences) and within the time limit, to probe for clarity, to ask open ended questions, and to be conversational nothing more.  Most interviews follow the basic 杜ake small talk; preview the interview; ask questions about skills, experiences, and personal goals; solicit question from interviewee, close the interview” format.  Expect your interview to follow the same format.
•