Hello, and welcome back. In this video we're going to be talking about conducting a thorough career investigation. And we're going to do it as an assignment, which is going to be shared with your peers so that you can receive constructive feedback. Also, please keep in mind that it's paramount you respond to at least three of your peers and provide them feedback as well. So conducting a thorough career investigation. Now the intent of this exercise is for you to really understand why you're going into a selected career path or job. Have you done the research? Do you know why you're doing it? Do you understand what's necessary for you to succeed? What proficiencies and levels of competency do you need? What's your plan for marketing? Do you have a plan on a timetable in which to have your marketing take place and come to pass so that you can land your job. These things, and others, are things that we want you to think through as you conduct your career path interview and research. So conducting a research for your career path, how can we do this? Well, number one, there are various ways that I can conduct my research. My most favorite investigation is actually to do either a face-to-face, or some type of interview, where I'm talking to someone. And that could be face to face, or you got modern day technology now, where you can do a Skype, or some type of business meeting look vs video conferencing. You can also come someone on a telephone. We can email, as well as talk to someone. And there's also the ability to do internet research. You might want to start off with a Google, and look at other people professional profiles on LinkedIn. So those are some ways that you could conduct your investigation for your assignment. Now, don't be limited just to the few examples that I have given you, be creative. You might think of some other ways or ideas that I necessarily did not mention in this video. But the intent is for you to do your research. For example, if someone asks you why did you chose your career path? And say your career path is, I don't know, to become a dentist. You might say, well my mother, father always wanted me to become a dentist because they are a dentist, and so you really haven't thought it through. What if someone askd you, well, what is needed for you to become a dentist and to be very successful. There is a lot of aspects, other than just performing some type of practice on a person's mouth or tooth, you need to be proficient in the field. You need to know what research is coming through, what new technologies, there's a lot that go into it. And so I've composed about eight questions to kind of help you guide yourself as you do your research. So you might want to take a look at these questions first, to keep them in mind and make mental notes. So as you do your research you can compose answers to these questions. Because again, you're going to share these with your peers in order to receive feedback. So I begin by asking you what career path have you chosen, not only what path have you chosen, but why? What is the true reason that you have chosen it? Is there a passion behind it? Is there a love? Is it something that you need? And also, as you go through this, make sure you want to keep timetables and create a strategic plan, so do what I call a mapping. And on this mapping you say, this is where I'm at right here, right now. Which can be 2016, or whatever the current date and time that you've view in this video, and also give yourself a timetable to completing your investigation. And then we'll actually talk a little bit more about how we can utilize this in our strategic plan. So, which competencies are also necessary for your selected job field? And after you select your competencies and skills necessary, what are your top five, and how do you match up? Remember to utilize the tools that we have already given you and that you worked through in these courses. Such as your SWOT analysis, your 360 degree feedback and assessment, the critiques that you have gone and received, maybe against templates that you have collected in your T portfolio. And also feedback that you might have receive from others. And so after you gather all this information, going back to the timetable, we want to have timetables, as well as, measurables. And let me explain the difference between the two. So if I use one example of increasing in a proficiency and maybe it's a presentation or communication, I have already assessed that maybe I'm at a level five and what was needed for my particular job selection is a level ten. And so now I create a timetable to say I want to increase from my level five to my level ten in let's say, eight months. So that's a timetable, the measurable comes into play. How do I know that I'm increasing? So I should have some rubrics, as well as, some measurables. So in one month I do another assessment, and so in a months time I move from a level five, where I initially started off, maybe I'm a level six now. That's a measurable. What do you have to measure that? Did someone critique it? Did you present it somewhere, you received feedback? How do I know that I'm increasing and heading in the correct direction? Because I don't want nine or eight months to go by, and then at the end of the eight months, which was my timetable, I realize that I'm at exactly the same level of proficiency. Again, now we talk about these things and one of the things that you want to include in your conducting of your interview, once you have improved in your competencies, and you've also determined what's necessary in your skills, how are you going to promote yourself? The avenues will you let others know that you are valuable and that these are the skills and proficiencies that you have, and also there should be a measurable with that as well. So now that I'm advertising or promoting myself, I'm creating awareness. How do I know that I'm going in the correct direction? So there should be, again, a measurable to say, hey, I'm getting a number of phone calls from people asking me to come in to interview. I'm increasing my brand, which is another thing that we talked about in the course. And if that's not improving, if I'm not having headway, what's my plan B? How do I reassess and say okay, now I need to change course? It's kind of like going to the moon, when the space rocket goes off from JFK, it goes in a straight line as we suppose. But actually, it gets off course and it does a realignment every ten minutes, to make sure it's heading toward its course. So you need to build into your timetable measurable some type of avenue to make sure you're on the correct course. And so, again, this should take you between one to three pages. The more detailed, the more that you can think about these things critically, is going to help you make your fruition, or aspiration of becoming whatever job you selected come to pass. And remember, you want to share this with your classmates and your colleagues and receive feedback. And then once you receive that feedback, think about how are you going to improve upon it, how are you going to take this information and apply it. Now, part of this, we also include a rubric, a rubric is things that I'm going to look at to say, okay, this is what I'm going to assess my colleagues against. Did they define their particular career path clearly? Did they articulate how they're going to improve upon incompetencies and skills? Did they have a plan A for marketing, as well as, a plan B if plan A is not working. So there is a list of questions and things to judge upon as a rubric that we are providing as part of this assignment, and again, this is to help you. And do not get alarmed if you decided that you, as my example before, want to become a dentist, but then after going through this analysis, you find out, hey, this is not what I want to do. I found out that it's going to take a lot more time, it's involving some competencies that I don't have any natural ability for. That in itself is a success, because now you have avoided spending a lot of time, labor, and money going into a career path that does not naturally line up for you. And so you might say, based upon my research, I don't want to do this. I want to maybe look at the feasibility of actually going to another field. That match more closely with my passions or my aspirations or my natural ability and skills. Again, I'm Dr. John Beckham, thank you for watching this video, and I wish the best to you as you complete your analysis and your assignment.
