• Collect 3 job postings in your desired field and location, and
• Interview 1 relevant professional who works outside the university (this is an opportunity to network on LinkedIn or visit with a family member over the holidays).

For this assignment, write a one-page report the summarizes your analysis of your own job postings and professional interview. Your report should be in memo format and addressed to me.

Look for similarities and differences in the job postings. Research suggest that the first three listed responsibilities and the first three listed qualifications are the most important to recruiters and hiring managers. Use this information to narrow the scope of your analysis. Also, look for keywords within these responsibilities and qualifications; the keywords might suggest what common themes are consistent across all the postings. You might even paste the job postings into a word cloud, which will visualize the most common, shared words (try wordclouds.com).

The summary of your interview should be in narrative form — don’t submit a transcript or a Question/Answer format. Instead, summarize the major themes of the interview. Consider what information surprised you, or how the perceptions of your future career have/have not changed. The interview should give insight in the skills you need to gain in college so that you can get the job you want. Use this assignment to reflect on your professional development.