Career Research Project

One and Two Units

Chaffey | CoopEd | Handbook | End-of-Term

Module One: Self Assessment and Selection of Your Research Topic

 

  1. Career Advantage videos are available for viewing, but not checkout, in the Career Services Office or in the Library. Watching the assigned videos before beginning the corresponding projects assignments, rather than afterward, will give you the best understating of the assignment.

o 3, “Self-Knowledge and Beliefs”

o 4, “Values”

o 5, “Personality and Interests”

o 6, “Knowledge, Skills and Abilities”

o 7, “Keeping Track or Self-Knowledge and Exploration”

 

Write a one page summary of each video that is checked, outlining the main concepts presented and how you will apply this information to your career or life.

 

  1. Open Choices CT and review the following features (as needed/no need to submit anything).
    • Listen to, or read, the “Introduction,” located on lower left-hand of Main Page
    • Run the “Guided Tour” to learn how Choices CT works.

 

  1. From the Main Menu of Choices CT, run and print out your results for the following assessments:
    • The Interest Profiler
    • The Transferable Work Content Skills Checklist
    • The Work Importance Locator (Values)

 

  1. Apply the results of your Interest, Skills, and Values inventories to the Occupational Data base of Choices to select those occupations which match your skills and interests and print out a report on the selected occupations. This will be the topic of your career research assignments. Submit your printout.

 

 

Module Two: On-Line Resources

 

  1. Compile a list of Websites representing professional associations or trade organizations, representing the targeting field. (Suggestion: Enter the name of a professional association, or key words + “associations,” into Google or one of the search engines at Best Search Tools Page – Infopeople). Review each site, identify which offers the best information and complete a 1-2 page summary of useful information found on that site.

 

  1. Attend a chapter meeting of one of the associations listed, or conference where one of the associations will be represented. Complete a Meeting Summary for each meeting attended. (Ask your instructor for this form.)

 

 

Module Three: Labor Market Research

 

  1. Obtain (4) position announcements, classified ads or job postings for jobs in the selected field/job from print media (newspapers, periodicals, flyers, etc.).

 

  1. Find estimates of the present and future labor market demand in the selected field/jobs using resources available in Career Services’ resource room, the Library or the Internet (Suggestion: www.bls.gov or www.onet.com ) Write a one-page paper summarizing the information you found. Cite your sources.

 

 

Module Four: Field Research – Informational Interviews and Networking

 

According to Howard Figler, co-author with Richard Bolles, of The Career Counselor’s Handbook, “60 percent of your job search should be conducted face-to-face.” The primary method recommended by Bolles and Figler for doing the in-person research, whether for-hire or for-information-only, is informational interviewing. So, preparing what you will say in requesting and engaging in these in-person meetings is an essential step in this sequence of course activities. An informational interview with someone employed in your filed/job of interest can reveal its intangible elements – the rewards, pitfalls, working conditions and motivations of your future colleagues, with whom you are investigating by doing a series of informational interviews – with workers, not hiring managers.

 

Goal #4:          Obtain first hand information about the occupation selected for research by interviewing professionals employed in that specialty.

 

Criteria:

 

  1. Watch “Informational Interviewing: A Foot in the Door.” Write a one page summary of this video, outlining the main concepts presented.

 

  1. Visit the Orange Coast College Website to explore the QT Newsletter links on the topic of informational interviews. Write a one page summary of useful information found here.

 

  1. Prepare in writing, a personal statement that you would be comfortable saying when introducing yourself to an expert in the occupation you are researching. It is helpful to review the Information Interview handout before writing your personal statement. In your statement, explain the nature of your request, by stating your name, and:
    1. The title of the occupation you are researching;
    2. Why you want to learn more about this job, in terms of the personal priorities (a few of your “Top 10”) that make this occupation particularly interesting to you.
    3. And state what you would like that person to do: make your request for an informational interview.

 

  1. Conduct 1 or 2 informational interviews with individuals employed in the selected field/job, using the Informational interviewing handout and your personal statement. Maintain your credibility by limiting the length of this interview to the length of time your requested (20 minutes is recommended). Interviews should be conducted at the experts’ work sites, if at all possible. This will give you an opportunity to try to visualize yourself in that workplace at a moment conductive to career decision-making; impressions to be carefully reviewed later using your priority list. Promptly send each person you interviewed a thank you note, after making a copy to submit with your project.

 

  1. Write a 1-2 page report of findings for each interview. Your report should include the names and job titles of the people you interviewed, where the interviews took place and what you learned from them. The questions on page 2 of the Informational Interviewing handout are also recommended report topics.

 

 

Module Five: Critical Thinking – Analysis and Conclusions

 

Goal #8:          Analyze the information you have gathered and describe your conclusions about the selected fields or jobs in terms of your personal career priorities and skill preferences; including a description of your current long and short range goals.

 

Write a two page summary of what your learned from this project. Include how you are going to use the information and your timeframe for doing this. Your timeframe must also include at least one long and one short range goal.