Course expectations & Skills Matrix assignment overview (STAR format)

1. C O M M 2 0 2
CAREER FUNDAMENTALS
W I T H B O N N I E
T26 (MONDAY 4PM) & T40 (FRIDAY 3PM)

2. our plan today
1. Let’s get to know each other
2. Our expectations
3. Putting together a Skills Matrix
4. Housekeeping

3. our plan today
1. Let’s get to know each other
2. Our expectations
3. Putting together a Skills Matrix
4. Housekeeping

4. ● Extra-curricular involvements
● Professional work experience

6. clea_

8. ● Core values
● Personality type
● Extra-curricular involvements
● Professional work experience

9. TL;DR: I’m a ball of energy that gets excited by people, challenges,
and ideas, and I can be impatient to effect change

11. Travel (next trip – Taiwan, Japan, Korea!)
Cheap eats (recommendations of potentially OHS-violating
establishments welcomed)
Wine and paint nights
True crime podcasts – who did it?? Am I next?
Reading – send me your recommendations!
Trying to figure out sports with friends
Other things I enjoy…

12. your turn!
1. Let’s get to know each other
1. Pair up with a stranger
2. Shake their hand, introduce yourselves
3. Answer any of the following
• 2 things you’re excited about right now
• 2 places you’d like to visit & why
• 2 hobbies/activities you enjoy
Quick & punchy – 1 minute per person!

13. our plan today
1. Let’s get to know each other
2. Our expectations
3. Putting together a Skills Matrix
4. Housekeeping

14. …a safe place to practice
Treat this course like a….

15. It’s all about professionalism
(+) Earning the 10%
• Contributing and sparking
in-class discussions
• Using proper in-
class/email etiquette
• Being punctual and
prepared for each class
• NOT PLAGIARIZING
• 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
(-) Losing marks
10% of your final grade

16. …but that doesn’t mean you can’t be yourself!
In fact, you should!
• It makes you more relatable and
likeable
• It helps you build trust and form
relationships
• You’ll be happier and most satisfied
in your professional pursuit

17. our plan today
1. Let’s get to know each other
2. Our expectations
3. Putting together a Skills Matrix
4. Housekeeping

18. 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
Start building and practicing now (low stakes), versus
later in the job hunt (high stakes)!
IMPORTANT

19. 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

20. Q: Tell me about a time you demonstrated critical thinking skills.
A: Last week, we had a group discussion for COMM 202 and some
things the TA mentioned did not align with what I thought was previously
true. After asking, I understood how my assumptions were actually
aligned with what was being taught.
your turn!
Is this a “good” answer?
Situation
Task
Action
Result

21. Positive STARs (6 required)

22. What are positive STAR stories?
A positive STAR story is a
structured example of a time
when you exhibited a personal
strength or skill.
Skill /
Attribute
Experience Situation Task Action Result Lesson / Link
Critical
Thinking
Terrorist
attack in
Barcelona
Seated at a
restaurant on
the corner of
Las Ramblas
in Barcelona, I
watched a
terrorist drive a
vehicle into a
crowd of
people
crossing the
street. As mass
panic began to
ensue, I had to
make
decisions that
would
guarantee my
families safety.
As the apartment my
family had rented was
over 10km away, we
needed to collaborate to
escape any imminent
danger. With the threat
of a repeat attack, our
task was to escape the
center of the city. It was
important to make sure
each family member of
my family stayed close
together and
communicated at all
times. By sticking to the
side streets, we could
reach our apartment
quickly.
Initially I was tempted to
run into the crowd to get a
better understanding of
what happened.
Thankfully, common
sense reminded me that
the damage might not
have been over. I relied on
my critical thinking and
communicative skills to
establish a game plan with
my family. As the older
sibling, I was responsible
for keeping calm and
directing my younger
brother. With safety in
mind, I formulated the idea
that back roads would be
less of a target than main
streets.
As a result of my
constant
communication,
my family
seamlessly
traveled from
one back street
to another. After
almost an hour
of painfully slow
but steady
travel, we
reached the
safety of the
apartment.
The situation
exemplified that
external factors
should not disrupt
one’s judgment.
Although it was
easy to get
caught up in the
mass panic, I
relied on my
critical thinking to
take the safest
path.

23. 1. Convert your StrengthsQuest themes (strengths) into skills
2. Communicate skills with STAR statements
Creating positive STARS

24. Step #1: Translating your Themes into Skills
1. Individualization
2. Activator
3. Ideation
4. Positivity
5. Strategic
StrengthsQuest themes Skills
• Empathy, perceptiveness, thoughtfulness
• Adaptability, problem-solving, communication
• Creativity, initiative, interdisciplinary approach
• Communication, empathy, perceptiveness
• Insight, analytical, critical thinking
TIP: In your Skills Matrix Assignment and Presentations, we want you to identify a skill, NOT
a theme. Eg. Time management
RESOURCES: Identifying your Skills
(1) Read your StrengthsQuest report & infer from key terms; and/or
(2) Partner up with a friend to brainstorm; and/ or
(3) Canvas>Modules>Week 2 – Tutorial>Toolkit – Strengths, Values, Motivators Toolkit (p. 4)

25. 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: Problem-solving skills
Fill out the 5 areas for each of your skills

26. Step #2: Communicating your skills with “STAR”
statements
Situation
I was a First Year
Rep for IBC last
year, and I saw the
opportunity for
improvement in the
Internal portfolio:
the turnover rate
was high, and team
morale was low. I
applied for the
position of VP
Internal at the end
of my first year at
Sauder, and was
elected for the
position.
Task
I wanted to reduce
the turnover rate
from 30% to at least
10%, and to
increase team
morale. To do so, I
needed to figure out
the cause of the
issues.
Action
I analyzed the situation,
and realized that the root of
the problem was that
executives didn’t feel an
obligation toward each
other: they saw each other
as people volunteering for
the same organization, not
as a team working toward a
common goal. I began
resolving this issue by
building the right team
(choosing attitude over
competency when the
trade-off existed), and
considering sub-team
culture and dynamics.
Once hired, I planned a
social right away so that
the executives would feel
familiar with each other,
and therefore feel obligated
to uphold a certain
standard. We host monthly
socials, and emphasize
open and frequent
communication.
Result
I reduced turnover
to 6%--only one
executive left the
organization. For
her exit interview,
she expressed her
desire to stay in the
club because of the
culture, but
unfortunately, she
was unable to do so
due to health
concerns. I made
sure to keep in
touch with her after
she left, to ensure
she knows the team
still welcomes her
and considers her
as family.
Link
Instead of mitigating
the symptoms,
effective problem
solving entails
finding the root of
the issues,
eliminating them,
and engaging in
preventative
measures to
prevent
recurrences.
Fill out the 5 areas for each of your skills
Skill demonstrated: Problem-solving
Experience: VP Internal of International Business Club

27. What do you think we could change to make this better?
Skill /
Attribute
Experienc
e
Situation Task Action Result
Lesson /
Link
Adaptable Summer
Camp
In the summer
of 2016, I
attended a
camp in
Victoria with
60 students
from across
Canada.
We were
isolated from
family, phones,
and technology,
with only
ourselves to
convene
amongst. This
was challenging
for me because
everyone
attending the
camp knew at
least two people
prior to
registering, and
I did not know
anyone.
Despite my
initial anxiety
of not knowing
anyone, I
overcame that
by indulging in
activities and
engaging in
conversation. I
pushed past
my comfort
zone by trying
new things.
I ended
up
making
60 new
best
friends.
I learned that
being
comfortable
with yourself
alone and
being
confident is
always the
first step in
attraction.
From that
point,
everything
falls in place
naturally.
A STAR story that needs improvement

28. Failure stories (2 required)

29. What is a failure story? (2 required)
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!

30. 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?

31. How to Create a Failure Story
Situation
For Round 1
executive hiring in
March, my Co-Chair
and I needed to
assemble the
majority of our
executive team. We
had to hire four
portfolios, with an
emphasis on
assembling the best
External team
possible. That
portfolio required a
lot of work during
the summer, since
September is always
a busy month for
clubs, and our
flagship event,
Thanksgiving
Dinner, occurs in
October.
Misstep
• Our recruitment
pool for the position
ended up being
extremely small,
with unqualified
candidates.
• Our largest misstep
was believing that
we needed to hire
her for the position,
or we would
compromise the
quality of
Thanksgiving
Dinner.
• We hired the best
applicant we could
under the
circumstances,
although she was
neither competent
nor the correct for
for our culture.
Failure
• Despite the
support we
provided, the
bottom line
was that she
didn’t end up
acquiring any
sponsorships
for any of our
events. We
decided to let
her go.
• We needed to
put more time
and effort into
creating
Round 2
Hiring in
September, to
fill the empty
role.
Lesson
• There is always
more than one
solution; there is no
such thing as a
forced hand. We
could have hired
her as an interim
team member that
focused on only
acquiring
sponsorships for
Thanksgiving
Dinner, thus more
narrowly defining
her position. She
would have one
clear goal, and the
metrics would have
been extremely
clear. We learned
the importance of
establishing clear
expectations and
goals, and the
importance of
finding creative
solutions to a
seemingly one-
dimensional issue.
Action Steps
We learned from our
mistakes, and Round
2 hiring was a
success.
We increased our
recruitment pool by
using specific terms
in our marketing
campaigns to attract
dedicated and
passionate
individuals. Once
hired, we clearly
defined expectations
for each event, and
had our External
team set goals and
targets for
themselves. We
analyzed the areas in
which the were falling
short, and provided
extra training and
support for those
aspects
Skill: Decision-making
Experience: Strategic team selection for SISA

32. A Good Failure Story

33. What do you think we could
change to make this better?
A Failure Story that Needs Improvement

34. What a Good Failure Story will Demonstrate
Resilience Authenticity Ability to Learn
✓ ✓ ✓

35. Action Items for Upcoming Weeks
1. Skills Matrix Presentations in
Week 4 (January 21-25)
1. Skills Matrix Assignment due
February 1st at 11:59PM on
Canvas: 6 positive and 2 failure
stories
2. Next week is Lecture

36. • 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
Skills Matrix Presentation Format

37. 37
Skills Matrix Presentation
Rubric

38. our plan today
1. Let’s get to know each other
2. Our expectations
3. Putting together a Skills Matrix
4. Housekeeping

39. How to get in touch with me
1. All communications through
comm202.9@sauder.ubc.ca
2. Tutorials
3. Office hours (ad hoc, offered
according to assignment
schedule—keep posted)

40. 40
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