The document outlines an agenda for a Career Fundamentals course. It includes:
1. An introduction to the TA, including her personality type, interests, and an example of a failure experience as a ringette team captain and how she overcame it.
2. A discussion of course expectations, including treating the class as a safe space to practice skills, maintaining professionalism, and its impact on grades.
3. An overview of an assignment to create a Skills Matrix by writing STAR stories about successes and failures, to help with job applications.
4. Next steps which are to present stories in groups the following week and submit the full Skills Matrix assignment.
5. LastModified2017-06-2110:13PMPacificStandardTimePrinted
5
1) Personality Type
Strengths Quest Personality Type
DescriptionWhatthislookslike
1. Communication
2. Woo
3. Discipline
4. Empathy
5. Includer
• I enjoy explaining, describing, and speaking in public
• I enjoy meeting new people and winning them over
• I thrive off predictability, and use a routine
• I am able to relate to others and see things through their
eyes
• I make sure everyone is included and feel a part of
something
7. LastModified2017-06-2110:13PMPacificStandardTimePrinted
7
3) A time that I have failed..
When I played
ringette, my
Team BC team
lost to Ontario in
a tournament
final. We didn’t
work together
and played as
individuals. As
team captain, I
felt like I had
failed my team.
8. LastModified2017-06-2110:13PMPacificStandardTimePrinted
8
.. and how I got back up on my feet afterwards
Our team rallied together,
trained harder than ever
and ended up beating
them in the semi finals of
Nationals, and went on to
win and become Team
Canada.
When I played ringette,
my Team BC team lost
to Ontario in a
tournament final. We
didn’t work together
and played as
individuals. As team
captain, I felt like I had
failed my team.
11. LastModified2017-06-2110:13PMPacificStandardTimePrinted
It’s all about Professionalism
What this looks like in class..
• Contributing and sparking in-
class discussions
• Using proper in-class/email
etiquette
• Being punctual and prepared
for each class
• NOT PLAGIARIZING
..and how it impacts your final grade
10% of
your
course
mark
• Using technology in class
• Sending inappropriate emails
• Not attending class or scheduled
appointments
• Being rude or inappropriate to teachers
or networking delegates
• Contacting your TA on any platform
except their COMM202 Email
• Not completing the ECR Assessment
How you can lose marks...
15. LastModified2017-06-2110:13PMPacificStandardTimePrinted
What you will need to do*
For the Skills Matrix assignment,
you will need to produce two
sets of deliverables:
1. 6 positive STAR stories
2. 2 failure stories
*Rubric can be found on the COMM 202 blog: Assignments > Skills Matrix > Marking Rubric (bottom of page)
These stories will give you a set of stories you
can use in future interviews. Many upper year
students have excel or word documents with
these stories to help with job preparation at the
end of their degree!
16. LastModified2017-06-2110:13PMPacificStandardTimePrinted
Why is the Skills Matrix important?
Skills Matrix (positive STAR & failure stories)
Week 6 – 8: Cover Letter
Week 6 – 8: Resume
Week 10 – 12: Interview
The Skills Matrix will help you
to clearly articulate your
experiences and strengths
to employers during the
application and interview
process.
It will act as the foundation
for the rest of your
professional toolkit.
Professional
toolkit
18. LastModified2017-06-2110:13PMPacificStandardTimePrinted
Step #1: Translating your strengths into
skills
1. Communication
2. Woo
3. Discipline
4. Empathy
5. Includer
Strengths Quest themes Skills
• Confident, strong verbal skills
• Approachable, driven, sociable
• Organized, dedicated, thorough, motivated
• Personable, positive, insightful
• Team player, encouraging, helpful
TIP: In your Skills Matrix Assignment and Presentations we want you to
identify a skill NOT a theme. Eg. Time management
19. LastModified2017-06-2110:13PMPacificStandardTimePrinted
Step #2: Communicating your skills with
“STAR” statements
Situation
• Context
• Who?
• What?
• When?
• Where?
Task
• The objective,
issue or obstacle
you had to over
come.
• Why is this story
significant?
Action
• The “how”
• What did you
consider/ do to
overcome the
situation
• What skills were
applied
• Your vs. team
actions
Result
• What was the
result of your
actions/decision
s?
• How are they
relevant to the
skill/job?
• Needs to be
employer centric
Link
• The Lesson
• How will I use
this in the
future?
Skill demonstrated: Initiative
Fill out the 5 areas for each of your skills
20. LastModified2017-06-2110:13PMPacificStandardTimePrinted
Step #2: Communicating your skills with
“STAR” statements
Situation
• I worked as a
Brand
Ambassador for a
student start-up
company called
BONSAI.
Task
• I needed to
promote and
publicize the
BONSAI app and
its launch party on
the UBC campus.
UBC students
were completely
uneducated about
BONSAI, so it was
my job to spread
the word and get
students excited
about the app.
Action
• I walked around
the Nest promoted
the app and its
launch party. I
made sure to
show my
enthusiasm and
excitement about
the app, because I
knew if they saw
my passion, they
would be more
interested. I met
many different
people while
promoting the
app.
Result
• I was able to
spark enough
interest in the app
for many people
download it,
• We were able to
educate the UBC
students about the
app launch, in
addition to later on
hosting a
successful launch
party with a
variety of people
in attendance.
Link
• I learned that if
you are
enthusiastic,
positive, and
excited about a
service/product,
other people will
be too. The more
passionate you
are about
something, the
more it will
intrigue people.
Fill out the 5 areas for each of your skills
Skill demonstrated: Initiative
22. LastModified2017-06-2110:13PMPacificStandardTimePrinted
What is a Failure Story?
A failure story is an
example of a time when
something went wrong
and the lessons you
learned and steps you took
to correct the issue.
These types of questions
are very likely to come
up in interviews – and
ones that you definitely
need to prepare ahead of
time for!
23. LastModified2017-06-2110:13PMPacificStandardTimePrinted
How to Create a Failure Story
Situation
• Context
• Who?
• What?
• When?
• Where?
Misstep
• What did I
do wrong?
• How am I
accountable
for the
mistakes
made?
Failure
• What
happened
as a result
of my
actions?
Lesson
• What did I
learn
through this
failure?
Action Steps
• How did I
overcome
OR what will
I do now?
24. LastModified2017-06-2110:13PMPacificStandardTimePrinted
How to Create a Failure Story
Situation
• In MATH 104
the course had
a 35%
midterm. It
covered the
first half of the
course.
Misstep
• I was
overconfident
in my math
abilities, and I
pushed back
my studying for
the midterm
until just a
couple days
before the
exam, and
even in those
days did barely
any effective
studying.
Failure
• I received a
grade of 50%,
which –
although it was
not a fail – was
not the mark I
wanted in order
to achieve my
goal grade.
Lesson
• I learned the
importance of
preparation
and pushing
aside
procrastination.
Action Steps
• I completely
changed my
study habits. I
received help
during office
hours and
spent many
weeks
preparing for
the final exam
with q-cards,
practice
exams, and
group study
sessions.
29. LastModified2017-06-2110:13PMPacificStandardTimePrinted
Break into groups of 4-5
You will have 3 minutes to present 1
success story and 1 failure story.
(Facilitators will be strict on timing so
be sure to use your time wisely!)
After your 3 minutes, the group will
provide up to 1 minute of feedback
(make sure you listen so you can give
your peers feedback)
Everyone must give feedback to one
of their peers
Repeat until everyone has had the
opportunity to share
29
Skills Matrix Presentation Format
