Career & Competence - Career Coaching Group for International Degree Students

C & C CAREER & COMPETENCE

- CAREER COACHING GROUP FOR INTERNATIONAL DEGREE STUDENTS -

Milja Tuomaala & Tiina HämäläinenMilja Tuomaala & Tiina HämäläinenUniversity of OuluUniversity of Oulu

VALOA-project VALOA-project

GROUP MATERIALS


CAREER COACHING GROUP

Session 1Session 1Getting started: getting to know each other and career planning

Milja Tuomaala & Tiina Hämäläinen, University of Oulu, VALOA-project Milja Tuomaala & Tiina Hämäläinen, University of Oulu, VALOA-project

INTRODUCTIONS – GETTING TO KNOW EACH OTHER

1. Where do you come from? -Put yourself to the world map…

…2. Who are you? What brings you

here?

NOTE:

Job seeking process during C&C group;

Finding interesting job announcementsChoosing one, which you really find interesting Preparing application + CV for that one particular job Interview simulations for this job

Start keeping your eyes open for open positions!

RULES, IMPORTANT PRINCIPLES

Sincerity, openness Confidentiality Commitment Active participation Responsibility Equality

…What else?

EXERCISE 1.1 REMEMBERING MY FUTURE

The exercise is found on SlideShare;http://www.slideshare.net/VALOA/documents

(C&C Exercise Package)

”Every student can have a career in the future,

but not every student is aware of the possibility that they can

shape their careers in the future”

Mark L. Savickas

WHAT IS A CAREER?

1. Series of jobs2. Progress, vertical movement3. Profession, movement between certain kind of tasks4. Individual, sequential choises – life career5. Self-satisfying progress and professional development6. Growth in competence, skills, know-how and expertice7. Development process of professional identity (or even

personality)

Career Services, University of Oulu

CAREER PLANNING – WHAT IS IT ABOUT?

GOALS FOR CAREER PLANNING

Enhancing self-knowledge Clarifying one’s own interests and goals Increasing goal-orientation Defining study and career plans Increasing motivation Improving job seeking skills

HIT-AND-MISS OR MASTER PLAN?

Making choices

Building expertise

Mastering one’s own know-how –knowledge, skills, learning ability

Creating potential for coincidences

Building expertise from experienceCareer Services, University of Oulu

CAREER DEVELOPMENT VS. CAREER MANAGEMENT

Career developmentLife-long development process, which includes different

work roles and movement from one role to another

Career management Target-oriented and conscious activities in individual’s

careerCareer skills

International Association for Educational and Vocational Guidance

”CAREER BEHAVIOUR”

= action related to one’s own career and professional goals

Inner Pull-factors; values, personal meanings and experiences…

Social Push-factors; raising from culture and surroundings, role-determined attitudes related to gender, profession and positions…

Personal factors; traits, personality, self-direction, self-respect, self-concept…

Satu Lähteenmäki

KNOWING YOURSELF AND PLANNING YOUR CAREER

DOING THINGS

Knowing DoingKnowing Doing


CAREER PLANNING AS KNOWLEDGE PROCESSING

The Pyramid of Information Processing Domains

Thinking about my

decision making

Knowing how I make decisions

Knowing about myself

Knowing about my options

Metacognitions

Decision-Making Skills

Self-Knowledge Options Knowledge

Gary W. Peterson, James P. Sampson & Robert C. Reardon

Starting point

Family, relationships, studying, work history, goals

Work life knowledge

Professions, branch, Competence requirements

Information Processing

Action Plan

Setting and specifying your goalsSetting smaller steps towards your goalsConcrete plan how to achieve your goals

- What skills and experience do I need, how and when do I get those..?

Updating your plan

Self-knowledge

Competence, personality, values, interests, resources, health

CAREER PLANNING


EXERCISE 1.2 MAP OF WORK LIFE

Researching work life…

Work history Competences Visions of the future Emotions, values, attitudes



MY GOALS FOR THIS CAREER GROUP

Development of career skills

My development as ”career researcher”

ASSIGNMENT FOR OUR NEXT C&C MEETING

”A challenging situation”

For next week’s meeting come up with a challenging situation from studies / work / hobbies that you managed to overcome.

Try to figure out a situation when you really had to work hard to overcome the challenge.

Prepare to describe the situation and how you managed to get through it.



Session 2Session 2How to become aware of your strenghts and skills?


CAREER COMPETENCES- KNOW WHY, KNOW HOW, KNOW WHOM

Motivation – Why am I making certain choices? What motivates me to choose certain career, job and life style? Values, attitudes, needs (motivation), identity

Skills – How is my know-how compounded? Skills, expertise, prowess, tacit vs. conscious knowledge,

experience

Networks – Who do I know? Relationships, connections

Maria Järlström

EXERCISE 2.1 CHALLENGING SITUATION



MY SKILLS AND KNOW-HOW

Starting point for job seeking process: Identifying your own skills and know-how Ability to describe it with examples and achievements

It’s important to believe in your personal competence, but also to recognize the areas you need to develop.

Read through job announcements carefully: What is the employers looking for? Tailoring the applications and CV according to that

EXERCISE 2.2 ACCOMPLISHMENTS WORKSHEET



EXPERIENCE & COMPETENCE

What kind of competences and skills do you have? Do you have some special skills that you could emphasis? In what kind of assigments have you succeeded best in

your previous jobs? Why? What kind of assigments have been most challenging /

difficult for you? Why? What kind of skills and competences do you need to

develope / gain more? What is your best achievement so far? What have you learned from your previous employments?


”Taito-Ura” Self-Assessment Tool

http://www.uraohjaus.net/DefaultUK.aspx



Session 3Session 3Job seeking process


GETTING READY FOR JOB SEEKING

Where can I find a suitable job?What kind of skills and know-how employer wants?

What can you offer for the employer?Where are you good at?

How will you contact the employer?

Interview

Goal achieved??

Contacting employers

Set your goals! Make your action plan!

Seeking information about employers and open positions

ApplicationsApplications

Selection

What can you do?What do you want to do?


JOB SEEKING PROCESS

Phone callsPhone calls Career Services, University of Oulu

WHERE TO START – KNOWING YOURSELF

What kind of work are you interested in? What kind of work experience do you have? What are you good at? What are you interested in? What skills have you got? What are your career goals? What skills and experience do you need to achieve them?

This information you’ll need in your application

JOBS TO APPLY FOR…

Announced positions – public recruitment process Everyone can see, everyone can apply Free competition A lot of applications

Open positions – hidden recruitment process Information is in ”inner circle” Requires networking Limited competition

No open position, open application Applicant’s unprompted contact & shown interest Limited or no competition

PUBLISHED POSITIONS VS. HIDDEN POSITIONS

Published positions

Hidden positions

Anita Perttunen

MOST COMMON RECRUITING CHANNELS

1. Internal recruitments 2. Personal contacts 3. Applicant unprompted, direct contact 4. Company’s web page 5. TE-office (employment office) 6. Directly from schools / universities 7. Advertising in newspapers / magazines 8. Recruiting agancies / consults9. Commercial web-pages10. Staffing services11. Social media

EK 2011 – Nostetta liiketoimintaan ihmisillä

WHERE TO FIND JOBS…1. Finnish employment office (Employment and Economic

Development Office) http://www.mol.fi/paikat/ -> paikkavahti

2. Aarresaari – Academic Career Services http://www.aarresaari.net/english/jobboard.htm

3. Company webpages (Yritys -> Työpaikat)4. Sunday’s newspapers (Kaleva, Helsingin Sanomat) 5. Recruitment / staffing companies: Eilakaisla, Monster,

JobBoard, VMP, Adecco, Barona, Manpower, Mercuri Urval, StaffPoint, Academic Work, Opteam, ElanIT, StudentWork

6. The announced traineeships, University of Oulu http://www.oulu.fi/careerservices/harjoittelu/index.html

7. Personal networks (hidden positions)

…MORE JOB HUNTING / NETWORKING CHANNELS

Social Media LinkedIn

BusinessOulu – database of companies http://www.investinoulu.com/company_database

City of Oulu Villa Victor http://www.ouka.fi/villavictor/ Info for expatriates moving to Oulu http://www.ouluexpatcity.fi/index.htm Friendship house

http://www.oulunsetlementti.fi/ystavyystalo/en/index.html The House for Girls in Oulu http://www.likka.fi/index.asp?pid=94 Homelike Oulu http://www.ouka.fi/homelikeoulu/ Associations / organizations of citizens in Oulu area

http://www.oulu.ouka.fi/linkit/yhdistyksia_jarjestoja.htmo General information about Finland & how to look for work

http://www.infopankki.fi/ http://www.expat-finland.com/index.html

HOW TO FIND THE HIDDEN JOBS?

Personal networkingFamily, friends, previous employers, teachers,

professors, study pals, acquaintances from hobbies, voluntary activities etc

Active monitoring of working lifeKeep your eyes open!

Open applicationsApplication and personal contact

Sell your competence! Prepare your ”lift talk”!

EXERCISE 3.1PERSONAL NETWORKS IN JOB

SEEKING



MAIN PRINCIPLES FOR JOB SEEKING

Be active and creative in your job search Let people know that you are looking for work Show interest in the job you are seeking Job seeking is a full-time job, it requires time and energy Application periods can be very short, so you need to react

quickly Fill up several applications

Make two plans, A and B:A. Seek jobs that you are really interested in (realistic

daydreams)B. Seek jobs from companies / organizations that have recruited

students / graduates from your field / study program

SOME FINNISH CUSTOMS IN WORKING

LIFE

Employers are used to applicants contacting them directly

Don’t be shy – be active!

Networking is the key

Punctuality is extremely important – be on time, always!

EXERCISE 3.2ELEVATOR SPEECH

• What would you say, if you met a person who could lead you to your dream job and had only 30 seconds to state your case?

• Prepare to describe briefly: Who are you? What are you looking for? (What kind of industry and organization are

you interested in? What kind of work would inspire you the most?) What do you offer? (What are the main contributions you can make?

What kind of competence, experience and achievements do you have that make you stand out from all the other candidates?)

• Everyone presents his / her own elevator speech to others


Find an open position from newspaper or internet, that really interests you.

Bring the printed job announcement with you to our next session.



Session 4Session 4Application documents &

interviews


Interview

Goal achieved??

Contacting employers

Set your goals! Make your action plan!

Seeking information about employers and open positions

ApplicationsApplications

Selection



JOB SEEKING PROCESS

Phone callsPhone calls Career Services, University of Oulu

APPLICATION DOCUMENTS (APPLICATION & CV)

”Style” Speaks about applicant’s attitude and motives Concers both application documents (layout) and applicant’s

behaviour and dressing up (appearance) in an interview situation

Content Applicant’s expertise and competence Employer gets the information he/she needs to support

selection process and decision making Readability and clear structure helps them to find the accurate

information Correct grammar and linguistic form, no misspellings

THE APPLICATION(A.K.A. COVER PAGE)

APPLICATION MAKES THE FIRST IMPRESSION!

1) Emphasize your skills and know-how related to certain job and its requirements

2) Highlight your personality3) Tailor your application to fit into each position4) Decribe the additional value you can bring for the job5) Remember to be truthful6) If the job announcement is in Finnish, make a

application in Finnish (but only if you know Finnish!)

GOOD APPLICATION IS……seemly and relavant•Think about what kind of picture you want the employer to get from you•Read the announcement carefully – what are they looking for?•Be honest and truthful, don’t ”over-sell”•Try to put yourself to employer’s position – why should they hire you?

…clear•Both outfit and content•”Normal” fonts, font size and margins•Pay attention to the logical order of content

…short•Concentrate on key issues•Don’t send copies of testimonial, diplomas etc. unless asked•Max 1 page

GOOD APPLICATION IS…

…personal•Keep your own personal style•If your style does not fit the company’s culture, maybe you do not fit either…•Avoid standard applications and used phrases – show that you have paid attention to this particular application•Humour is allowed, but be careful with it

…giving the employer answer WHY•Speaking about motivation, why you want to be selected•What in your personality, skills and know-how fits the position and company•If you can show your enthusiasm – you have more chances to be picked from the mass of applicants

CV - CURRICULUM VITAE /

RÉSUMÉ -

GOOD CV IS…

…clear - both layout and structure…readable and well-defined …not too long (max. 2 pages)…updated (no old dates)…tailored for applied position

* All the important information should be easily found in the CV *

CV MUST INCLUDE FOLLOWING INFORMATION

Contact details Title; Curriculum Vitae / CV / Resume Personal details; Name, date and place of birth Education; in reverse order

Degree, educational institution and major If degree not complited; stage of studies and estimated

graduation time, if studies are in final straight If your theses work is related to the applied job, describe

the key elements of it Studies abroad; dates and gained experience & know-how

CV MUST INCLUDE…

Work experience; in reverse order Employer, time, title. You might want to give key words for

job description and responsibilities (if it’s relevant for the applied job). Make it compact!

If you have long work experience you may outline your experience under subtitles, which helps the employer to find the information he/she is interested in. For example customer service work, project work, office work…

CV SHOULD INCLUDE FOLLOWING INFORMATION

Other education; Supplementary education Shorter courses Mention at least those relevant for the applied job.

Language skills; Languages and evaluation of your proficiency Spoken vs. written You may want to describe your level of language skills

by giving examples.

CV SHOULD INCLUDE…

IT-skills Programs and operating systems you are familiar with Especially special skills; programming Estimated level of your skills If it’s a IT position, the information must be detailed

Research and publishing activities Competence, know-how and strengths Most significant achievements

CV COULD INCLUDE FOLLOWING INFORMATION

Photo Military / non-military service Marital status / number of children Positions of trust / organizational activities /voluntary work

If your work history is short, you can emphasize skills and know-how gained in these kind of positions

Please note that positions of trust can also raise prejudice (e.g. political)

Hobbies Gives a more personal touch of you You may have gained special skills and competences needed in

working life also in your hobbies Pay attention to issues like ’what do your hobbies tell about you…’

CV COULD INCLUDE…

Future goals Longer term goals for career What kind of tasks you are interested in

Referees / recommendations Persons who have promised to give further

information about you Give name, title, contact details and how this person is

related to you If you have not gained work experience related to your

education, you can ask your professor, theses instructor, mentor etc. to give recommendations

EXERCISE 4.1VALUE GAME



CONTACTING THE EMPLOYER Think in advance what you want to ask. Don’t call just for calling,

and don’t ask for information, which is found in job announcement or is otherwise useless. Short and punchy questions!

Remember to take notes about most important issues during the conversation (also name of the person you are speaking with)

Also note that the person you are speaking with might take notes Be prepared to tell about yourself. Make a list of the things

employer should know about your skills and know-how, and the things that might raise employer’s interest

Try to find out about things that are meaningful to you (how much travelling is required, who are you reporting to, number of subordinates if any etc.)

Avoid both excessive self-confidence and excessive humility ”Sell your competence”

THE INTERVIEW

GOALS OF THE INTERVIEW

Changing information – both sides

Evaluation – both sides

How the person would adapt to the job/position/team/organization (suitability)

INTERVIEW TYPES

Phone interview

Group interview

Individual interview

Work simulation

Aptitude tests

Combination of previous

PREPARING FOR THE INTERVIEW Get to know the employer “Why are you interested in us/our organization?” Personal goals & motives Your skills and competences Try to predict what they’ll ask you and outline your answers Give concrete examples of your skills and experiences Try to approach negative things from positive aspects Be consistent and logical Prepare to ask questions Be prepared to be asked about salary expectation Forget all cliches Be yourself!

HOW TO PREPARE… Sleep well beforehand Not too much coffee before the interview… Take your certificates with you (degree diplomas, testimonials,

letters of reference) Be on time!! Dress appropriately (smart casual) Close your mobile phone Be positive Relax Remember that the interviewers are nervous too… Don’t be too modest or too arrogant Trust yourself!

TOP 10 – MOST COMMON QUESTIONS IN JOB

INTERVIEWS

1. Tell us about yourself2. What do you know about our organization?3. What are your strengths?4. What about weaknesses?5. What motivates you?6. If everything goes as you have planned – where do you see yourself in 3

years?7. What do you do in your free time?8. Why are you interested in this post?9. Why should we choose you?10. Is there something you would like to ask from us?


ACCORDING TO FINNISH LEGISLATION

THEY SHOULD NOT ASK ABOUT... Religious beliefs and political conviction Health, illnesses, disability Family relations / family planning Sexuality Military /non-military service Your ethnic backgroud

Only job related aspects should be asked Things/questions that are not linked in that specific work

should be arguable/justified

HOW THE INTERVIEW COULD PROCEED…

Introductions (organization, interviewers) Applicant’s background Competency, ability (education, experience) Motivation, expectations Career/Professional goals Characteristics: personal strengths, weaknesses, future

plans How the process will proceed… Applicant’s questions

EXAMPLES:”DO YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO ASK US…?”

What kind of expectations do you have for the employee who will be selected?

How could a typical working day look like? What are the most important tasks in this job? What do you think would be the biggest challenges in the job? What kind of possibilities is there for career progression and

personal development? How about employees’ possibilities to educate themself

further? How is the recruiting process going to continue after the

interview? What else…??

HOW TO CONVINCE THE SELECTORS…?

BE YOURSELF - don’t play any roles

Be honest

SHOW your interest and your motivationExpress your interest in the job and the company using information you gathered to prepare for the interview

BRING OUT your motives and your willingness to develope and learn

DON’T BE vague

REMEMBER THE BASICS: Be on time, behave well and be polite

And remember the eye-contact

…It’s ok to be nervous!

SOME OTHER THINGS…

Speak positively of former employers and co-workers no matter why you left even if you were fired.

When discussing salary, be flexible - avoid naming a specific salary if not asked. If you're too high, you risk not getting the job. If you're too low, you undersell yourself. Answer questions on salary requirements with responses such as "I'm interested in the job as a career opportunity so I'm negotiable on the starting salary". Negotiate, but don't sell yourself short. Check salary recommendation and salary level data (unions, interest groups, graduate surveys etc.)

Let the employer lead into conversations about benefits. Your focus on these items can be a "turn off." But, don't be afraid to ask questions about things that you really need to know.

More: http://www.careerknowhow.com/resumes/interviewing.htm


Prepare an application and a CV for the job that you found for today’s session

Bring your application and CV with you to next session



Session 5Session 5Finnish work life today – features & requirements


FINNISH WORK LIFE – HOW IS IT?

o Communication style: • Communication style is formal. Finns do not engage in much small talk and prefer people to speak succinctly,

not to discuss themselves or their interests, focusing primarily on work related issues. • Finns are limited communicators but very proficient in foreign languages – the fear of making mistakes limits

their communication• Silence is golden in Finland; do not feel the need to fill every silence that occurs in a meeting. • Body language and feedback are limited and difficult to read. Do not be too disheartened if your presentation

does not meet with the rapturous applause you had anticipated.• Don’t be overly enthusiastic about your proposals. It is necessary to look at the possible downsides before

succumbing to optimism. Some would call it pessimism, but Finns think it as realism.• Finns are direct and prefer to get down to business quickly. They say what they think and expect you to do

the same. • Maintain eye contact while speaking.

o Management style: • Finns support a collaborative and participative management style. • Low hierarchy and little, if any, antagonism between grass root level and management. • Finns like to know exactly the perimeters of their responsibilities and will expect to be allowed to take the

decisions which fall naturally within those perimeters.

www.worldbusinessculture.com

FINNISH WORK LIFE FEATURES…o Decision making:

• “Official” decisions tend to be taken in a collegiate style by a small group of senior managers. These major decision making processes can take a long time.

• “Smaller” decisions can be made quickly and implemented as swiftly. • Finns are very concerned with quality.

o Time management: • Finland is a controlled-time culture, and adherence to schedules is important and expected.• In Finland missing a deadline is a sign of poor management and inefficiency, and will shake people’s

confidence.• Punctuality is important!

o Meetings: • Meetings can seem strange affairs to people not familiar with Finland or the Finns - long but quiet. • Meetings are well-structured, follow a pre-set agenda and are orderly with one person speaking at

a time - often seeking permission to speak through the Chair. • People will be well prepared, as you are not expected to speak unless you have something concrete

to contribute. • Finns tend less towards consensus than their Nordic cousins, expecting individuals to take

responsibility


FINNISH WORK LIFE FEATURES…o Building relationships with co-workers:

• Relationship building often takes place outside the office: in a restaurant or the sauna. Never turn down an invitation to use the sauna, as it is an entrenched part of the Finnish culture and an important part of relationship building. There will be minimal, if any, small talk.

o Team work: • Finns are more individualist than collectivist • But still comfortable working in teams • Finnish idea of team-working would tend to be that of a group of capable individuals being given the opportunity to

complete well-defined tasks which, when put together, will enable the team to reach its goals.

o Dress code: • A wide variety of styles and levels of formality can be observed – observe how your colleagues dress

o Other: • Employees have been very loyal to employers with little job-hopping taking place (specially in smaller towns/villages). • The Finnish working culture is based on equality. • Women have historically played a major role in business life and women are found in the most senior positions in large

Finnish companies. • Diligence, individuality and initiative are highly valued, together with strict observance of agreements

and agreed schedules.


EXERCISE 5.1WORK CULTURE STAR



FINNISH WORK LIFE - WAGES & CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT

http://www.tyosuojelu.fi/fi/workingfinland/

http://www.expat-finland.com/employment/index.html

FINNISH WORK LIFE – TRADE UNIONS

o The main purpose of a trade union is to safeguard the benefits and rights of its members

o Income development (salaries and transfer of income)o Employment security guaranteeso Promotion of quality in working lifeo Possibility to join the trade union’s unemployment fund (earnings-

related daily unemployment allowance )o Trade union members pay a membership fee to the uniono It is possible to join the union already when you are studying!

http://www.infopankki.fi/en-GB/Trade_Unions/

TRADE UNIONSo SAK - The Central Organisation of Finnish Trade Unions

http://www.sak.fi/english/whatsnew.jsp?location1=1&sl2=1&lang=en o Akava - The Confederation of Unions for Professional and Managerial Staff in

Finland http://www.akava.fi/en/ o SEFE - The Finnish Association of Business School Graduates

http://www.sefe.fi/portal/en/ o TEK - Academic Engineers and Architects in Finland

http://www.tek.fi/index.php?id=11 o Akava Special Branches http://www.akavanerityisalat.fi/en/ o OAJ - Trade Union of Education in Finland http://www.oaj.fi/portal/page?

_pageid=515,452376&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL o Find your union (in Finnish only) at

http://jarjestaydy.fi/www/fi/loyda_liittosi/

WHAT DO EMPLOYERS EXPECT FROM GRADUATES?

Expertise• Field specific theoretical knowledge (concepts, theories, knowledge)• Ability to apply theories • Knowledge of laws and regulations related to own field• Ability to analytical and systematic thinking• Ability to acquire information• Criticality for information sources• All-round education

Social skills• Group / team work skills• Interaction skills• Flexibility

General ”work skills” Organizing and coordinating skills Project management skills Problem-solving skills Learning ability Ability for creative thinking Ability for independent working Initiative Managing skills Flexibility and adaptability

Eric Carver

WHAT DO EMPLOYERS EXPECT FROM GRADUATES?

Communication skills• Written and oral communication skills • Negotiating skills• Public performing skills

Technical skills• ICT-skills• Computer / technical equipment skills

International skills• Communication skills with foreign languages• Special know-how of certain country / culture • International attitude / mindset• Multicultural skills

Business and economical skills• Understanding of economic and societal mechanisms and systems• Financial administration• Financial planning and follow-up• Customer service skills• Marketing and sales skills

Eric Carver



Session 6Session 6Competence profile / portfolio

and occupational identity


PORTFOLIO- PROFILE OF YOUR PERSONAL COMPETENCE –

Picture from: http://portuguesemdia.pbworks.com/f/1266770545/portfolio.jpg

if CV is not enough…too formaltoo limitedyou wish to tell more about yourself

…it is possible to create a portfolioyour own, personal achievement folder“self-praise folder”you can make your ’path’ towards your

expertise visible to yourself – and to others

A WAY TO TELL WHAT YOU CANA WAY TO TELL WHAT YOU CAN- PORTFOLIO- PORTFOLIO

WHAT IS A PORTFOLIO?WHAT IS A PORTFOLIO?

Portfolio derived from Latin portare, ('to carry'/movable) and folium ('document'/artifact)

WIKIPEDIA: Portfolio literally means "a case for carrying loose papers," (from Latin, the imperative of portare "to carry" and the plural of folium, meaning a 'a sheet for writing upon')

A type of “briefcase”http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portfolio


a purposeful collection of artifacts that describe your progress (in your profession)works, samples, products, experiences, reflections

chosen for a purpose it documents your efforts, progress, achievements

the purpose is to show your personal know-how and expertise


A portfolio is a process as well as a product

As a process, it requires you to identify and reflect upon what motivates and satisfies you. You examine and present your interests, skills, values, needs, goals and strategies. Much of the power of your portfolio comes from this process

A (career) portfolio is also a product, a concrete collection which documents evidence of your work and learning history, your skills, interests, abilities, and feedback from others.

””The first and most significant The first and most significant act of portfolio preparation act of portfolio preparation is the decision of the purposes is the decision of the purposes for the portfolio” for the portfolio”

Helen BarrettHelen Barrett

WHY PORTFOLIO?

Creating a portfolio involves reflection, collection, selection, and making connections of

What you have done How you have done it What you have learnt How you want to improve Etc…

…Helps you to realize your competences and skills

PORTFOLIO TYPES FOR EXAMPLE

Project portfolioto document the steps taken along the way to a

finished product Achievement portfolio

to document quality recent work to assess the level of achievement at a certain point in time

Growth portfolioto show progress toward specific learning targetsdocuments increasing levels of achievement

DIGITAL PORTFOLIO (E-PORTFOLIO)

a portfolio that has been prepared for distribution online

differs from a traditional portfolio only in its form, not in its contents

digital portfolio, an electronic portfolio, ePortfolio, & a webfolio (if stored on the web)

work is not saved in a folder but to a computer hard-drive, a CD-ROM, somewhere on the web.

one EASY way to create an electronic portfolio:a blog

Remember to update your portfolio regularly. Creating a portfolio is a reflective and on-going

process.

Remember, your portfolio is never complete- Your development process continues…

REMEMBER ALSO: YOUR WEB PERSONALITY/IDENTITY = ”YOUR OTHER CV”

Think, how you present yourself in Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, YouTube…

How about your blogging …? ”Työnantajan parjaaminen Facebookissa on johtanut

ainakin yhden PAMin edustaman työntekijän irtisanomiseen[…]” (Taloussanomat 27.10.09)

Roughly translated: Badmouthing your employer in Facebook has led to at least one sacking…

An important ”Career Channel” for professional networking nowadays is LinkedIn:

http://www.linkedin.com/A place to network and find open positions

The most important recruiting channel for many companiesCreating a personal profile is easy and networking after that goes fast…

More information: http://www.oulu.fi/careerservices/stepbystep.htm

(Presentation by Tom Laine)

EXAMPLES OF E-PORTFOLIOS

http://quintcareers.4jobs.com/SAMPLE-CAREER-PORTFOLIO-RES

http://www.sarahodavis.com/index.html

http://www.kzoo.edu/pfolio/archive/example/weigandt/

http://www.kzoo.edu/pfolio/archive/example/jenks/home.htm

AND IN FINNISH…

http://portfolioni.blogspot.com/ http://harto.wordpress.com/

http://www.helsinki.fi/~jaaleino/tievie/portfolio.html

http://www.cop.fi/kotisivut/ILeppisaari/

ENGLISH REFERENCES

http://www.uwfox.uwc.edu/admreg/downloaddoc/CAREER%20PORTFOLIO%20for%20Web.pdf

Building a personal and career portfolio http://www.curriculum.org/tcf/teachers/projects/repository/portfolios.pdf

http://www.utexas.edu/academic/cte/teachfolio.html http://www.usask.ca/tlc/teaching_portfolios/index.html

EXERCISE 6.1LETTER TO YOUR GRANDMOTHER

Practicing to describe your skills… Write a letter to your grandmother telling her;

What do you study?What have you learned in your studies?What is the topic of your graduate thesis?How would your dream job be like?

Remember to put it in an understandable way Remember to put it in an understandable way – tell things in a way that – tell things in a way that ”even your grandmother would understand it”!”even your grandmother would understand it”!

OCCUPATIONAL IDENTITY• One’s understanding of him/herself as a professional actor

Understanding of myself in relation to work Understanding of myself in relation to occupation What kind of professional / employee I want to become What kind of values / ethical standards related to work are important for me

• Occupational identity is based on one’s life history, but it also includes future hopes and goals related to work life

• Building one’s occupational identity starts already during studies, even it is mainly shaped in work life by acquiring methods, values and norms from work community

• The process lasts throughout one’s whole career pathEteläpelto 2007

BUILDING MY OCCUPATIONAL IDENTITY

• How do I see myself as a professional?• What kind of professional do I want to be in the future?• What values and beliefs are guiding me on my path to become a

professional?• What kind of expectations do I have for work life?• What kind of dreams and hopes do I have for work life?• “Civilian identity” vs. work identity

EXPERTISE• Nowadays being an expert is not all about personal/individual

competences – expertise is seen more as collaboration and results gained in groups

• Important skill in work life: being able to work in expert teams A successful team can achieve more than its’ members could have achieved

individually

• Progressive problem-solving• Ongoing reflection• Interest towards new solutions, challenges and tasks• Motivation to learn more • Working at ’upper limits’, surpassing the limits, acquiring new

knowledge and know-how Continuous development of competence Creating new knowledge

DIFFERENTATION OF ROUTINE EXPERTS AND ADAPTIVE

EXPERTS ’Routine Experts’

Successful in familiar situations, problems and circumstances

Successful in similar routine tasksNo/little development of expertise and work

’Adaptive experts’Successful in variable situations, problems and

circumstances More likely to be able to construct new knowledge as they

solve problemsNew problems handled and solved successfullyDevelopment of expertise and work

MORE ABOUT EXPERTISE…

Hatano G., & Inagaki, K. (1992). Desituating cognition through the construction of conceptual knowledge. In P. Light & G. Butterworth (Eds.), Context and Cognition: Ways of knowing and learning. (pp. 115-133). New York: Harvester.

Bereiter, C. & Scardamalia, M. (1993). Surpassing ourselves. An inquiry into the nature and implications of expertise. Chicago: Open Court Publishing Company.

Gruber, H., Palonen, T. Rehrl, M. & Lehtinen, E. (2007). Understanding the nature of expertise: Individual knowledge, social resources and cultural context. In H. Gruber & T. Palonen (Eds.), Learning in the workplace – new developments (pp. 227–250). Finnish Educational Research Association. Turku: Painosalama.

INTERVIEW SIMULATIONS• Instructions for job seeker:

E-mail your revised application & CV to your interviewer by deadline Remember to send also the job announcement for the position you are applying (if it’s

not an open position, describe the imaginary position; company, title, responsibilities etc) Bring all needed documents with you (certificates, testimonials, letters of reference)

• Instructions for interviewer: Prepare interview questions for your pair (see previous materials and use your

imagination) Bring job seekers application documents with you

• Instructions for both interviewer & job seeker: Be on time Dress properly Behave like it is a real interview!


Getting ready for interview simulation; Revise your application & CV Send the application, CV and job announcement (or

description of the job) to your interviewer Prepare for the interview Prepare interview questions for your pair



Session 7Session 7Interview simulations &

personal action plan


EXERCISE 7.1INTERVIEW SIMULATION



DISCUSSION ABOUT INTERVIEWS

What do you think about this kind of excercise?

Which things were good?Which things did not quite work?What did you learn from your role as a job

seeker?What did you learn from your role as an

interviewer?

MY PERSONAL PROJECT – CAREER GOALS & ACTION PLAN FOR JOB

SEEKING

o Setting your career goalso Preparing a concrete action plan, which helps you to

direct you actions towards set goals

You can book an individual appointment with tutors to discuss about your project…

EXERCISE 7.2MY PERSONAL PROJECT



THE END – FEEDBACK FOR GROUP ACTIVITIES

o Was this group helpful to you?o Was there some important issues that were not

covered in the group?o What was the best thing about this group?

Feedback will also be collected also via anonymous feedback form – the link will be e-mailed to you…

THANK YOU!THANK YOU!