Welcome to Unit 7 Seminar Goals Professor Tutor CS113-30AU Wednesdays 8 PM EST

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Agenda for Unit 7 Seminar Announcements Discussion Overview Assignment Overview Kuder Super’s Work Values Inventory SMART Goals Case Study Conclusions

Announcements UNIT 6 GRADES:  All Unit 6 DISCUSSION grades will be updated no later than Saturday, October 10.  All Unit 6 ASSIGNMENT grades will be updated no later than Tuesday, October 13.  Make sure to review your grades and my comments. Contact me if you have any questions or concerns regarding any of your grades.

Announcements REMINDER about LATE WORK:  Remember that all late work must be completed no later than the end of Unit 8 (Tuesday, October 20).  After that, no late work will be accepted unless special arrangements were made with me.  Reasons: I will need time to grade the late work & you will need week 9 to finish up your Final Projects.

Unit 7 Assignments What’s due this week?

Unit 7 Discussion: Goal Setting You will respond to either A or B: Item A. Describe a situation where you set a goal and achieved it. How did this accomplishment make you feel? Which elements of S.M.A.R.T. goal setting did you use in this case? What did you learn about goal setting from this experience? Item B. Describe a situation where you set a goal but were not able to accomplish it. How did this make you feel? Which elements of S.M.A.R.T. goal setting did you fail to use in this case? What did you learn about goal setting from this experience?

Unit 7 Assignment You will not submit an assignment to the Dropbox this week.

Overview of Final Project: You will complete your Final Project in 2 Parts. The first part you will begin this week, but it will not be turned in until the end of Unit 9 (October 27) along with second part of your Final Project.  PART 1: INTERVIEW WITH A PROFESSIONAL (Unit 7 Assignment)  PART 2: CAREER ACTION PLAN (Unit 9 Assignment)

Overview of Final Project PART 1: INTERVEW WITH A PROFESSIONAL (Unit 7 Assignment):  Informational interview  Begin thinking today about someone you can interview.  Try to find someone who works in a career field you are interested in.  The interview questions are provided for you in the Unit 7 Project template.  NOTE: The interview can be conducted in a variety of ways: face-to-face, phone, AIM, , or fax.

Overview of Final Project PART 2: CAREER ACTION PLAN (Unit 9 Assignment):  You will develop your own Career Action Plan based on information you have gained in this course.  Review instructions for the Unit 9 Assignment as you begin thinking about this project. Key areas for Final Project Information: Unit 7 and Unit 9! Your Final Projects are due NO LATER THAN Tuesday, October 27.

Informational Interview Can anyone tell me how an INFORMATIONAL interview differs from a JOB interview?

Informational Interview The difference is in the PURPOSE. In an informational interview, you are gathering information on a subject in which your interviewee is quite knowledgeable, similar to an interview conducted by a reporter. In this case, the subject you are interested in is your future career field.

Informational Interview From the viewpoint of the INTERVIEWER, what would you say are the KEY elements to a good interview?

Informational Interview Clear communication Background knowledge Appearance Plenty of preparation – ALL of these are extremely important!!

Tips for Informational Interview SELECTING SOMEONE TO INTERVIEW: Friends, relatives, co-workers, and neighbors can be a great place to start! Start talking with people to generate some ideas. At this point, who do you think you might interview or at least talk to in order to get some good ideas?

Tips for Informational Interview QUESTIONS FOR THE INTERVIEW: The 10 interview questions are already prepared for you in the Unit 7 Assignment template. Try to stick with these questions and possibly add 1 or 2 that are of special interest to you. Keep the interview to no more than 30 minutes. This shows your interviewee that you respect their time!!

Tips for Informational Interview PREPARING FOR THE INTERVIEW: Before the interview, you will want to provide your "interviewee" with a copy of the 10 Interview Questions. Set up the time, date, meeting place, etc...

Tips for Informational Interview You may want to use the following suggestions when contacting a person to interview: Explain that you are conducting the interview as a requirement for your Academic Strategies course. Let them know that you have a strong interest in their area for a future career. Let them know you will need about minutes for the interview to ask 10 questions. NOTE: If you are going to do a face-to-face interview, make sure to dress professionally. This person may be a contact for a future job, or may refer you to another employer. First impressions are very important.

Questions ?

Kuder Super’s Work Values Inventory This inventory will assess your work related values and what is important to you in your career growth. This is one of 3 assessments from The Kuder: Career Planning System. You will be taking the other two assessments during Unit 8.

Kuder Super’s Work Values Inventory To get started, go to Select the ‘New Users’ Link. Register Enter Your Batch Code v822982xpp Take the Super’s Work Values Inventory

Accessing Kuder

Registering for the Kuder Remember your User Name and Password because you will need them in Unit 8 to log back into this site. For your address, use your Kaplan address. Do not complete the Optional Information section.

Kuder Access

Select the Super’s Work Values Inventory Enter the Batch Code: v822982xpp

Questions ?

“Man is a goal seeking animal. His life only has meaning if he is reaching out and striving for his goals.” -Aristotle Goals & Planning

S.M.A.R.T. Goals Specific Measurable Action-oriented Realistic Timed

Specific What do you really want to accomplish? Your goal needs to be specific enough to be able to determine what actions are required to achieve the desired result.

Measurable How will you know you have reached your goal – what marker or milestone will identify success? Remember that Performance goals will provide better control than Outcome goals, so it’s best to measure the steps along the route to your destination.

Action-oriented What exactly will you do (what verbs can you use?!) to reach your goal? You will need to take a pro-active stance. Some sources say “A” stands for “Aggressive,” or working with purpose and diligence towards your goal.

Realistic A goal must be achievable. Have you researched enough to know that it’s possible? Do you know someone else who has accomplished this goal? Goals set too high may be discouraging, but setting the bar too low will not provide motivation.

Timed Each goal must have some sort of deadline. Some flexibility may be necessary, but deadlines help keep us motivated and focused towards completing our goals. Celebrate your achievements!!

CASE STUDY

LaraLara

Case of Lara Lara is a stay-at-home mother of two small children. The past few years have been financially difficult for the family, so Lara has decided to go back to school to get a good paying job and help support her family. She would like a career that allows her to stay at home with her children as much as possible. Her goals right now are to get in and out of college quickly and start earning money as soon as possible.

Case of Lara Lara is into arts and crafts and has always been interested in starting her own business to sell them. Although she has no prior experience or knowledge about owning a business, she frequents craft shops and fairs and has some knowledge of what other people sell. She has decided to go back to school to become an entrepreneur.

Case of Lara What are some of the goals that Lara has identified?

Case of Lara A few goals that she mentioned were: go to college start earning money as soon as possible start her own business

Case of Lara How might Lara use the S.M.A.R.T approach to set goals to achieve her dream of becoming an entrepreneur?

Case of Lara Many of Lara’s current goals are vague, general, lack a specific timeline, and may not be realistic without further planning. Using the guidelines for S.M.A.R.T. goals will help Lara develop an achievable plan for her future career. Specific - Lara needs to make her goals more specific: –What school? What program? What will her business sell? How will she conduct her business (i.e. internet, catalog, craft shows, etc.)?

Case of Lara Measurable – Lara’s goals should be performance based (e.g. Contact Admissions Office; Complete & submit admission application; Register for classes, etc.). Action-oriented – Lara should create a plan of action (to-do-list) for accomplishing each step. Realistic – Lara should research what she needs to do to achieve her goals. Timed – Lara needs to set deadlines for achieving each step toward her goal.

Change of direction>>

Keys to Successful Goal Setting “Motivation, goals, and circumstance are all related to success. You can increase the odds of your success by first, defining what is important to you, establishing goals based on these values, desires, and beliefs, and finally, tailoring your achievement expectations to match your circumstances.” (“Motivation” University of Iowa’s Academic Advising Center) What does this quote say to YOU? Read it carefully and share your thoughts.

Keys to Successful Goal Setting You have the power to make your success a reality! Know what you want and know what’s important to you. Look honestly at your circumstances, and make a plan to achieve your goals. Be realistic! Make sure you see a clear connection between your values and your goals.

Keys to Successful Goal Setting Sometimes, we are not very realistic. We take on too much, or we act without thinking things through carefully. This is easy to do!! How many of us suffer from "superman" or "superwoman" syndrome from time to time? You try to do everything for everyone and sometimes do not save time for your own priorities. Anyone else do this?

Keys to Successful Goal Setting When everyone is expecting things from me based on THEIR priorities, it is easy to forget MY OWN priorities! We all need to take time out to refresh our outlook and REMIND ourselves of what’s really important and what’s REALISTIC. Remember that your goals are very important.

Keys to Successful Goal Setting Another KEY factor in successful goal- setting involves having a combination of BOTH long-term and short-term goals. Why should we set short-term goals? Why not just jump in and go for the Big Goal?

Keys to Successful Goal Setting Reaching a big, long-term goal requires a series of smaller steps (e.g. weight loss or getting fit). It’s important to break things down into manageable steps. Daily achievement is important. Sometimes we lose our focus because our goals are so big and so distant. The "big" plans are important as well, but we must take things one step at a time.

Why might we not meet our goals?

Why might we not reach our goal? Possible Reasons : 1. Lack of commitment 2. Loss of interest and motivation in the goal 3. Feeling overwhelmed, frustrated, or disappointed 4. Lack of standards against which to monitor progress 5. Not being able to acquire the required skills and knowledge necessary for achievement of the goal. 6. Lack of discipline, persistence and determination 7. Not being able to maintain focus on the goal 8. Lack of energy and enthusiasm while pursuing goals.

Now, let’s consider yet another angle…. Sometimes, no matter how much critical thinking we use, we end up deciding that we have set the wrong goals for ourselves. What should you do if this happens?

What if I make a mistake?! REEVALUATE!! REEXAMINE!! RETHINK!! REPLACE!! CHANGE!!! We all make mistakes or choices that do not end up working out. This is HUMAN! It is ok to change your mind and set your sights on another path. Don’t let this discourage you! Just keep moving forward and keep thinking!!

Change Why do you think it can be so hard for many of us to change or modify our plans once we have come up with them?

Why Change Can Be Difficult Hate to be “wrong” – It’s hard to face the facts sometimes, but it’s important to be able to do this and find a way to keep moving forward. Fear - Be aware of the fact that you may need to modify your goals a bit as you move forward. Be flexible! Do not be afraid to make changes if they are necessary.

"Accept challenges, so that you may feel the exhilaration of victory." George S. Patton

Questions??