Self Assessment and Career Development Syllabus, Fall 1998

 1. To think critically about how we make the choices that help shape the development of a career.
 2. To think systematically about diverse patterns of career development.
 3. To acquaint students with self-assessment career instruments for generating data on self and others.
 4. To consider the career choice issues at different life stages.
 5. To explore implications of enhanced self-understanding for job search and early career choices.
 6. To explore the interaction of personal aspirations and career choices with long-term family issues.
 7. To provide students with an analytical approach and skill set that will be useful in their managerial careers.

Career-Related Choice-Making And Adult Development

Session 1.  Introduction to Course; Career Choice-Making and The Developmental Process
Session 2.  Career Choice-Making and the Developmental Process
Session 3.  Career Choice-Making: Internal/ External Career
Session 4.  Career Choice-Making and Social Identity
Session 5.  Student Career Choice-Making Cases
Session 6.  Perspectives on Adult Development
Session 7.  Adult Development; Review & Summary

Self Assessment:  Improving Self-Understanding

Session 8. Values and Personal Development
Session 9. Values and Cognitive Styles
Session 10.  Occupational Interests and Rewards
Session 11.  Personality Types
Session 12.  Lifestyle Patterns
Session 13.  Career Anchors
Session 14.  The Written Interview
Session 15.  Dyad Exercise
Session 16.  Dyad Exercise
Session 17.  Dyad Exercise
Session 18.  Finalizing Life Themes
Session 19. Drawing Implications From Self Assessment Data

The Career Development Process

Session 20.  Managing the Job Search
Session 21.  Managing the Job Search
Session 22.  Managing the Job Search
Session 23. Dual Career Couples and the MBA Job Search
Session 24.  Making a Career Decision
Session 25.  Self-Assessment and Career Development Final Paper
Session 26.  (Class Cancelled)
Session 27.  (Class Cancelled)
Session 28.  (Class Cancelled)
Session 29.  (Class Cancelled)
Session 30: (Final Papers Are Due)

Case Packet Contents

Notebook Binder, Insertable Indexes and Tabs
Background Data Sheet 9-481-021
Bob Fifer 9-495-013
Craig Parks (A) 1-497-013
Alex Dean 9-489-039
Sumiko Ito 9-493-011
"Basic Concepts for the Study of Careers"
  by J. Richard Hackman and J. Lloyd Suttle
"Career Development, Personal Growth, and
 Experiential Learning" by D. M. Wolfe and D. A. Kolb
“Adult Leadership & Adult Development: A Constructivist
  View” by Robert Kegan and Lisa Laskow Lahey
Excerpts of “The Growth & Loss of the Incorporative Self”
  by Robert Kegan
Martha Applebaum: Learning Style Inventory 2-489-005
Sandy Lansford: Learning Style Inventory 2-489-012
Test 1: Business Career Interest Inventory
Test 2: Learning Style Inventory
Test 3: Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
Test 4:Martha Applebaum: Survey of Personal Values 2-489-006
Sandy Lansford: Survey of Personal Values 2-489-013
Test 5: Survey of Personal Values
Martha Applebaum: Survey of Interpersonal Values 2-489-007
Sandy Lansford: Survey of Interpersonal Values 2-489-014
Test 6: Survey of Interpersonal Values
A Note on the Survey of Personal Values 2-480-013
A Note on the Survey of Interpersonal Values 2-480-014
Myers Briggs Introduction to Type
Martha Applebaum: Lifestyle Representation 2-489-010
Creating Lifestyle Representations 9-481-014
The Written Interview 9-484-002
Martha Applebaum's 24-Hour Diary 2-489-019
Martha Applebaum's Career Anchors Interview 2-489-009
Sandy Lansford: Career Anchors Interview 2-489-016
Career Anchors: An Interview Exercise 9-484-014
Martha Applebaum: Written Interview 2-489-008
Sandy Lansford: Written Interview 2-489-015
Writing Life Theme Labels 9-480-019
Dyad Exercise 9-481-015
Martha Applebaum's Job Search 2-489-036
Sandy Lansford's Job Search 2-489-037
Matt Compton's Job Search 9-489-057
Ken Meyers (A) 2-489-033
Lifestyle Implications of Choosing 9-481-019
Managing Job Search 9-481-018
Elizabeth Fisher (A) 9-494-002
Humphrey Chen 2-498-036

Schedule

Part I: Career-Related Choice-Making and Adult Development

Session: 1
Topic:  Introduction to the Course; Career Choice-Making and The Developmental Process

Assignment:

 1. Prepare Craig Parks in your case packet (CP).

Study Questions:

 1. Identify the key career choice points in Craig’s career.  What were the driving forces in each of these choices?  Did they change over time?
 2. How would you describe his mode of career decision making?  Did this change over time?
 3. Why do you believe returning to Taylor Burton did not work out?
 4. What, if any, implications about the career choice making process can we draw from this case?

In Class:

 We will discuss the Craig Parks case and I will provide an overview of the course.  The Background Data Sheet and the Written Interview will be assigned.

Session: 2
Topic:  Career Choice-Making and The Developmental Process

Assignment:

 1. Prepare Bob Fifer in your CP.
 2. Complete the Background Data Sheet.

Study Questions:

 1. Map the phases of Bob’s career.  What are the key choice points?
 2. What was he striving for in each career phase?  How have his needs and goals changed during the course of his career?
 3. How have his relationships and environments propelled those changes or held him back?
 4. Map your own career choices to date.
 5. What patterns do you discern in the evolution of your own choice-making?

In Class:

 We will discuss Bob Fifer and your insights on patterns of choice-making in your own career. Background Data Sheets will be collected.

 The student case assignment will be handed out.  Your one page case is due in my office in Morgan 345 by Monday September 14th at 5:00 p.m.
 

Session: 3
Topic:  Career Choice-Making: Internal/External Career

Assignment:

 1. Complete and hand in the Myers-Briggs in your CP.
 2. Prepare Alex Dean in your case packet CP.
 3. Read Basic Concepts for the Study of Careers in your CP.

 Study Questions:

 1. How would you characterize Alex's internal and external careers?  What are the sources of continuity and discontinuity in each?

 2. What developmental themes characterize Alex's internal and external careers?

  [Your answers to the following questions should be included in your course binder.]

 3. Describe your internal career to date.  What are its most prominent unifying themes?
 4. What is the relationship between your internal and external career? How much continuity or discontinuity do you see? Depict this relationship graphically in whatever way is meaningful to you (e.g., pictures, charts, symbols . . .).
 5. What developmental themes do you sense are implicit in your internal career and in the relationship between internal and external career?
 6. Think of your most recent work experience.  What aspects of the work environment helped you fulfill your internal career goals?  What aspects felt like obstacles?

In Class: The Alex Dean case will be discussed.  We will work in dyads to discuss the other assignment questions.  The Myers-Briggs test will be collected.
 

Session: 4
Topic:  Career Choice-Making and Social Identity

Assignment:

 1. Complete and hand in the Business Career Interest Inventory in your packet (CP).
 2. Prepare Sumiko Ito case in your packet (CP).

Study Questions:

 1. What developmental themes are represented in Sumiko Ito’s career choices?  Do the themes change over time?
 2. How would you characterize her mode of career decision-making?
 3. Explicitly consider whether and how factors such as gender, ethnicity, and culture have influenced (1) her career choices and (2) her perspective on herself.  Note any changes related to these dimensions of social identity.
 4. Consider the socially defined identity groups that you belong to such as social class, religion, race, ethnicity, family, gender, age, etc.  Which, if any, have you been aware of as shaping your career choices or work experiences?  Which, if any do you regard as important elements of your personal identity?
 

In Class: We will discuss the Sumiko Ito case and your responses to Question 3.  The Business Career Interest Inventory will be collected.

Session: 5
Topic:  Student Career Choice-Making Cases

Assignment:

 1. Read through the student cases on career choice-making.
 2. Use the study questions to prepare the cases selected for discussion.

Study Questions:

 1. What are the driving forces in each of these choice-making processes?  Think about what the person is trying to get closer to or get farther away from with the choice they make.
 2. What are the tensions you see in each case?  What kinds of doubts or problems do you see?  How are these tensions related to the way the person goes about the choice-making process?
 3. Consider these cases as one database on patterns of career--related choice-making.  Along what dimensions are the cases similar?  Different?  What patterns do you detect?  What, if any, hunches suggest themselves about the relation between individual development and career choice-making?

In Class: We will discuss a selected number of the student cases. Readings for Thursday, September 24th will be handed out in class.  The readings will introduce new concepts that are sufficiently complex to require extra time to digest.  I suggest you get an early start.
 

Session: 6
Topic:  Perspectives on Adult Development

 Assignment:

 1. Read "Adult Leadership and Adult Development" by Robert Kegan and Lisa Lahey, pp. 199-218.
 2. Read "Excerpts from Robert Kegan's The Evolving Self."

Study Questions:

 1. Describe in your own words Kegan's three systems of meaning in adulthood.
 2. According to this approach, what does the term "adult development" mean?
 3. What is a "holding environment?"  How does it operate to help or hinder development?
 4. What is the difference between process and content in adult development?
 5. How does this perspective help you think about your own career choice-making?  Does it illuminate anything new about your behavior and relationships as an employee?
 6. How does the developmental perspective help you think about your efficacy as a manager?

In Class: We will discuss the readings and your responses to the study questions.

Session: 7
Topic:  Adult Development; Review and Summary of Section I of the Course

Assignment:

 1. Review each of the cases that we have discussed in the class to date.
 2. Read "Adult Career and Life Stages" (SACD) pp. 426-432.

Study Questions:

Part One:

 1. Consider all the cases to date using your own understanding, the concepts provided in the Kegan readings on adult development and today's assigned reading.
 2. What patterns can you detect in these cases?  In what way do they illustrate developmental themes, challenges, struggles, opportunities?

 Part Two:

 3. Think about yourself today.  Ask yourself the question, "How do I know I am doing well?"  Take a few minutes and write down what comes to mind.
 4. Cycle back to five years ago. Think about yourself then. Ask yourself the question:  "How did I know I was doing well then?"  Take a few minutes and write down what comes to mind.
 5. Compare your data from today with your data of five years ago.  What continuities do you sense?  What change do you sense?  If you were to answer this question five years from now, what would you like your answer to be?

In Class: We will discuss any remaining issues concerning the adult development material.  We will review all cases to date as suggested in the study questions.
  We will discuss your own insights, reflections, and data. We will work in dyads.
 

II.  Self-Assessment: Improving Self-Understanding

Session: 8
Topic:  Values and Personal Development

Assignment:

 1. Read "The Self-Assessment Process" (SACD), p. 5 through 3rd paragraph, on p. 9.

 "Sorting Career and Life Values,"  (SACD), p. 39 through 1st paragraph on p. 41.  Perform the sorting of the aspect and value cards as instructed.  Now continue reading pp. 41-42 of the (SACD), and complete your analysis.  When you are satisfied with the work, take another step.  Cycle back to five years ago and sense into how you were then.  Repeat the process of sorting the cards and analyzing the results, based on your sense of what your responses would have been 5 years ago.  What, if any, change do you note?  What continuities?  If you were sorting these values five years from now, in what ways would you like the outcomes to be similar?  Different?  (Again, make sure you keep your analysis and all notes in your binder.)

 [Note: In preparation for Session 10 you should complete the Management and Professional Reward Profile, Business Career Interest Inventory, and the Management and Professional Abilities Profile.  You can find these on the web.  The URL is http://www.careerdiscovery.com/thomas/careerleader.html the user name is  thomas  and the password is  self]

In Class: Again, note that we will work in dyads quite a bit throughout this section of the course.  You may now want to get a partner that you can continue to team up with.  Or, you may want to continue to switch partners for other exercises.

Session: 9
Topic:  Values and Cognitive Styles

Assignment:

 1. Complete and bring to class the Learning Style Inventory in your packet (CP).
 2. Complete the Survey of Personal Values in your packet (CP).  We will score the test in class.
 3. Complete the Survey of Interpersonal Values in your packet (CP). We will score the test in class.
 4. Read "Survey of Personal Values" Note in your packet (CP).
 5. Read "Survey of Interpersonal Values" Note in your packet (CP).
 6. Assess the results of these three tests for Sandy Lansford and Martha Applebaum in your packet (CP).
 7. Read "Career Development, Personal Growth, and Experiential Learning," by D.M. Wolfe and D.A. Kolb in your packet (CP).

Study Questions:

 1. What are the implications of your test results?
 2. How do you rate these assessment instruments?
 3. How do you interpret the test results of Sandy Lansford and Martha Applebaum on these three instruments?
 4. [For your binder.]  Draw a map to represent the relationships among you and your peers, boss, and any subordinates from last summer's job.  Consider the significance of differences in personal and interpersonal values in each of those relationships.  Be prepared to discuss your insights.

In Class: We will discuss these tests, your relationship map, and your insights from them.  Your results on the Business Career Interest Inventory and Management and Professional Reward Profile will be distributed for discussion tomorrow.
 

Session: 10
Topic:  Occupational Interests and Rewards

Assignment:
 1. Complete the Business Career Interest Inventory (BCII).  (It is okay to use your results from last year.)
 2. Read the Introduction and Chapter Seven of Discovering Your Career in Business and review your BCII results.
 3. Review the results of your Business Career Interest Inventory.
 4. Read the Management and Professional Reward Profile Interpretation Guide and review your results.

Study Questions:

 1. What do you learn from these tests?  Any surprises?
 2. What are the strengths and weaknesses of the Business Career Interest Inventory as a data-generating device?  Of the Management And Professional Reward Profile?

In Class: We will discuss the Business Career Interest Inventory and the Management And Professional Reward Profile.

  Results of your Myers-Briggs will be distributed for discussion on Thursday, October 8th.
 

Session: 11
Topic:  Personality Types:  Myers-Briggs Type Indicator

Assignment:

 1. Review your test results.

Study Question:

 1. Write a one-page description of your ideal organization.  Be specific about the characteristics of its structure, culture, management style, job scope, values, evaluation methods, reward systems, etc.  Be prepared to share your description in class.  Don't forget to include it in your binder.

Session: 12
Topic:              Lifestyle Patterns

Assignment:

 1. Complete your 24-Hour Diary.
 2. Read SACD, pp. 113-116 only after you have completed your Diary.

 3. Read and prepare Creating Lifestyle Representations in your CP.
 4. Review Martha Applebaum's 24-Hour Diary in your packet CP and her Lifestyle Representation  in your CP.

Study Questions:

 1. What inferences can you draw about Martha from these instruments?
 2. What inferences can you draw about yourself from these instruments?
 3. Critique your lifestyle pattern as conveyed by these data. What do you like about it, what would you like to change?
 4. Imagine yourself in five years.  No, not like that . . . really sit down, close your eyes and conjure up your dream of what you would like your life to be in five years.  When you have achieved this state of mind, write a mock diary that reflects a 24-hour period in your life, five years hence . . .
 5. Now, take one more step.  This time go back into the time tunnel.  Imagine yourself five years ago.  Again, write a mock diary that reflects a 24-hour period in your life then.
 6. Now, look at the results.  If you haven't really done it thoroughly, then go back and spend more time on it.  What patterns do you see in the evolution of your lifestyle?  What continuities or discontinuities do you see?  Are you getting closer to where you want to be?  If not, what will it take (other than graduation from HBS) to move you closer to where you would like to be in five years?

In Class: We will discuss the insights garnered from these exercises.  Write down and hand in to me the name of your partner for the Career Anchors exercise.
 

Session: 13
Topic:  Career Anchors

Assignment:

 1. Prepare "Career Anchors: An Interview Exercise in Determining Your Career Options and Constraints" in your CP.  This will require working in a dyad for approximately two hours.  See the instructions in the case packet.

 2. Read The Career Anchors exercise of Sandy Lansford and Martha Applebaum in your CP after you have completed your own.

In Class: Class is cancelled today to allow you time to complete this exercise.  Anyone who has not found a partner should come to my office at the regularly scheduled class time.
 

Session: 14
Topic:  The Written Interview

Assignment:

 1. Read Analyzing the Written Interview (SACD) pp. 143-147, up to but not including the exercise.
 2. Read Written Interviews of Martha Applebaum and Sandy Lansford in your CP.
 3. Read Writing Life Theme Labels in your CP.
 4. Review the Sandy Lansford and Martha Applebaum data generated thus far.
 5. Develop a single theme for each of our characters. Be specific about supporting evidence for each theme.  The theme should speak to one important aspect of Sandy and Martha.

In Class: Debrief the Career Anchors Exercise.  We will discuss how to develop themes, inferences, the inductive process, and the nature of supporting data.  We will discuss themes for Sandy and Martha.
 

Session: 15
Topic:  The Dyad Exercise

Assignment:

 1. Read The Dyad Exercise in your CP.
 2. Complete and hand in the Dyad Exercise partner identification form.

In Class: We will meet to clarify remaining questions about writing themes and to discuss the dyad exercise.
 

Session: 16
Topic:  The Dyad Exercise

  Class is cancelled today to give you time to complete the Dyad Exercise.
 

Session: 17
Topic:  The Dyad Exercise

              Class is cancelled today to give you time to complete the Dyad Exercise.
 

Session: 18
Topic:  Finalizing Life Themes

Assignment:

 1. Develop one theme from your own data, bring it to class, and be prepared to discuss the process you used to develop it.  Be specific: e.g., what steps, sources of data, nature of contradictions, etc.

In Class: We will debrief the Dyad Exercise and ask for volunteers to describe the process used to develop their themes.
 
 
 

III.  The Career Development Process

Session: 19
Date:               Thursday, October 29

Topic:             Drawing Implications from Self Assessment Data.

Assignment:

1. Read the SACD PAPER ASSIGNMENT (handout).
2. Read “Drawing Implications From Themes”.
3. Complete the assignment on pp. 231-232.

In Class: Come prepared to present your work for step 3 of the assignment listed above.  We will discuss the process of drawing implications from themes and the SACD paper assignment.
 

Session:  20
Topic:  Managing the Job Search Process

Assignment:

 1. Prepare the assignment for Wednesday, November 4.

In Class: Today’s class is cancelled to give you time to thoroughly prepare the cases for our next class.
 

Session: 21
Topic:  Managing the Job Search

Assignment:

 1. Read Sandy Lansford’s Job Search in your CP.
 2. Read Martha Applebaum's Job Search in your CP.
 3. Read Matt Compton's Job Search
 4. Skim: "Some Hard Facts About MBA Job Searches" (SACD), pp. 239-244.
 5. Skim: "Getting Job Leads" (SACD), pp. 291-294 (omit exercise).

Study Questions:

 1. Compare and contrast these two job search efforts.  What were the strengths of each?  How could each have been improved?
 2. What aspects of each would you like to adopt or avoid in your own job search activities?
 3. Which of the three cases, Martha, Matt or Sandy can you most identify with?  What obstacles do you see to your job search concluding successfully?

In Class: We will discuss the job search experiences of Martha, Matt and Sandy.
 

Session: 22
Topic:  Managing the Job Search

Assignment:

 1. Read "Focusing on a Job Campaign"  (SACD), pp. 239-244 (omit exercise).
 2. Read "Interviewing" (SACD), pp. 307-312 (omit exercise, but skim exhibits, pp. 316-327).
 3. Read "Analyzing and Choosing a Job Offer," (SACD), pp. 347-351 (omit exercise).
 4. Read Ken Meyers (A).

Study Questions:

 1. Critique Ken Meyers' job search strategy.  Be specific about the various phases of the process; e.g., focusing a campaign, interviewing, etc.
 2. What should Ken do at the end of the (A) case?

In Class: We will discuss the Ken Meyers (A) case.  Ken Meyers (B) and Ken Meyers (C) will be distributed in class for discussion.
 

Session: 23

Topic:  Dual Career Couples and the MBA Job Search

Assignment:

 1. Read the Elizabeth Fisher (A) case in your CP.

Study Questions:

 1. How would you describe Elizabeth's approach to the job search from October 1992 to March 1993?  Evaluate this approach.
 2. How would you describe Paul's role in Elizabeth's job search?
 3. What are the major forces shaping Elizabeth's decision making?
 4. What should Elizabeth do at the end of the (A) case?
 5. How, if at all, could Elizabeth and Paul have improved their job search process?
 6. What lesson for graduating MBAs with partners can be taken from this case?
 7. What lessons for partners of graduating MBAs can be taken from this case?
 

Session: 24
Topic:  Making a Career Decision

Assignment:

 1. Read “Orientation for Viewing Humphrey Chen.”
 

Study Questions:
 1. Evaluate all the factors that influenced Chen’s decision as to which opportunity to take.
2. If you received this letter from Humphrey, what advice would you give him?
3. How would you go about making the decision between options?

In Class: We will view and discuss the Humphrey Chen video case.  The assignment for tomorrow’s class will be handed out.
 

Session: 25
Topic:  Self-Assessment and Career Development Final Paper

Assignment:

 1. Review any questions you may have related to the final paper so that we may have a useful discussion in class.

In Class: We will discuss the final paper.

Sessions: 26, 27, 28 and 29
 1. These classes are cancelled to provide you with additional time to work on your final paper.