Career Portfolio Development

 

 

Course Description:  This course will enable students to develop a personally integrated career portfolio with resumes.  The course will be devoted to active exploration of personal style assessments, documentation of transferable skills, development of personal profile sheet, documentation of academic history, networking and interviewing skills, other research techniques, job search skills and the formulation of a long-range career/life plan.  Due to the intensity of self-study, assessment and documentation required in this course, students will spend an extraordinary amount of time working outside of a classroom.  Faculty will be available by appointment during regular office hours.

 

Desired Student Competencies:  The successful student will be able to:

1. Identify personal strengths, weaknesses and transferable skills.
2. Document accomplishments through the production of a portfolio, which includes resumes, transcripts and professional materials.
3. Design an appropriate job search and college transfer strategy.
4. Create a one-page biosheet as well as a 1 year, 5 year, and 10 year life plan, to include both personal and professional goals.
5. Outline a 1-minute and 3-minute self-introduction speech, as if one were introducing oneself in a professional conference..
6. Establish themselves professionally on social media.

 

Required text:   Current Edition of What Color is Your Parachute by Richard Nelson Bolles, Ten Speed Press.  Available at almost any regular bookstore or on line.  Only the current edition will be acceptable.

 

Course calendar: you are responsible for meeting with me to begin the course, then  monthly,  to share your progress on your portfolio.    If you do not demonstrate adequate progress at each monthly meeting, you may be dropped..

Since this is a self-study course, adequate progression in assignments will be used as criteria of proof of attendance/participation.  25% of your work must be complete by your first monthly meeting with me; 50% by your second monthly meeting with me; 75% by your third monthly meeting with me, and 100% by fourth monthly meeting, when you must meet with me during office hours to turn in and discuss your portfolio.  Any student who does not meet this criteria will not pass this course.

          

Assignments:

A portfolio in a nice, professional binder, with dividers, all professionally and neatly styled and completed, (computer typed, double spaced where possible) to include:

1. A one-page summary of practical skills for each chapter, epilogue and appendix of the Parachute book, to include internet work.  Worth 20%
2. All exercises within the Parachute book done completely and professionally. 30% of the final grade.
3. Additional sections must include (worth 50%):
   1. All newspaper clippings of networking possibilities collected weekly during this semester (you may copy from the nhctc library)
   2. A  transferable skills resume
   3. A chronological style resume
   4. Internship/volunteer section with detail, documentation from sites, reports, references, supervisors evaluations (as applicable)
   5. Transcripts from all colleges, schools, etc.
   6. Documentation of all other professional training/accomplishments
   7. Documentation of all appropriate leisure/community service involvement
   8. One page biosheet to open your portfolio
   9. 1 academic letters of reference
   10. 1 job letter of reference
   11. 1 personal letter of reference
   12. A personal mission statement
   13. 1 year plan, 5 year plan, 10 year plan
   14. transfer assessment by any two colleges (if you are planning on college)
   15. 1 minute and 3 minute speeches of how you would introduce yourself at a professional conference
   16. Establish self professionally on professional social media.
   17. Develop professional business cards.

 

Community Service Component:  You are also required to work 2-3 hours per month for community service as an intern or volunteer.    Without fulfilling these hours, you will not pass this course. 

 

Special needs:  If, due to a disability, you can not fulfill some obligations of this course, please discuss this with me immediately. Since this is basically a self-study course, there is some flexibility but any accommodations must be formally contracted with me.