comprehensive 40-year personal career development plan.

University of Technology and Applied Science – MuscatDepartment of Business
Students’ Assignment
Dear Students,
We would like to inform you about two upcoming assignments that will not only reinforce the
learning outcomes outlined in the course syllabus but also provide you with valuable
opportunities to apply theoretical knowledge in practical settings. It is crucial that you carefully
read the assignment details and guidelines to ensure a successful completion.
These assignments have been designed with the intention of expanding your understanding of
theoretical concepts and facilitating their practical application. By actively engaging in these
tasks, you will have the chance to acquire and enhance the targeted skills and attributes outlined
in the course syllabus.
Please take the time to thoroughly review the contents and guidelines of both assignments. By
doing so, you will be fully prepared to embark on these learning opportunities and maximize the
benefits they offer.
We look forward to witnessing your growth and development throughout these assignments.
Assignment (1): 15 Marks
The students are required to prepare a comprehensive 40 years personal career development plan.
This plan should include self-assessment exercises, identification of career goals, exploration of potential
career paths, strategies for skill development, and steps for networking and job search. The students are
requested to present the following:
1. Self-Assessment:
Utilize self-assessment tools, feedback from peers, and personal reflection to evaluate your strengths,
weaknesses, interests, and values. Reflect on your abilities, achievements, and feedback received to gain
a deeper understanding of your skills and preferences. Through this part, you need to consider the
following but not limited to:
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Your previous experience, academic, training or any social work involvement. Retrieve your
personality while you were students at school or at local club or association. Reflect on projects
you have delivered and the motivations driving your fulfillments.
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University of Technology and Applied Science – Muscat
Department of Business
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Identify your technical and behavioral skills; this could be a result of previous projects or
assignments you took or through your transcript assessment. Identify your skills clearly and
provide the evidence for your identification. Your skills along needs to correlate with your goals.
Share your interests, identify any hoppy you enjoyed practicing or studying or what you are
curious about.
Reflect on any previous assessment (personality tests) you conducted that may reflect your
personality and orientations and how the tests result aligned with your interests.
Specify any particular job market, sector or environment you may find yourself passionate to
join with justifications if applicable to that choice.
This part is mostly descriptive and the students may employ various self-assessment techniques to
address the above-mentioned areas and to present the outcomes in a structured and organized way.
2. Set Clear Goals:
Define both short-term and long-term career goals based on your self-assessment and aspirations.
Consider factors such as desired job roles, industries, work environment, and personal fulfillment. You
need to reflect on the technics you choose to set your goals and the rationale behind that. The final
goals must adhere to SMART approach and they can be presented in a table format.
3. Research:
Through this part, you need to explore various career paths, industries, and opportunities that align with
your goals. Conduct research using online resources, career websites, industry reports, and
informational interviews to gather information and insights. You need to reflect on different paths that
may be aligned to your goals. Reflect on potential industry/industries that could be your future
destination and reflect on each of these industries in terms of the demands, financial returns and future
career growth. You need to reflect on the companies/industries you have specified in your goals and the
extent it is aligned to your goals, interest and values. This information can be generated from the
company’s website as well as interviewing existing people working in the same company/industry or
sector, make sure to include any interview or survey in your report. In summary, this section is a
reflection on the methodology you have employed to select the company or industry. You can rely as
well on similar job advertisement in LinkedIn and other platforms that may provide additional
information about jobs similar to your aspired career path.
4. Identify Development Needs:
Determine the skills, knowledge, and experiences required to achieve your career goals. Identify any
gaps in your current skillset and areas that need improvement or further development. Reflect on your
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University of Technology and Applied Science – Muscat
Department of Business
self-assessment as well as on your plans to address these needs. Through this section, you must be
aligned to goals and corresponds to your 40 years plan, wherein the development needs are identified in
details. The outcomes of this section is twofold, development needs in the summary table as well as
detailed section to address how the development plan will be conducted including enabling factors for
its success. You need to reflect on whether you will be relying on organizational or self-development
plans with justification for whatever choice.
5. Create Action Steps:
Based on the goals you have specified in section two and development needs in section three, break
down your development needs into specific and achievable action steps. Assign realistic deadlines to
each step and identify the resources (e.g., courses, workshops, internships) needed to acquire or
enhance the required skills. If one of your development needs was to pursue a higher education degree,
specify when shall that start and end, what will be skills gained, how will you gain it and which goal will
serve. Be specific in dates and make sure it is aligned with you goals.
6. Seek Feedback and Support:
Share your career plan with your family, friends or someone with experience in the same job or sector
to gather feedback and support. Seek guidance on refining your goals and action steps based on their
expertise and insights. Reflect on your report the feedback you have gained at any form you have
followed to gather the data.
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University of Technology and Applied Science – Muscat
Department of Business
Assessment Guidelines
S
1.
2.
3.
4.
Area
Self-Assessment
(3) Marks
Goals Clarity
(3) Marks
Research
(3) Marks
Identify
Development
Needs
(3) Marks
Performance Level
The report demonstrates a thorough and insightful selfassessment, showcasing a deep understanding of the student’s
strengths, weaknesses, interests, values, and personality traits
he report includes a comprehensive self-assessment, highlighting
the student’s key attributes and providing a good understanding
of their skills and interests
The self-assessment is incomplete or lacks coherence, showing a
limited understanding of the student’s skills, interests, values, or
personality traits.
The report sets clear, specific, measurable, and realistic shortterm and long-term goals. The goals are well-aligned with the
student’s self-assessment and demonstrate a thoughtful
understanding of the desired career outcomes
The report sets clear goals that are specific, measurable, and
realistic, showing a good alignment with the student’s selfassessment and desired career outcomes.
The goals are unclear, overly generic, unrealistic, or not properly
aligned with the student’s self-assessment and desired career
outcomes.
The report showcases extensive research and exploration efforts,
demonstrating a comprehensive understanding of different career
paths, industries, companies, and opportunities. It includes
insights from various sources, such as informational interviews,
networking events, and online resources.
The report includes a solid amount of research and exploration,
showing a good understanding of different career paths,
industries, companies, and opportunities. It incorporates insights
from a variety of sources, such as informational interviews or
online resources
The research and exploration efforts are minimal or inadequate,
demonstrating a limited understanding of different career paths,
industries, companies, and opportunities.
The career development plan includes a well-defined plan for
acquiring the identified skills, knowledge, and experience. It
outlines specific actions, resources, and timelines for skill
development and gaining relevant experience
The career development plan includes a solid plan for acquiring
the identified skills, knowledge, and experience. It outlines
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Marks
3
2
1
3
2
1
3
2
1
3
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University of Technology and Applied Science – Muscat
Department of Business
5.
Create Action
Steps (1.5) Marks
6.
Seek Feedback
and Support
(1.5) Marks
actionable steps, resources, and reasonable timelines for skill
development and gaining relevant experience
The career development plan lacks a clear plan for acquiring the
identified skills, knowledge, and experience. It does not provide
actionable steps, resources, or realistic timelines for skill
development and gaining relevant experience.
The report presents a well-structured and detailed plan of action,
outlining specific, achievable, and time-bound action steps and
milestones. The plan demonstrates a clear understanding of the
student’s development needs and includes appropriate strategies
and resources for achieving the goals
The plan of action is incomplete, lacks coherence, or provides
unclear or unrealistic action steps and milestones. It does not
adequately address the student’s development needs or lacks
appropriate strategies and resources.
The individual demonstrates a proactive approach in seeking
feedback and support for their career development. They actively
seek out opportunities to receive feedback from supervisors,
mentors, and colleagues, and they actively engage with relevant
support networks and resources
The individual demonstrates a passive approach in seeking
feedback and support for their career development. They do not
actively seek feedback or engage with relevant support networks
or resources.
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1.5
.5
1.5
.5
General guidelines for the report submission:
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Submission Deadline is 9th May 2024
Submission should be through the designated e-learning submission link.
Word limit should not exceed 1500 words including references but excluding any
attachments.
Use Times New Roman font with a font size of 12. Maintain a 1.5 line spacing between
paragraphs to ensure readability.
Review your submission for grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors. Ensure clarity
and coherence in your writing, and you need to consider proof reading whenever
necessary to ensure language clarity.
The maximum similarity score should not exceed 10%. Avoid directly copying content
from Chat GPT or any other sources without proper attribution. Ensure that your
submission is original and properly references any external sources used.
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University of Technology and Applied Science – Muscat
Department of Business
Assignment (2): (5) marks
The primary objective of this assignment is to expand students’ knowledge and awareness of various
career aspects. In groups of four, you are tasked with selecting a resource related to career
management (such as a YouTube video, article, software, website, organizational policy, inspiring story,
report, statistics, etc.). The chosen topic can encompass areas such as the future of jobs, future skills,
the impact of technology on the job market, work-life balance, career crises, skills mismatch, lack of
motivation, dealing with difficult colleagues, unexpected workplace changes, managing plateaued
employees, or any other topic of your choice.
During the presentation, please ensure that it does not exceed 10 minutes. If you decide to share a
video clip or present a report, make sure that its duration does not exceed 5 minutes. All groups are
expected to deliver a PowerPoint presentation that highlights the following key points:
1. Lessons Learned: Share the valuable lessons you gained from the selected materials. Discuss the
insights, knowledge, or perspectives that you and your group members acquired.
2. Impact on Individual Career Development: Explain how the presented materials have influenced
your individual career development plans. Reflect on how the information can be applied to
enhance your own professional journey.
3. Drawbacks or Limitations: Identify and discuss the major drawbacks or limitations of the presented
materials. Consider any potential biases, limitations in scope, or areas where further information or
perspectives may be needed.
By addressing these points in your presentation, you will effectively convey the lessons learned,
demonstrate the impact on your career development plans, and critically evaluate the strengths and
weaknesses of the selected materials.
General assessment and submission guidelines:
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This will be group assessment and it will include:
o Clarity of the presentation
o Teamwork and collaboration
o Analytical thinking skills
o Time management
o Organization and structure
Presentations will start on 28th April 2024.
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