OGL 482 Pro-Seminar II

Unit 3 Assignment:
Networking Plan Template
Section 1: The Career Decision Matrix

As you move through the data-gathering phase and begin to generate options for potential jobs
and potential employers, this is when you can build and use a Career Decision Matrix. Following
the information from Harrington & Hall text, Career Management & Worklife Integration,
Chapter 4, pages 92-94, you will research, gather, and analyze information from your self-
assessments (i.e. the Kuder assessments in Unit 1, in particular), thematic analysis (themes),
career resources and more to create your Career Decision Matrix.

Career options are broader than jobs. They are paths you can take to get to where you want to be.
Here is a resource that can assist you in determing: https://careerwise.minnstate.edu/careers/
pathways.html

Answer the following:

1) As you have gathered your data take the time to share and fully describe your top
four (4) possible career options. You want to be specific, as this creates a more
meaningful matrix. Describe each career with as much detail as possible. Consider
the following to be used in your 2-3 paragraph response per career option: career
&ield / organization / job-related responsibilities / opportunities for advancement /
future outlook of the career &ield. These responses need to demonstrate that you have
gathered your research and analyzed it, so there should be citations referencing
where you got your information, using APA standards. Remember to include why you
are choosing each career option.

a. One of my top prospects for a career choice actually came from the Kuder Career
Interests Assessment. After taking the self-assessment, I was given a short list of
career options that would be fitting to my interests, and Mediator/Conciliator was
one that immediately stood out to me. I believe it caught my interest for a few
reasons. Not only does it serve the purpose of helping others, it is also a job that is

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 personal to me. This is also a job that will always be necessary, which is
something I look for nowadays, with what I’ve learned about artificial intelligence
and the delicacy of common jobs in the future.

Having a mediator position would align with my life theme of helping people. In
this type of position I would fill the role of a conflict negotiator of sorts, to help
members come to a mutually agreeable position on a topic that eases tension
between parties. This type of position is also important for me because it hits
close to home. Dealing with difficult people in my personal life has made me
realize that sometimes the best and most effective way to get things accomplished
is through a third-party mediator.

b. The next career option that is viable for me is becoming a teacher or professor.
This prospect was provided in my list of results for the Kuder Career Interests
Assessment. The exact title was Business Teacher, Postsecondary. I think this
interests me most for reasons that are different from some people that are entering
the business realm. My only entrance in this area would be with the intent to
shake things up and get business students to think differently about the capitalism
that is so important to business nowadays. Instead of focusing solely on profits, I
would want to pique students’ interest in looking at the triple bottom line: people,
planet, profits.

This type of teaching job would align with my life theme of teaching. It started
when I was in the military and has followed me in all of the jobs I have had since
exiting the service. This type of job also speaks to me because I would have the
autonomy to set my own schedule and be more flexible with my time.
Maintaining flexibility so that I can have a proper amount of work life balance is
extremely important to me due to my family life and having young children at
home.

c. Another career option choice for me would be in the Human Resources field,
preferably at a mid-level or higher manager level. Because of my interest in
helping people, especially when it comes to resolving conflicts between persons, I
believe this is a natural given choice. Additionally, my degree is complementary
to a position of this type.

d. My fourth career option is the one that I am most interested in down the line; a
park ranger. I have always wanted to work outside for a job but I never believed it

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 a viable option because it doesn’t pay that well, it doesn’t hold a lot of prestige,
and it doesn’t leave people in awe when you tell them your job title. However, my
life goals have changed and this type of job is becoming ever more appealing to
me. It used to be that my goal was to work hard when I was young to make a
bunch of money and then slowly taper off working so much until I could retire
comfortably, but after meeting my husband and starting a family, my focus has
shifted to being around for them and having a balanced, supportive lifestyle.

Becoming a park ranger would also allow me to be close to nature in a way that
would help me feel more healthy and whole. After working for the government in
positions that didn’t allow me to even have windows to look outside, I am now
convinced that I would be happier working in a position that affords me the ability
to work outside (at least sometimes).

Now that you have determined these four options, take a step back and share a fifth
UNTHINKABLE (UT) career option, that you would never do, but are trained for
by what you have learned by earning your degree. Think about skills you have
acquired while earning your degree, which would be transferable to something
completely different.

The most unthinkable career option I can think of is to stay in the area of expertise
that I am familiar with, security. Having worked in the security field for almost all
of my adult life, it is the job that I am most comfortable doing. However, it is also
one that I have actively looked to get out of and took the opportunity to pause
since the pandemic. Before I dropped out of the workforce in 2020, I was
constantly stressed out over work and it was affecting my personal life. One good
thing I can look forward to if I stay working as a civil servant/security manager is
that promotions are almost guaranteed, as long as I stay as motivated and efficient
as I have always been. However, I’ve noticed this is something that fades over
time with many people working in the public sector, and is one of the reasons why
I have looked for opportunities elsewhere. Another good thing is the job security I
would have once I hit tenure. This aspect doesn’t exactly speak to my needs from
a job, but it’s a perk that I am grateful for considering most businesses don’t
provide that type of security anymore.

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 I can say with certainty that my degree choice of Organizational Leadership has
been complementary to working in a position such as the ones I’ve held while
working for the government. Learning about how to evaluate my leadership
effectiveness and cater to the needs of followers is essential to moving up the
ranks. I’ve also learned techniques to motivate employees towards a goal, which
is one tool that is necessary for leaders in that organization. Overall, the OGL
degree is a perfect match for the public sector, I just don’t think I am at a place in
my life where it is a good match for me anymore.

2) Using the information you have gathered and shared above it is time to fill in your
Career Decision Matrix. You can find an example in Table 4.2 on page 93 of our text.
When you complete the matrix below, be sure to remove any unnecessary labels.

a. Down the left hand side of the matrix, you will list your ten (10) life themes
from your thematic analysis. You can also add more that were not part of your
presentation as Theme 11 and so on.

b. Across the top of the page, you will list the &ive (5) career options you are
considering.

c. Next, &ill in each cell with a high (h), medium (m), or low indication of the
match between that theme and the alternative under consideration.

d. Calculate your Career to Theme Consistency Points (CTCP) aka Summary, by

assigning high = 5, medium = 3, and low = 1, and then adding them up to
determine the ranking of your career choices to your themes. Not all themes
can have high designation (if everything is important, nothing is important).
The goal is to identify how your career options align with your life themes, so
you have better information to determine which aspects are most important to
you in your next career step.

Mediator/ Teacher/ Human Park Ranger Security

Conciliator Professor Resources Manager
Manager
Teaching 3 5 3 1 3
Family 3 3 3 5 3
Goal 3 5 5 5 3
Orientation

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 Homeless 1 1 1 1 1
Advocacy
Compensatio 5 5 5 5 5
n
Managing 5 5 3 5 3
Time
Helping 5 3 5 3 3
Others
Volunteeris 1 1 1 1 1
m
Introversion 1 1 1 5 1
Physical 1 1 1 5 1
Environmen
t
CTCP 28 30 28 36 24
(Summary)

3) Now that you have determined these career options in relation to your life themes:

a. Reflect to what extent your Career Decision Matrix development process has
helped your career development decisions.

Breaking down my themes as they relate to each job prospect in this way helped to
direct me onto the path that I think will be better suited for my needs as an individual.
Since working for, then subsequently leaving the military, I realize that I have been
focusing on what’s best for “the organization” for too long. I am now at a point in my
life that I can afford to figure out what is best for me, and this chart helped to
distinguish what it is that will help me feel the most fulfilled.

I also noticed while doing the Career Decision Matrix that two of my life themes,
Homeless Advocacy and Volunteerism, aren’t being fulfilled by any of my specific
job prospects. One thing I pointed out in my Identity Assessment was that during this
time in my life, I don’t necessarily have the time to do both volunteerism and a full-
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 time job at the same time, especially with the organizations I have volunteered for in
the past. I think some more thought needs to go into how I can afford to incorporate
these two critical themes, even if it means volunteering for less time than I normally
would until my life balances out enough to allow for more time and energy to be
dedicated towards it.

b. Share which career option(s) you feel would be worth researching more and
pursuing as you begin to think about your networking plan.

This Career Decision Matrix really helped me see that there are two main job
prospects that are worth pursuing at this point in my life. Teaching is a career option
that I discussed in detail in my Thematic Analysis as part of my identity. I’ve noticed
in my life that I (without thinking about it sometimes) try to look for teachable
moments even in daily activities. It brings me true joy to see the visible expression on
someone’s face change when they make a connection they hadn’t seen before, in
response to something I have said. I love being an out-of-the-box thinker and I
believe this helps reinforce why a teaching-type position would be a suitable option
for me.

The second career option worthy of additional research is becoming a park ranger.
Not only is this a job that I have always put on the plan for down the line, it has
moved in position over the years to become more of a priority than ever before. The
Career Decision Matrix helped me realize that I’m at a point where this would be a
good opportunity to explore this option as a plan A, as opposed to a backup after a
long career in another position.

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Section 2: Networking Plan

Now that you have completed your Career Decision Matrix we now need to move forward and
develop a networking plan that you can use to help you reach your career goals. Review
Harrington & Hall text, Career Management & Worklife Integration, Chapter 4, pages 77-83.
Developing and managing your network of people who can help you is an important ongoing
process whether or not you are currently happy in your career.

The purpose of this activity is to:

• Help you assess and enhance (extend or strengthen) your developmental network relative
to major challenges you will face in the next 1-3 years

• Help you develop a networking strategy that will work for you

• Help you develop a specific plan to pursue over the next 6 months to 1 year

• Create an accountability mechanism

Research on leadership development has demonstrated that people benefit from a variety of
developmental relationships, including short-term and long-term alliances with bosses, peers,
senior executives, coaches, subordinates, and family members, the more diversity and depth
there is in your developmental network, the better. Depending on our dominant learning tactics,
we are more or less likely to pay attention to the quality of our developmental network.

This assignment was adapted by Professor Kathy E. Kram from a worksheet developed by
Professor Deborah Kolb, Simmons Graduate School of Management. Adapted by permission.

Answer the following:

1) As you think about the major changes that are likely to take place at your place of
work in the next few years, what major challenges and opportunities do you foresee
that you will need to deal with in the next 1-3 years?

Describe and explain why these are your top three (3) of Challenges here:

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 a. One of the top challenges I foresee in any field of work I go into is finding a good
mentor. This is something I’ve struggled with throughout my career because I
have always stayed too private to let my guard down at work. I am usually so
work-focused that I don’t allow myself to relax and make good connections with
people over my future goals and aspirations.

b. Another challenge I foresee is connected to my career change, finding a job that is

mid-level as opposed to entry-level to account for my years of work experience.
Once I re-enter the job market (especially after taking time off to finish school), I
know it will be challenging trying to find a position that is mid-range because I do
have prior work experience and education, but I won’t have the job-specific
experience.

c. The last challenge that happens to also be the most critical, is getting out of my
comfort area and out of my head to push myself to new heights. The challenge is
actually getting out there and overcoming the fear of failure. This is one of the
major barriers that has prevented me from pursuing my true passions in life.

Describe and explain why these are your top three (3) of Opportunities here:

d. One opportunity I can see from my challenge of finding a good mentor (or
building a group of them) is finding people who will help me to see paths that I
don’t always see on my own. Having mentors will also give me a great boost in
the right direction when it comes to making connections with people I normally
wouldn’t. By extension, I will have the opportunity to tap into their network of
professional contacts for job leads or career advice.

e. Another opportunity that is unique to my current situation is having the ability to

pivot in any direction I want. I’m at the end of my degree program and doors that
weren’t previously open to me are now available with higher education. If looked
at in a positive light, my current joblessness is quite helpful in that I don’t have
any organizational responsibility I have to contend with when looking at other job
prospects.

f. The last opportunity I can find when looking ahead at the next 1-3 years is in
relation to the job market. I’m not particularly interested in working a remote
position (especially after having done an entire degree program online-which was

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 a beast in itself), so it’s going to work in my favor that many other people are
looking to work remotely while I’m searching for an in-person position.

2) Given these challenges and opportunities, what type of help are you most likely to
need? Check one and explain why.

a. Help in getting the job done ______

b. Help in advancing my career ______

c. Emotional support __X____

d. All of the above ______

Emotional support is going to be the most helpful aspect of both the challenges and
opportunities in the next few years. What I’m really looking for when I check this box is
mentorship, someone to bounce my ideas off of, someone who has more experience than
me and can help guide me towards my goals. Typically, when I try to do this for myself, I
end up flooded with aspirations that almost never become actionable because it gets
overwhelming. What I will need over the next few years in regards to emotional support
is some one or some people to provide encouragement and practical advice.

3) If your major challenge or opportunity is related to your work, how well positioned
are you to get information, advice, and resources about new opportunities and
possibilities? Check one and explain who can help you and why.

Very Well ______ Okay ______ Need to Expand My Network ___X___

I check the box that I need to expand my network, not because my major challenge will
be related to my work, but due to my need to build up a support network in general. My
current system for networking is through LinkedIn, but I admit that I don’t use it in a way
that is effective enough. I should be reaching out to the contacts on my LinkedIn and
looking for opportunities, because I do have a pretty large network of professionals I have
“connected” with on the application who have access to a plethora of knowledge and
resources.

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 4) If your major challenge or opportunity means making a move into a leadership
position, do you have relationships with people who can give you advice and
effectively advocate or champion you for important assignments or other
developmental activities? Check one and explain who can help you and why.

Yes ______ No ___X___

This is not one of the challenges I listed for my immediate future, although I will
certainly needs help moving into a leadership position when the time comes for it.
Currently I don’t have any contacts that would be effective in helping me reach that next
level.

5) If your challenge or opportunity means that you will need emotional support, to
what extent do you have people who can give you support? Check one and explain
who can help you and why.

a. I have a strong support network to help me. _____

b. I don’t have people to help me through changes I will have to make. __X__

This was a difficult box to check because I do have a good support system from my
husband, I just think my network needs to be bigger, therefore it is not strong enough.
What I plan to focus on in the next few years is developing a large and diverse network of
contacts that I have a strong enough relationship with that I can call any one of them and
it not be weird. To do this I will need to focus on maintaining relationships with these
people, which has historically been difficult for me to do due to conflicting priorities,
uncomfortableness reaching out for help, and feeling like I can’t continue relationships
with coworkers after leaving a given position.

6) If your challenge or opportunity means that you will need help getting the job done,
advancing your career, or getting emotional support, do you have people in your
network who can fulfill these functions? Check one and explain who can help you
and why.

Yes __X____ No ______

Just like I referenced in the last section, my husband is an excellent source of

encouragement and emotional support. However, what I need in regards to a stronger
professional network is a group of contacts that I can go to for advice, ideas, and to generally

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 set me straight when I am straying from my professional goals. As it stands right now, I do
have one person in mind who is able to fulfill this function but it’s going to take work on my
end to reach out and establish a good line of communication with them once again.

7) What is your approach to building relationships? How are you at initiating

relationships? In what settings are you most comfortable meeting people?

a. Joint or shared work, projects, and committees ______

b. One-on-one appointments, with specific agendas __X____

c. Informal “no agenda” social settings ______

d. Going for coffee, lunch, or drinks ______

e. Leisure activities such as golf, tennin, or theater ______

f. Other ______

My approach to building relationships definitely matches my personality. Although I have

found myself doing all of the things listed in the above list (except for leisure activities),
the one that is my preferred style is by seeking out expertise from others through one-on-
one appointments. I also find it easier for me to communicate with people in an
individual setting, over a group setting. I am not shy when I’m in groups but I know that I
can get overwhelmed when there are too many people to read and respond to personally.

My approach to initiating relationships is often over work conversations in a work-type

setting. I don’t normally put myself out there enough to find friends outside of work. This
has been an issue since I haven’t maintained the relationship with the people I worked
with since leaving the workforce. I can now see how much of a challenge I have created
for myself in building my network because I don’t maintain relationships with people
once I leave a position.

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 8) What is your preferred style?

a. Occasional phone calls or e-mails just to ask “how are you?” ______

b. Phone calls, e-mails, or visits with specific requests or questions ___X___

c. Holiday cards and letters ______

d. Dropping in or calling when you’re in the neighborhood ______

e. Arranging in advance to get together at professional meetings ______

f. Relying on the chance that your paths will cross ______

g. Inviting people to join you for lunch, coffee, golf, and so on ______

h. Contacting people when you find some information, an article, or an opportunity that
might interest them ______

i. Other ______

My preferred style for keeping up with people is through phone calls primarily. I have
always felt that it takes more time to maintain a text conversation with someone, when
you can just call and accomplish everything you want to say or do within 30 minutes to
an hour of conversation. I also lean heavily on meeting in person. Although I have a very
reserved and introverted personality, I enjoy talking with people one on one and learning
more about them. Usually these conversations start with my having a specific request or
question, but I am comfortable letting the conversation take its own direction if there is
time.

9) Now turn your attention to the “Action Planning” part of the exercise (top of page 82).
Respond to the following questions:

a. What are your goals in developing a professional network? Be speci@ic.

My biggest goal in developing a professional network is working to establish and

maintain relationships with people outside my immediate area, as in my office. I have
realized the value in checking in with people after I have left a position just to see how
they’re doing would help tremendously in building a network of people that I am
currently not even close to tapping.

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 b. How will a well-developed network of contacts help you achieve your career goals?

Having a well-developed network of contacts will help me to see the opportunities that I
may not find on my own. By using my network effectively, one or a few people may
know of opportunities that will lead me on the path towards my career goals, and might
even help me connect with organizations that are on my radar. Having this network can
also help keep me accountable to my goals by checking in on my progress.

c. What are some of the characteristics of the people you are looking to include in your
network?

Some of the characteristics of the people that I’m looking to include in my network are
people who have experience, are knowledgeable, and have drive. Because it’s difficult for
me to meet new people, most of the network I plan (or tend) to have are all individuals
who I have met at one time or another in the military or at various jobs. Ideally I would
lean towards having a woman-heavy network because I think it’s important that we stick
together and build each other up.

d. Where might you come in contact with these people? How will you grow your network /
initiate contact with new potential networking contacts?

Most of my current professional network exists on my LinkedIn account. Although most

of these people I have met at one time or another in my career, especially in the military, I
don’t stay in consistent contact with any of them. With this assignment I’ve started
thinking more about other ways in which I may grow my network of contacts, and I’ve
realized that I’m not even close to tapping into the collective resources of my husband,
friends, and family members. I haven’t made it “news” to most of my personal contacts
that I have aspirations to change careers, or expand my network. I believe this would be
the most effective way to go about growing a bigger network.

e. Who in your network are you looking to enhance your relationship with? How will you go
about enhancing these relationships?

There are individuals who I have lost contact with that I would like to enhance my
relationship with. I admit that in the past I have let relationships go too quickly after
leaving an organization, and I plan to reach back out to those lost connections just to
touch base and catch up. Some other individuals on my LinkedIn network seem so
advanced in their careers and level of leadership that I almost feel intimidated reaching
out to them to enhance our relationship, but I would like to. In these cases I may just need
to find small ways to make myself more visible by “liking” or commenting on their posts.

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 f. How can you leverage your existing network? Might some of your existing networking
contacts know others who you should be in contact with?

My current network has a wealth of resources and contacts that I have yet to tap into.
Since I’ve been out of the workforce and going to school full-time, I have not stayed in
consistent contact with my network as I should have. I plan to reach out once my last two
classes have concluded just to touch base with a few of my contacts and start there. Many
of my former contacts have been in the workforce for longer than a decade and have
moved around internally in their current organization as well as in other companies.
Reaching out to these people will allow me to find out what they know and if it’s
appropriate, ask them for references of people I can talk to or ask them to put in a good
word for me.

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Section 3: SMART Career and Networkings

Using a SMART goals-based approach, as well as project planning and management skill best
practices, create a detailed project plan for at least two specific goals. At least one must be
related to your Career Plan, and the other related to your Networking Plan. Both of these goals
need to be things that you are passionate about accomplishing.

Your selected goals and SMART plan (see SMART goal information provided in the Unit)
should be structured based on a one to two-year timeline. It should include specific milestones,
action items, sub-tasks as well as task-related interdependencies as applicable. With respect to
each goal, critically think about what specifically are the things you will do in the next one to
two years to achieve these goals.

Develop a clear and detailed SMART plan, with facilitating goals and steps/actions required
to accomplish your selected goals. It should be evident, by looking at the format and structure
of your plan, that you have developed some significant skills respect to project management.
Include Gantt charts or other visual project representations as you see fit, and be sure to address
your approach to tracking/measuring your progress.

1) What is your Career Goal?

My career goal is to become a business professor at UCLA, UC Irvine, Pepperdine, or

Loyola Marymount.

a. Specific : The specificity in my career goal is related to the area of expertise I would like
to get into. I want to get into business so that I can impart my vision to students, who will
then (hopefully) go out and impact the world of business in a healthier way for people
and the planet.

b. Measurable : This goal can be measured by first obtaining a degree in education and
business, then applying for a position at one of my chosen universities.

c. Attainable : I believe this goal is possible because I have the drive and interest to obtain a
graduate degree in education. This goal will be realized once I get a job at one of the
aforementioned universities.

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 d. Relevant : This career goal is relevant to experience I already possess from my time as an
instructor in the military, and is also relevant due to my interest in the Conscious
Capitalism movement.

e. Time-Based : Given that I need to obtain higher education in order to bring this goal to
fruition, I would need to plan for at least 5 more years of education to obtain the requisite
credentials.

(Insert Gantt Chart)

2) What is your Networking Goal

a. S

b. M

c. A

d. R

e. T

(Insert Gantt Chart)

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