CAREER PLANNING ASSIGNMENT

There are two parts to this assignment:

1) Career Plan Use the attached Career Plan Form to identify your career goals. Based on your personal areas of interest, preferences, values, strengths, aptitudes, education and experience, indicate the strategies you plan to use to achieve these goals. Refer to the Writing Smart Goals handout to help you complete this assignment.

2) Once you have developed your Career Plan, write a 1 page reflection on the following: a) How have your career goals changed throughout the past year? What influenced the changes? b) How has networking and connecting with people in your field influenced your current career plan? c) What types of skills do you need to develop in order to achieve your goals? d) How can you strategically use your placement to develop these skills? e) How will you present your goals to your placement employer in order to ensure that your placement is the valuable experience that you need it to be?

Note: To get the most out of this assignment it is recommended that you conduct information interviews with employers in your field of interest.

WRITING SMART GOALS "SMART": Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely A goal is where you want to be at a particular point in time in the future. Developing one requires conscious projection into the future in order to bring clarity to the direction you should take now. Writing SMART goals will help them become real. Specific - A goal is specific when you know exactly what is to be achieved and accomplished. Imagine your goal as specifically as you can. Ask: Who, where, what, when, how...specifically? Measurable - A goal is quantifiable. Think of the evidence that will let you know you have achieved it. For example, words like better or faster are not quantifiable. "Increase my course grades by 10%" provides a clear measure for a goal. Achievable A goal is self-maintained; the achievement of the goal is up to you alone. There are many aspects of life that involve dependent relations with others. Your goal should clearly speak to things that you have control over. Realistic A goal is practical and possible, a balance between what is hard and what is easy to achieve. They require a stretch. Its that little bit extra in performance that makes people progress and improve. Timely - Goals are scheduled; therefore, there is a finite duration to your effort, a deadline. People can put off doing things if no deadline is set because human nature usually finds something else to do on the way. For example, "by the end of June" is more specific than "toward the end of June". However, the most precise statement is: June 30, 2007. Finally, consider the language you use when writing your goals. Avoid wording goals in terms of, "I hope to have a job in a field related to my area of study". Rather, use wording such as "I will complete 10 information interviews in the financial services industry by January 31, 2012."

CAREER GOAL PLANNING ASSIGNMENT

A goal can be defined as where you want to be in the future. A plan is the strategy you employ to get there. Planning turns goals into tangible "bite-sized" steps that detail the activities necessary to accomplish your stated goal. It organizes your dreams so that you can see yourself moving forward with confidence. The biggest mistake next to not having a plan is to be so rigid with your plan that you miss opportunities that present themselves. Your plans can change as your interests and expertise changes. Feel free to adjust your plans and goals as necessary. Use this form to help you create the road map for accomplishing your goals.

Student Name:

Career Goal:
(Identify the job title or job family you are interested in e.g Legal Assistant, Court Clerk, .Senior Law Clerk, Paralegal etc. It will also be beneficial to narrow down the field of interest, e.g. Corporate Law, Small Claims, Litigation, etc.):

Action Steps:
(what do you need to do to reach your Career Goal)

Timelines:
(when will each step be completed)

Investment:
(how much will each step cost you in terms of your time, dollars, resources)

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When will you reach your Career Goal (date):