Prentice Hall

Student Success & Career Development

Browse available resources for Student Success & Career Development:



Building Your Career: A Guide to Your Future, 3/E
Susan J. Sears
Virginia N. Gordon, both of The Ohio State University

ISBN-10: 0130931055
ISBN-13: 9780130931054

Publisher: Prentice Hall
Copyright: 2002
Format: Paper; 173 pp
Published: 06/28/2001

Suggested retail price: $38.67
Buy from myPearsonStore



For undergraduate courses in Career Development or Career Planning.

Designed to equip students with the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and behaviors required to make effective educational and career decisions, this practical, self-help guide uses a systematic, hands-on approach that involves students in their own career search through a wide variety of exercises and innovative worksheets that pull together personal, family/social, and career traits, preferences and conditions. Throughout, students use their self-information to explore relevant occupational clusters that are presented in terms of both a current and future-oriented workplace. It moves them systematically through a decision-making cycle of Awareness, Exploration, Choice, and Commitment. Each chapter involves students in acquiring knowledge and learning skills, while examining their attitudes, values, and behaviors.

  • NEW - A futuristic perspective—Describes future work trends and shows students the skills they'll need to be successful in the next decade.

    • Shows students that a rapidly changing workplace requires new approaches to career planning. Ex.___

  • NEW - Occupational information via the Internet.

    • Familiarizes students with the wide range of information sources online, including the Department of Labor's websites. Ex.___

  • NEW - Influences of the Internet on the job search process—e.g., new ways of preparing and disseminating résumés.

    • Introduces students to the changing ways employees and employers communicate today. Ex.___

  • NEW - How to become a personally effective worker in this “new age.”

    • Involves students in many self-searching exercises, including an assessment of their communication skills, stress management, ethical behavior, and how they adapt to change. Ex.___

  • NEW - Case studies—At the end of each chapter. Case studies involve students in two age groups.

    • Shows students how information might be processed and applied in real-world scenarios. Ex.___

  • “My Career and Life Planning Checklist”—Introduced in the first chapter and revisited in the last chapter.

    • Helps students assess what they know or don't know about career planning and decision making and makes them more aware of what areas to concentrate on during the course. At the end, they have a precise measure of what they have learned and what they still need to work on. Ex.___

  • The influence of family background and other environmental factors on career planning.

    • Presents a “genogram” that helps students recognize the influence of their families in work-related decisions. Ex.___

  • “Individual Career Plans #1 and #2"—Gives students the tools to pull together and integrate information about themselves in a composite self-portrait, including interests, work values, work aptitudes, and work skills.

    • Since students often have difficulty with this integration, these exercises help lead them to increased self-understanding. Ex.___

  • Exploring educational alternatives—Includes a description of types and levels of educational programs; questioning why they are in college; an expansive search of college majors based on self-assessment data; and suggested experiential learning opportunities.

    • Provides students with a systematic approach for exploring undergraduate college majors—a topic not often addressed in career texts. Ex.___

  • A unique, comprehensive “Decision Making Model”—Discusses the decision maker, the decision situation, and the decision-making process.

    • Helps students integrate information about the many factors involved in decision making that are not often considered when confronted with daily choices as well as important career and life decisions. Ex.___

  • A “Code of Work Ethics”—Considers the critical importance of treating others fairly and honestly in the workplace. Includes case studies.

    • Helps students assess their own thinking in this area and the behaviors they currently employ. Ex.___

  • How to gain a “psychological edge” in the workplace—A topic not covered in most career texts.

    • Shows students the essential positive patterns of behavior and knowledge needed (communication skills, stress management, eliminating distorted thinking, adapting to change, making ethical choices, etc.) to be an effective and satisfied worker in the next century. Ex.___

  • A futuristic perspective—Describes future work trends and shows students the skills they'll need to be successful in the next decade.

    • Shows students that a rapidly changing workplace requires new approaches to career planning. Ex.___

  • Occupational information via the Internet.

    • Familiarizes students with the wide range of information sources online, including the Department of Labor's websites. Ex.___

  • Influences of the Internet on the job search process—e.g., new ways of preparing and disseminating résumés.

    • Introduces students to the changing ways employees and employers communicate today. Ex.___

  • How to become a personally effective worker in this “new age.”

    • Involves students in many self-searching exercises, including an assessment of their communication skills, stress management, ethical behavior, and how they adapt to change. Ex.___

  • Case studies—At the end of each chapter. Case studies involve students in two age groups.

    • Shows students how information might be processed and applied in real-world scenarios. Ex.___

(NOTE: Each chapter concludes with Case Studies and Summary Checklist.)

1. Getting Ready.

How Do People Choose Careers? Why Do People Work? What Is a Career? Why Do I Need to Plan? What Are Barriers to Career Choice? The Career Choice Process.



2. What Do I Need to Know about Myself?

Exploring Self. How Does My Environment Influence My Career Choices?



3. What Do I Need to Know about Occupational Alternatives?

Occupational Information. Sources of Occupational Information. Evaluating Occupational Information. Future Work Trends. Work Skills Needed in the Next Decade. Workforce Trends in the Next Decade. Worksites in the Next Decade.



4. What Do I Need to Know about Educational Alternatives?

Choosing an Educational Direction. Why Attend College? Making Initial Decisions. The Undergraduate Curriculum. Choosing a Major. Graduate or Professional Education. Distance Learning. Experiential Learning.



5. How Will I Decide?

Factors in Decision Making. Dimensions of Decision Making. Myself as Decision Maker. The Decision Situation. The Decision-Making Process.



6. How Will I Gain a Psychological Edge?

Tips on Becoming Personally Effective. Communicating Effectively. Identifying and Managing Stress. Accepting and Adapting to Change. Ethical Behavior.



7. How Will I Advance My Career? The Job Search and Résumé Writing.

Selling Yourself. Taking Action Steps. Writing a Résumé. Job Searching on the Internet. Writing a Cover Letter.



8. Am I the Best Candidate? Job Leads and the Job Interview.

Generating Job Leads. Career Mentors. Job Interviewing. Follow-Up. Dealing with Rejection.



9. Where Do I Go from Here?


References.


Index.

This premier career decision guide turns theory into practice with step-by-step exercises and thought-provoking activities. The detailed and systematic exercises in Building Your Career: A Guide to Your Future, Third Edition, will help you:

  • create an individual career plan that integrates information about your interests, personality, values, and abilities
  • discover how environment and family background influence your work-related decisions
  • investigate career clusters and broad areas of interest before focusing on specific job titles in tomorrow's workplace
  • gain a psychological edge and become effective by developing skills demanded by today's employers
  • prepare resumes and practice job interviews so that you'll feel confident and ready for a successful job search

This book's structured approach to decision making allows you to thoroughly explore your options and begin building the career of your choosing.

Visit our Student Success Supersite at http://www.prenhall.com/success

Features include:

  • Majors Exploration
  • Career Advice
  • Web Links
  • Tips from Successful Students
  • Student Bulletin Boards
  • Faculty Resources

View a Sample Chapter PDF:

Pearson Higher Education offers special pricing when you choose to package your text with other student resources. If you're interested in creating a cost-saving package for your students, contact your Pearson Higher Education representative for pricing and ordering information.

Pearson Higher Education offers special pricing when you choose to package your text with other student resources. If you're interested in creating a cost-saving package for your students, browse our available packages below, or contact your Pearson Higher Education representative to create your own package.



Copyright ©2008 Pearson Education. All rights reserved. Legal Notice | Privacy Policy | Permissions