The document provides an overview of the COMM 202 course. It discusses that the StrengthsQuest assignments are due, and students should fill out a form with their email address. The agenda includes an introduction to the TA, course expectations, and creating a skills matrix. The TA then shares about their experiences and personality type. Students are instructed on how to create positive STAR stories and failure stories for their skills matrix, with examples provided. Key due dates are noted. Students are told how to contact the TA with any questions.

1. COMM 202: Career Fundamentals
Theo Guevara
T08 & T15

2. Please Hand In Your StrengthsQuest Assignments
All assignments must be handed in the first 5 minutes of class

3. We need your email address to send you reminders!
Please go to this link and fill out the information:
http://bit.ly/2p0G0QG
Or go to Canvas > Modules > Theo Guevara
Quick
Administrative!

4. Today’s Agenda
Getting To Know Your TA
Course Expectations
Putting Together a Skills Matrix

5. Who Am I?

7. • Extra Curricular Involvements
• Professional Work Experience

8. Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4
Sauder Social Entrepreneurship-
Kenya
Extra Curricular and Work Experience

10. • Personality Type
• Interests
• Failures

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Personality Assessments
Myers Briggs Personality Type
ENFJ
StrengthsQuest Personality Type
..which stands for, extroverted,
intuitive, feeling, and Judging
DescriptionWhatthislookslike
• I usually have a lot of energy and
like to be around people
• I tend to trust my gut feeling and
focus on imagination and creativity
• I use feelings and values to make
decisions
• I like things to be organized and
structured in a logical way
1. Restorative
2. Input
3. Futuristic
4. Belief
5. Strategic
• I rarely let my emotions cloud logic
when making decisions
• I love collecting information because it
may be valuable in the future
• I think about possibilities and how the
future can be shaped
• I let my core values guide my decisions
• I try to stay calm in times of turmoil

12. 12
A few of my interests…

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My personal failure story
When I was teaching in
Kenya, my teaching
style was not received
well by students. Many
stopped coming in the
second week.

14. 14
My personal failure story
In my first three years at
Sauder, I was rejected by
every single case
competition I ever applied
to.

15. 15
The recovery
I did research on Kenyan culture
and economy and integrated it
into our classes. 60 students
graduated from our class and over
15 already have running
businesses and investors.
I took a case-based class called
Leadership and General Management
and got help from the TAs and
classmates. Our team ended up placing
top three in the class for every case.
When I was teaching in
Kenya, my teaching
style was not received
well by students. Many
stopped coming in the
second week.
In my first three years at
Sauder, I was rejected by
every single case
competition I ever applied
to.

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“I have failed over and over again
in my life...and that is why I
succeed.” - Michael Jordan

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2. Course Expectations

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

19. 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 using technology
during class
• NOT PLAGIARIZING
10% of your
course mark
..and how it impacts your final grade

20. …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

21. Most tutorials, you will have
to prepare one assignment,
such as…
• StrengthsQuest
• Skills Matrix
Presentation
• Job Posting Research
• Cover Letter/Resume
draft
• ECR assessment
Each assignment is worth
~2% for a total of 10% in
the course
Weekly tutorial assignments
Assignments will be collected in the first 5 minutes of class. All
assignments handed in late will receive a grade of zero!

22. Most tutorials, you will have
to prepare one assignment,
such as…
• StrengthsQuest
• Skills Matrix
Presentation
• Job Posting Research
• Cover Letter/Resume
draft
• ECR assessment
Each assignment is worth
~2% for a total of 10% in
the course
Weekly tutorial assignments
Assignments will be collected in the first 5 minutes of class. All
assignments handed in late will receive a grade of zero!

23. 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)
30

24. 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

25. What are positive STAR stories?
A positive STAR story is a
structured example of a time
when you exhibited a personal
strength or skill.

26. Step #1: Translating your skills into strengths
1. Individualization
2. Learner
3. Developer
4. Arranger
5. Empathy
StrengthsQuest themes Skills
• Empathy, perceptiveness, thoughtfulness
• Reflective, inquisitive, process-oriented
• Communication, analytical, influence
• Organized, time management, diligent
• Considerate, attentive, insight

27. 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

28. Step #2: Communicating your skills with “STAR” statements
Situation
• During my
internship at PwC I
worked as an
associate in the
assurance service
line.
Task
• During this time I
worked in the
assurance team to
prepare for
upcoming projects.
However, I finished
all my tasks, I
noticed that other
teams needed
support.
Action
• I noticed that the
sustainability
department needed
more help, so I
reached out to
them and explained
my experience in
the field.
• I took the time to
organize all their
ongoing projects to
make it easier for
them to sift through
the information.
Result
• Because of my
willingness to step
in, the
sustainability team
finished their
project a week
earlier than
anticipated and
provided funding
to over 20
sustainable
agriculture
projects.
Link
• I am a highly
effective worker
that is constantly
seeking ways to
make processes
and
communication
more efficient in
any work setting.
Fill out the 5 areas for each of your skills
Skill demonstrated: Initiative

29. 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!

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
• Teaching
business in
Kenya
Misstep
• Did not do
enough
research on
Kenyan
culture and
assumed that
they would
instantly learn
from my
teaching
Failure
• My examples
were irrelevant
and most
students were
confused with
the way that I
taught
• Many students
left the class
after the first
week
• I was left
feeling guilty
that I wasted
their time
Lesson
• The key
takeaways:
1) Preparation
is key,
especially in
new
situations
2) No two
audiences
are the
same, which
is why it is
important to
know who
you’re
speaking to
Action Steps
• I did research
on popular
businesses in
Kenya and
used them in
my examples
• I changed my
teaching style
based on
feedback that I
sought out
from my
students
• 60 students
were able to
graduate, with
over 10 of
them lining up
investments.

32. What a good failure story will demonstrate
Resilience Authenticity Ability to Learn
✓ ✓ ✓

33. Action items for next week
1. One on one signups (optional)
with me for next week
a) Found on Canvas under Modules >
Theo Guevara
2. Skills Matrix drafts due on
September 24th at the start of class:
2 positive and 1 failure stories
3. Final Skills Matrix due October 4th
on Turnitin: 6 positive and 2 failure
stories

34. How to get in touch with me
Call me
maybe?
Email: comm202.10@sauder.ubc.ca
One on ones: sign ups available
here for timeslots next week
Tutorials: feel free to approach
me before or after
Office hours: available
throughout the term as
assignments come up (keep
posted!)

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Questions?
Have a great day!