Please be sure your Personal Path Project meets the following criteria before you submit:
Thoughtful responses to all questions, using complete sentences
Questions included, directly followed by responses
Purpose The objective of your Personal Path Project is to provide insight into your future career or continued education choices based on consideration of identity, culture and diversity; it is designed to assist you in making educated decisions in your future. Your responses may also become fodder for personal/college entrance essays and job interviews. While it is true that it is imperative to competently communicate your value in an interview and prove you are worthy of the position, we often fail to consider whether or not the organization is a place we can thrive, and if they are indeed worthy of our time and energy. In this project you will consider both sides. This project will require real life application of concepts addressed throughout this quarter, as well as an interview, arguably one of the most significant forms of interpersonal communication.
Part 1: Identify and investigate a scholastic institution or company that you would like to be a part of in the near future. Interview a representative. Establish direct contact with a human representative of your chosen organization to request and schedule an interview. This interview must occur via phone or video chat. In your final submission, respond to questions 1- 8 below by combining your human representative’s responses with information gained from one or more of the websites below. Questions two and three are for reflection and research. Questions four through eight will require input from your interviewee.
• Company Use Glassdoor to gain insight into the employee experience. If you know what you want to do, but don’t know exactly where you would like to do it, try Seattle Business Magazine’s “100 best companies to work for in Washington in 2020”.
• School Use Niche, which ranks US Colleges based on rigorous analysis of academic, admissions, financial, and student life data from the U.S. Department of Education along with millions of reviews from students and alumni. US News & World Report’s 2018 Best College Rankings list focuses on student outcomes and evaluates schools on hundreds of data points such as graduation and freshman retention rates.
Questions 1. Please provide the name and contact information for your interviewee.
2. Discuss the overall interaction with your human contact.
a. How would you describe their tone?
b. How willing were they to talk about their organization? How forthcoming did they seem?
c. What did they tell you about the organization that you did not already know?
3. List and analyze the organization’s mission statement. Cite specific components of the mission statement to support your responses to the questions below.
a. How does the mission statement reveal the communication style of the organization? (High-low context communication)
b. Does the statement indicate an individualistic or collectivistic mentality?
c. What are the core values of the organization?
4. How does power distance influence communication in this organization? Does management/authority make a point of listening to, respecting, and collaborating with employees/students? Explain how you determined this.
5. Is there a culture of cooperation or competition among employees/students?
6. What is the retention rate for employees/students (percentage of a school’s first time, first-year undergraduate students who continue at that school the next year or average length of employment at company)?
7. Are the employees/students of this organization personally singled out for their accomplishments (for example, “employee of the month” or celebration of students’ achievements)? If yes, how? If not, does this matter to you?
8. Do employees/students have fun? Is creativity encouraged? Explain how you determined this.
Criteria for Success & Formatting Expectations, part 1 • Copy/paste and below questions 1-8. • Follow this with a clearly marked thoughtful reflection. Address the following in your reflection: o How do you feel about your interaction with your human contact? o How will the insight gained in your research influence your future choice(s)?
How does this organization support your dominant communication style/muscle? PART 2: CULTURE & DIVERSITY Respond to the following questions based on your previous work and/or school experience.
1. As an employee/student, do you prefer a working/learning environment with an individualistic or collectivistic culture? Note that you may respond to this question with a non-binary, “a little of both” approach. Explain your response.
2. What kind of experiences have you had working/learning with others whose backgrounds differ from your own? Provide a specific example. What did you learn from your experience?
3. What have you done to further your knowledge about diversity and culture? How have you demonstrated what you have learned? Your response can include your experience in this course, your Edmonds College experience, workshops, trainings, or conferences.
Criteria for Success & Formatting Expectations, part 2 • Copy/paste and below questions 1-3. • Follow this with a clearly marked thoughtful reflection. Address the following in your reflection: Describe how the insight gained in your responses will influence your future choice(s). Compare your responses from Part One: Are your personal culture and values supported by the organization?
PART 3: SELF 1. Which characteristics of interpersonal communication competence do you possess? do you demonstrate them?
2. What attributes, characteristics, and behaviors are you showing the world to reveal your talents?
3. What prevents, or holds you back, from connecting with others or displaying your talents? You must refer to Debilitative Thinking (the 7 fallacies) in your response. Criteria for Success & Formatting
Expectations, part 3 • Copy/paste and below questions 1-3. • Follow this with a clearly marked thoughtful reflection. Address the following in your reflection: How will the insight gained influence your resume/CV or personal essay construction? How will it influence your behavior in job/school interviews?
PART FOUR: ELEVATOR PITCH Elevator pitches are succinct statements designed to describe yourself in a way that is informative and memorable. In essence, self-marketing. At some point in your life, you may find yourself in front of a human who is able to help you achieve your scholastic or career goals. Having a pre-articulated description of who you are, where you’ve been and where you would like to go in terms of future goal(s) will put you in a better position to take advantage of the interaction. Please construct and include a personal elevator pitch with your final submission that addresses who you are, where you have been, and where you would like to go.
The post Purpose The objective of your Personal Path Project is to provide insight into your future career or continued education choices based on consideration of identity, culture and diversity; it is designed to assist you in making educated decisions in your future. appeared first on Versed Writers.
