Instructor: Dr. Randall S. Hansen
Office (LBC 414D) Phone: 822-7495
Office Hours: T/Th, 4:00-6:00; and by appointment

Objectives:

The purpose of this course is for students to learn more about themselves, about career opportunities in marketing, and gain practical work experience in one or more areas of marketing.

Students will be involved in a number of career development activities, including both an internal and external internship.

Students will learn in a variety of ways this semester:

1. Internships
2. In-Class Instruction
3. Web-Based Resources
4. Blackboard Instruction/Participation

Specific goals for this semester:

• Gain practical experience in one or more areas within marketing.
• Identify and evaluate interests, skills, values, and lifestyle preferences and relate them to marketing educational and marketing career choices/planning.
• Develop decision-making skills and a plan for reaching self-determined goals.
• Learn advanced job search skills and strategies.
• Begin to take an active role in the career planning process and transition from college to career.
• Develop a Career Portfolio.

Texts:

No texts, however, it is expected students will make extensive use of the resources available on this career development Website:
• Quintessential Careers

Required Membership:

In place of textbooks, students are required to join the American Marketing Association. Applications will be distributed, and all class members will be members in good standing.

Expectations:

It is my expectation that you will complete an internship to the best of your abilities. Please remember that you are not only there representing yourself, but also Stetson University. At the same time, speak up for yourself -- or have me as your instructor do so -- if the internship is not as marketing-focused as you desire. Internships are about gaining valuable knowledge and experience, not getting coffee, making copies, or answering phone.

I also expect you to make a commitment to attend every class/workshop, to regularly check and contribute to class discussions on Blackboard, and to do everything you can do to become even more prepared for a career in marketing.

Grading:

Grading will be done on a numerical scale during the semester, with a final letter grade determined at the end of the course. Each graded item has been given a point value, and the percentage of points to total points will determine grade. Eg., 765 points (out of total 900) is an 85 -- a 'B.'

Plus/Minus grading will apply: 93-100 = A; 90-92 = A-; 87-89 = B+; 83-86 = B; 80-82 = B-; 77-79 = C+; 73-76 = C; 70-72 = C-; 67-69 = D+; 63-66 = D: 60-62 = D-; under 60 = F.

• Marketing Internship & Internship Report -- 300 pts.
• Marketing Informational Interview -- 100 pts.
• Mock Interview & Career Portfolio -- 300 pts.
• Marketing Career Development Brochure Internship -- 100 pts.
• Class Participation/Homework/In-Class Exercises -- 100 pts.
• Total Possible Points -- 900 pts.

Please refer to the Marketing Career Development Calendar for due dates and assignments.

Marketing Internship & Internship Report:

You must complete 120 hours at a marketing-related internship. Before starting your internship, you must complete and submit the Student Intern Form to the instructor.

You are also required to submit, by the end of the semester (or completion of the internship), a copy of the student evaluation form, the >employer supervisor evaluation form, and 5-page internship report. (The evaluation forms are also available as Word documents.)

The 5-page paper should discuss these details in relation to your internship:

Note: Not all of these issues may apply to your internship experience.
• the entire scope of your internship
• specific accomplishments achieved
• view toward marketing/marketing career
• any change in career goals as result of internship
• how you are better prepared for a marketing career
• ways the internship could be improved for future interns
• what you would do differently from day one
• what you learned about organizational culture and office politics
• networking opportunities with internship organization
• overall internship experience degree of satisfaction

Projects will be graded according to the following criteria: thoroughness of thought in examining the concepts listed above, writing clarity and form, and organization of written report.

Marketing Informational Interview:

You are required to complete at least one informational interview with a professional marketer, ideally in your chosen field within marketing.

Informational interviews are a critical tool used by job-seekers to learn more about a specific career, as well as to build your network of contacts. Learn more about informational interviewing by completing these readings.

Use your existing network -- former employers, your internship organization, alumni, family and friends, as well as career services -- to identify at least one marketing professional for your informational interview.

Mock Interview & Career Portfolio:

You will develop a Career Portfolio. Portfolios are very useful job-hunting tools, as well as excellent career development tools. You will be responsible for gathering all the materials and presenting the portfolio for review.

Learn more about career portfolios by reading this article.

BTW, you can see an example of an online career portfolio by visiting my online career portfolio.

The specific requirements (minimum) for your portfolio include:

• Ideal Job Description/Career Goals/Employer Values: What are the characteristics and qualities your ideal job would have? This assignment is designed to get you thinking about the overall qualities you desire in a career. Be sure to include this values assessment in this section.
• Career Summary/Autobiography/Skills/Accomplishments: This assignment invites you to think about the story of your life leading up to this decision. How have family, friends, teachers, and other people influenced who you are and what you want out of life? What factors have influenced the majors or careers you are considering? What are the major skills you offer employers? What are your key career-related accomplishments to date? Learn how to compile a list of accomplishments with this worksheet.
• Personal Mission Statement. A mission statement is the driving force behind organizations and people. A mission statement describes who you are, not what you want to become (which is a vision statement). Mission statements are inner-reflected, not career-oriented. What is your personal mission statement? Learn more by reading these articles on mission statements:
  
  • The Five-Step Plan for Creating Personal Mission Statements
  • Using a Personal Mission Statement to Chart Your Career Course
• Network Flowchart/Diagram. The number one way to track down job leads is through networking. Networking is simply developing relationships with people to the point where they want to help you succeed. The great thing about networks is that it can be ever expanding because every person in your network has their own network that you may be able to tap into. And more recently, online networking has really taken off. What does your network look like? How will you increase it before graduation? How can you best use your network? Learn more in the networking section of Quintessential Careers.
• Traditional Formatted Resume. Every portfolio needs to have a traditional resume. Make sure yours is in top shape by using the resources of Career Services and some of the many resume resources found on Quintessential Careers. Hint: Definitely take the time to read this article: Ten Easy Ways to Improve Your Resume.
• Text-Based Resume. Your portfolio should also contain at least one other type of resume -- a text-based resume that employer use for developing databases of candidates. Read more here: Scannable Resume Fundamentals: How to Write Text Resumes.
• Career Professional Development. This section describes how you plan to develop yourself as a professional marketer. This plan might include organizations you belong to (or plan to join), seminars/training/further education, workshops, professional journals, and more. Start researching and planning now!
• Awards, Honors, Testimonials. If you have them, flaunt them! This section should be the most fun for you to create. Make a list of all your honors and awards. Include letters, testimonials, and anything that demonstrates that someone other than you or your mother thinks you are an amazing individual. Here's your chance to let your awards do the bragging for you.
• Work Samples. Hope you have been saving all those big papers and group projects from your various classes, as well as work from previous work and internships (as well as from your current internship). This section is critical because it allows a prospective employer to judge the quality of your work for him/herself. Include copies of your best work. Have a variety of materials, neatly indexed/organized within this section.
• References List. Do you have three or four solid references? Ideally, all your references should be past supervisors, but college grads are allowed to have a professor or two. Do not include character references here such as your clergyperson. Stick to people who can speak of your marketing genius. Order your references, starting with the person who will give you the strongest reference. Be sure to include names, titles, contact information. Read more about references and reference lists in this article.

  Once the portfolio is complete, you will also participate in a mock interview.

Marketing Career Development Brochure Internship:

Our goal this semester is to plan and develop a new brochure for the Marketing Internship Program.

We will break into three teams for this project. Each team will compete for the chance to have their design used for the next Marketing Internship Program brochure.

Class Participation/Homework/In-Class Exercises:

We will be doing some activity almost every class period -- whether it is reviewing homework or conducting an in-class exercise, thus your attendance and participation are a critical component of your success in this class.

You are expected to come to each class prepared for the topic of the day.

Each class will build your career development strengths and expertise and help prepare you completing your Career Portfolio and making that transition from college to career.

Classroom Etiquette:

Please do not hold conversations with classmates whenever the professor or another student is speaking. Your undivided attention in class is a must. An atmosphere of mutual respect is in order. The professor reserves the right to request a student to leave if his or her behavior seems inappropriate and disrespectful.

Etc.:

Times and dates are subject to change -- check the Calendar for the most current due dates. Be prepared.

It is expected that all work you do in this class be original and prepared for this class only. You are expected to follow all aspects of the Honor System.

I am always willing to see my students and will go out of my way to schedule meetings. Please make sure that if you make an appointment, that you keep it.

Finally, as will quickly become apparent, email is by far the easiest and most reliable method to reach me.

Go back to Dr. Randall Hansen's Courses Page.