MARK 1046 - Career Exploration Project

Due: Week 13 via BlackBoard

Worth: 15% of final grade

Goal: To explore a career in Marketing that you are interested in, one that you can see yourself pursuing after graduation. Prepare a detailed report on what this career might look like.

Format:

Report in Word; MAX. 6 pages in length, uploaded to Blackboard

Report also includes title page, Appendix with 3 full job postings at END, References page with min. 4 research resources at END, NO Table of Contents

Use 12-point font, 2 cm margins, 1.5 line spacing, section headings, bulleted and numbered lists

Process:

1. Select a career in Marketing from one of the following (be specific about the role/title):

Digital Social Media Marketing or Content Marketing

Sales Account Manager or Territory Manager

Advertising - Account Management

Advertising - Media Planning/Buying

Product Marketing

Marketing Research

Event Marketing

2. Find 3 current job opportunities relevant to the field you selected. Choose a range of levels from entry level and above. You can find job postings on: Workopolis, Monster, Career Cruising, JobFutures, Talent Egg, Indeed, LinkedIn or on company websites. Make sure you download and save when you find a good posting as they may expire during the course of the assignment and they need to be included in your Appendix. Also, cut and paste full posting, do not just provide link, please!

3. Conduct an informational Interview with someone actively (or recently) working in the field you are exploring. Can be via phone or in-person for approximately 15 minutes. Prepare list of 6-7 questions before starting the interview. Arrange for this discussion well in advance of due date.

4. Write your report. Ensure that you:

Provide all sections and sub-sections listed in Requirements, and follow that order.

Cite all sources (minimum 4 relevant and credible sources) properly using MLA or APA citation, and include all web URLs.

Edit report carefully and thoroughly for length (6 pages MAX for main body) and for quality - grammar, spelling, punctuation, capitalization, flow. Proof-read, please!

Requirements:

Detailed Description of Role (12 marks)

Define/Describe the Marketing career that youve chosen, profiling the nature of the work

Responsibilities of the role at BOTH an entry-level (with job title) AND at a higher level (with job title) (make reference to specific info in your job postings)

Compensation - average salary in Cdn $ AND benefits AND any other perks expected for BOTH an entry-level position AND the next level up (refer to info in job postings)

Challenges typically faced by someone in the role/career (3+ challenges explained, not COVID)

Trends currently influencing this role/career (3+ relevant trends explained, not COVID)

Skills & Education (10 marks)

List/describe at least 3 soft skills needed to be successful in this role (refer to job postings)

List/describe at least 3 hard or technical skills needed to be successful (refer to job postings)

What are the Educational requirements or other relevant qualifications required for this role?

Informational Interview (10 marks)

Complete an informational interview with someone who is currently working in the role or field and then summarize what you learned by providing (not a full transcript or verbatim of interview, please):

Who did you interview? Name, Company, role/position/title there

Their journey how did interviewee get to his/her current role?

A summary of your conversation and perspective

Your 3 main take-aways (learnings, advice) and how can you apply these to your own search?

List the questions you asked (6-7 questions is appropriate)

Personal Plan of Action (10 marks)

Identify actionable steps and specific activities that you can engage in during your time at GBC to build your resume, your skills, and your network to be qualified for this career upon graduation. Organize into some sort of timeline (e.g.: by year or by semester or other format).

Inside the college - such as certain courses, grade level/GPA, career fairs, specific extra-curricular activities/clubs, OCMC, etc.

Outside the college - such as micro-credentials, certifications, extra-curricular activities, volunteering, internships, a mentor, growing your professional network, etc.

Quality of Research & Writing (8 marks)

Thorough and high-quality research resources used (minimum 4), properly cited on References page

3 current job postings, entry + higher level, in full, in Appendix at end

Business style/professional/not casual writing

Correct spelling, grammar, word choice, punctuation, capitalization

Easy to read, succinct, plain language, not wordy, good flow, use of headings and bullet point lists

Formatting: size 12 font, 2 cm margins, 1.5 spacing, headings and sub-headings, page numbers, bulleted or numbered lists as appropriate, max. 6 pages + Appendix + References page, NO Table of Contents