Career Research Report

Running head: CAREER RESEARCH REQUIREMENTS 1
Report Requirements
For
Career Research Report
(Report II)
Revised August 2019
CAREER RESEARCH REQUIREMENTS 2
Table of Contents
Table of Contents………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..2
1.0 Introduction…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..4
1.1 Course Outline – Need to Read ………………………………………………………………………………..4
2.0 Work Term Report Evaluation…………………………………………………………………………………………4
3.0 Work Term Report Learning Objectives …………………………………………………………………………..5
4.0 Secondary and Primary Research …………………………………………………………………………………….5
5.0 Using Secondary Sources ……………………………………………………………………………………………….6
5.1 Confidential Information ………………………………………………………………………………………….6
5.2 Citations and Policy on Plagiarism…………………………………………………………………………….6
6.0 General Formatting Requirements……………………………………………………………………………………6
7.0 Components of the Report………………………………………………………………………………………..7
7.1 Front Matter……………………………………………………………………………………………………………7
7.1.1 Title Page (1 page) ………………………………………………………………………………………….7
7.1.2 Table of Contents (Maximum 2 pages)………………………………………………………………8
7.2 Current Position…………………………………………………………………………………………………….10
7.2.1 Company Background (Maximum 2 pages) ……………………………………………………..10
7.2.2 Resume (Maximum 2 pages)…………………………………………………………………………..11
7.3 Career Plan Research……………………………………………………………………………………………..11
7.3.1 Identifcation of Desired Career and Industry (Maximum 1 paragraph)…………………11
7.3.2 Analysis of Current Trends Impacting the Industry (Maximum 8 pages) ……………..12
7.3.3 Career Path Research (Maximum 4 pages) ……………………………………………………….13
7.3.4 Summary of Informational Interview (Maximum 4 pages) …………………………………14
7.3.5 Additional Informational Interview Candidates (Maximum 4 pages) …………………..15
7.4 Understanding of Personal and Work Values Survey …………………………………………………16
7.5 References (Maximum 3 pages)………………………………………………………………………………17
7.6 Appendices (Maximum 10 pages)……………………………………………………………………………17
8.0 Submission Process………………………………………………………………………………………………………17
8.1 Late Policy…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..18
Appendix A – Report Grading Rubric ………………………………………………………………………………….19
CAREER RESEARCH REQUIREMENTS 3
Appendix B – Format for Interview Transcript ……………………………………………………………….20
Appendix C: Steps to save a Word file in PDF format …………………………………………………….21
CAREER RESEARCH REQUIREMENTS 4
1.0 Introduction
This document provides an outline of the requirements of the work term report portion of the
COMM3801 course. The work term report is considered your final exam for this course. Final
copies of the work term report are not returned to the student but are kept on file for six months
and then destroyed. As indicated in the course outline, failure to pass this report will result in a
failure of the course COMM3801.
1.1 Course Outline – Need to Read
It is important to read the course outline for essential information not included in this
report requirements document.
2.0 Work Term Report Evaluation
As an accredited co-op university program, students are required to submit a project / assignment
at the end of each co-op work term to achieve academic credit. So, this report is a requirement of
the Bachelor of Commerce Co-op degree program and represents the academic portion of the
work term for which you receive academic credit. Failure to pass this report will result in a
failure of COMM3801.
To help ensure that the work term report grading process is transparent, and the comments are
constructive, the Instructor will complete a grading rubric for each student’s work term report.
For reference, a sample of the grading rubric is included in Appendix A.
Each work term report evaluation will result in a grade of Pass (P) or Marginal Fail (FM) or
Fail (F). An explanation of each work term report grade is presented below.
Passing Grade (P) – The work term report must achieve a grade of 60% or better according to the
rubric at the end of this course outline to receive a passing grade.
Marginal Failing Grade (FM) – If a student receives a grade of less than 60% or missed the due
date without prior approval for the original report submission, a grade of “FM” will be
received for COMM3801.
Failing Grade (F) – If a student receives less than 60% or missed the due date without prior
approval on a resubmitted report, a grade of “FAIL” will be received for COMM3801. This
means both the actual work term and the work term report must be repeated.
Grades of “FM” remain on a student’s transcript even if the student passes the resubmitted work
term report. If a student receives a grade of less than 60% on the resubmitted report, the student
must repeat COMM3801 (both the actual work term and the work term report). Even though the
grades of the original and second attempt appear on the academic transcript, the lower grade will
be ignored for the Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) calculation. Therefore, it is strongly
advised that students follow the work term guidelines and contact the work term instructor with
any questions.
CAREER RESEARCH REQUIREMENTS 5
Resubmission Procedure for Report
The instructor will send an email to students who must resubmit their work term report via only
their Dalhousie email. Each email will include a completed rubric as well as the work term report
with comments for the student to review and make changes. The timing of when resubmit emails
are sent varies each semester based on the number of reports which must be graded. Students are
responsible for checking their Dalhousie email regularly for messaging from the instructor. The
following requirements must be met for the resubmission to be marked:
1. It must be a complete work term report. It is not acceptable to resubmit only the revised
sections of a work term report.
2. An electronic version of your revised report must be submitted as per the instructor’s
instructions.
3. A resubmitted report must be received by the deadline set by the instructor. The Late
Policy outlined below explains the results of missing the resubmission deadline.
3.0 Work Term Report Learning Objectives
The objectives of the COMM3801 work term report are as follows:
• Description of current co-op employer and an up to date resume which includes both co-op
positions;
• Create research skills to assist in determining a career path in terms of the industry and
positions need to achieve a desired career; and
• Acquire skills to plan, conduct, and document an informational interview.
4.0 Secondary and Primary Research
Your report will require both secondary and primary research.
Secondary research will be required to complete the Company Background Section and several
sub-sections in the Career Research Plan. Students are expected to include a minimum of eight
credible secondary sources for this work term report. Please note, Wikipedia is NOT a
credible source. Internal company sources can be used however, all this information must be
cited using APA format. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure any information not
accessed from a public source (i.e. internet) is not confidential and your employer approves of
the information being used in a student report.
Primary research is mandatory for your informational interview. You are required to include
a typed transcript of your informational interview in the required format outlined in
Appendix B. The transcript should include verbatim answers not a paraphrase or summarize
response in your own words. If during your informational interview industry trends are discussed
this primary source DOES NOT take the place of the secondary sources you are expected to use
in the industry section of the report.
Please Note: Informal conversations are hearsay, not credible, and are inadmissible as research
sources. In addition, personal experience is not considered a credible source.
CAREER RESEARCH REQUIREMENTS 6
5.0 Using Sources Responsibly
You will consult more than one source while researching your report. Regardless of whether you
use primary sources or secondary sources, you need to take precautions to handle the material
ethically. Do not repeat what someone has said without providing appropriate citations.
5.1 Confidential Information
Many employers become concerned that student work term reports will create breaches of
company confidentiality. It is the student’s responsibility to obtain permission to use any
internal information in their work term report. Be clear with your supervisor about what
sources of data or information you will use in your report. Be aware that your employer
may refuse to allow you to use certain information.
5.2 Citations and Policy on Plagiarism
Use the APA documentation style to cite ideas AND quotations you take from other
pieces of writing, whether published or unpublished. Such sources might include articles
(from newspapers, magazines, or scholarly journals), websites, government reports,
company documents, personal interviews and personal correspondence (including email).
Cite your source even if you do not use exact quotations. Borrowed ideas must be credited
to the original author.
If you use direct quotes, page numbers must be provided in your citation. Failure to give
proper credit to another author constitutes plagiarism. Also, it is considered self-plagiarism
to submit in one course a piece of writing you have already submitted in another course. At
Dalhousie University, plagiarism is a serious academic offence that can result in loss of
credit, suspension, or expulsion. If you have doubts about whether or not you have
properly cited your sources, it is best to consult the Instructor as soon as possible in order
to fix any omissions, and to make your intentions clear.
Refer to the course outline for a full discussion of academic integrity.
6.0 General Formatting Requirements
• Page Size – Letter-sized (8.5” x 11”)
• Line Spacing – Double line spacing except for the resume and transcript which should
be single line spaced.
• Font Size – Typed in Times New Roman in 12 point type.
• Running Head and Page Numbers – Each page should have a running head and page
numbers as per APA format. Refer to Section 7.1.1 and Section 7.1.2 for an example of
header format.
• Sourcing Secondary Information – Minimum of eight external credible secondary
sources are required for this work term report (Wikipedia is NOT a credible source).
Secondary sources are required to support information included in the following
sections: Company Background, Industry Analysis and Career/Position Research. All
secondary information in this report MUST have in-text citation AND be listed on a
CAREER RESEARCH REQUIREMENTS 7
reference page as per the APA guidelines located at:
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/1/.
Direct quotes as well as any ideas or information taken from another source (even
company information) written in your own words must be sourced. Borrowed ideas
must be credited to the original author or it is considered plagiarism.
• Interview Transcript Format- MUST BE typed single line spacing and follow the
format outlined in Appendix B. Do not paraphrase your interviewee’s responses. If you
tape your interview you MUST notify the interviewee that the interview is being
recorded.
• Report Length – Maximum length of each section indicated in the requirements below
will be strictly followed. It is important to ensure your writing is concise.
• Proofreading – Your report should be computer-generated (i.e. typed) and free from
spelling and grammatical errors.
• Language – ALL MATERIAL in the work term report must be in English for the
material to be marked.
7.0 Components of the Report
Following writing conventions can sometimes make or break a business deal. Responses to
Requests for Proposals, for example, often must fit into very strict length specifications or into
an inflexible form. In addition, a document which contains spelling and grammar errors will
directly impact an employer’s perception of future work product. This work term report gives
you practice in meeting formatting requirements (i.e. section lengths) and developing the copy
editing skills that give documents a distinctly professional polish. Even if you have prepared a
work term report in the past, please read the following specifications carefully to ensure you
complete the work term report requirements for this course.
7.1 Front Matter
Front matter must be neatly and accurately presented so that it effectively orients your
reader to your report.
7.1.1 Title Page (1 page)
The title page must include an APA format running head and the following
information in the order and format indicated below.
CAREER RESEARCH REQUIREMENTS 8
Running head: CAREER RESEARCH 1
CAREER RESEARCH REPORT
Work Term Report II
COMM3801
Name
Banner Number
Dalhousie Email Address
Fall 2019
Dalhousie University
Bachelor of Commerce, Co-operative Education
Informational Interviewee Contact Information
Full Name:
Position Title:
Company Name:
Mailing Address:
Email Address:
Phone Number:
7.1.2 Table of Contents (Maximum 2 pages)
The Table of Contents page is included to show the section headings and format which
should be included in the report. Ensure sections headings in the report and the Table
of Contents are identical. Note, it includes a running head and page number in APA
format.
CAREER RESEARCH REQUIREMENTS 9
CAREER RESEARCH 2
Table of Contents
Table of Contents …………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 2
List of Tables…………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 3
List of Figures …………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 3
Current Position……………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 4
Company Background ……………………………………………………………………………………….. 4
Resume…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 6
Career Plan Research………………………………………………………………………………………………… 7
Identification of Desired Career and Industry ……………………………………………………….. 7
Industry Trends Analysis……………………………………………………………………………………. 7
Political Trends Analysis………………………………………………………………………………. 7
Economic Trends Analysis……………………………………………………………………………. 9
Social Trends Analysis……………………………………………………………………………….. 11
Techonological Trends Analysis………………………………………………………………….. 13
Career Path Research……………………………………………………………………………………….. 15
Summary of Informtional Interview…………………………………………………………………… 18
Additional Informational Interview Candidates…………………………………………………… 22
References…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 26
Appendix A: Additional Tables and Figures (only if needed)………………………………………. 28
Appendix B: Informational Interview Transcript………………………………………………………… 30
CAREER RESEARCH REQUIREMENTS 10
If your report includes tables and/or figures (not required), you will need to list these
in a separate section on a page following the Table of Contents. You are to create a list
of tables and a list of figures. These lists are considered part of the Table of Contents
but appear on a separate page, immediately following the Table of Contents page.
Each list identifies its components by number (ex. Figure 3.2), title and page number.
Do not list any tables and figures that appear in the appendices. See an example
below.
[THESE ARE ON THE PAGE FOLLOWING THE TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE]
List of Tables
Table 1: Industry Growth …………………………………………………………………………………………. 7
Table 2: Population by Area ……………………………………………………………………………………… 8
Table 3: Inflation Rate………………………………………………………………………………………………. 9
List of Figures
Figure 1: Cell Phone Use by Market ………………………………………………………………………….. 8
Figure 2: Rate of Techonology Change ………………………………………………………………………. 9
Figure 3: Unemployment Rate …………………………………………………………………………………. 10
7.2 Current Position
In this section of the report you will describe the company you worked for during this work
term. In addition, you will include an up to date resume which includes your two work
term positions. Indicated below are the expectations for each sub-section along with
required lengths.
7.2.1 Company Background (Maximum 2 pages)
Describe the company in terms of its corporate structure, key markets and
product/service offerings. Indicate the location of headquarters as well as other key
locations. Give a general description of the organization’s mission/vision as well as an
estimation of the total staff count.
Identify one main direct competitor of the company and explain what makes this
company a direct competitor. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure none of the
CAREER RESEARCH REQUIREMENTS 11
information included in this section is confidential information therefore it is
essential you confirm the information included with your supervisor if the information
is not obtained from a public information source (i.e. internet).
Do not assume information provided in this section is common knowledge. All
secondary information including internal company information must be sourced
using APA format which includes both in-text citation and a reference page. Not
citing secondary information is considered plagiarism.
IMPORTANT: This section must have secondary sources for it to be credible and
all secondary information must be sourced using APA format which includes both
in-text citation and a reference page. Personal experience and informal
conversations are not credible secondary research sources, so both are inadmissible.
Not citing secondary information is considered plagiarism.
7.2.2 Resume (Maximum 2 pages)
For use in future co-op work terms, this document should be up to date (i.e. include
both to work terms which have been completed) and conform to the conventions
preferred by Management Career Services in the Work Term Orientation Book. If
you are unable to access the book an electronic version can be accessed on the course
website. In addition, please remember there are resources to assist you with your
resume in Module Five in the Commerce Orientation Course you completed on
Brightspace.
7.3 Career Plan Research
This portion of the report requires a discussion of the career and industry you desire to be
employed in five to seven years as well as research into the career path to achieve your
desired career. Part of your career research involves conducting an informational interview
with someone in a role / job that you aspire to be in yourself. Each of the subsections
described below need to be related. An explanation of each subsection as well as a required
length is indicated below.
IMPORTANT: This section must have secondary sources for it to be credible and all
secondary information must be sourced using APA format which includes both in-text
citation and a reference page. Personal experience and informal conversations are not
credible secondary research sources, so both are inadmissible. Not citing secondary
information is considered plagiarism.
7.3.1 Identification of Desired Career and Industry (Maximum 1 paragraph)
Thinking of five to seven years, identify a career and an industry in which you
would like to be employed. Provide a brief description of the desired career and then
describe the industry including the industry code, size in terms of revenue or number
of companies as well as its annual growth (or decline).
CAREER RESEARCH REQUIREMENTS 12
Use the following link to identify the industry classification code:
http://dal.ca.libguides.com/business/industry
7.3.2 Analysis of Current Trends Impacting the Industry (Maximum 8 pages)
Once a career and an industry has been described the current trends impacting the
industry need to be identified and analyzed in terms of how each trend is
impacting the industry. Your analysis of how the current trend is impacting the
industry is a very important and must be evidence-based, since you are writing an
analytical section, not an opinion piece. Do not just list or describes trends as you are
expected to include analysis in terms of how each trend has or is or will impact the
industry. Just listing trends without analyzing is insufficient.
Sources which provide industry trends and reports can be found at:
1. Library Guide – http://dal.ca.libguides.com/business/industry – Contact the
Subject Specialist on this webpage directly for assistance.
Examples of databases you can access for the COMM3801 work term report are:
• ABI INFORM Trade & Industry Information (ProQuest)
➢ Contains more than 700 publications on every major industry, including
finance, insurance, transportation, construction, and many more.
• BUSINESS SOURCE COMPLETE (EBSCO)
➢ Contains over 10,000 scholarly business journals and other sources,
including full text for more than 1,150 peer-reviewed business publications,
SWOT analyses, industry profiles, company profiles and market research
reports.
2. VAULT on MyCareer under “Career Resources” can provide a starting point for
your industry trends research. Please remember you need a minimum of six
secondary sources.
For all research you gather, you are expected to use APA guidelines to do in-text
citation AND list your references. An APA Style guide is available online at
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/1/ or
http://libraries.dal.ca/content/dam/dalhousie/pdf/library/Style_Guides/apa_style6.pdf.
The specific current trends which should be discussed are political, economic, social
and technological which are explained in detail below.
Political Trends
Describe any pertinent current trends in the regulatory or political climate such as:
ecological/environmental legislation or pending legislation; regulatory bodies and
processes; federal or provincial government policies; upcoming or recent
government elections; international trade/export policies; available funding,
grants or initiatives; any domestic or international tension or pressure groups;
potential or existing wars and conflicts. Note you do not have to include
CAREER RESEARCH REQUIREMENTS 13
everything on this list – only identify and analyze the trends pertinent to your
industry.
Economic Trends
Describe any pertinent current trends in the economic climate such as: general
economic conditions in Canada or in the USA or overseas; general taxation as
well as taxation specific to your industry’s product/service; seasonality issues;
market/trade cycles; market routes trends; distribution trends; interest and
exchange rates; or international trade and monetary issues. Note you do not have
to include everything on this list – only identify and analyze the trends pertinent
to your industry.
Social Trends
Describe any pertinent current trends in the social climate such as: lifestyle trends;
demographics; consumer attitudes and opinions; media views; legal outcomes
affecting social factors; brand significance, company image attitudes, consumer
buying patterns; impact of and identification of role models or idealized
organizations, major events and influences; buying access and trends;
ethnic/religious influences; advertising and publicity impacts; and ethical issues.
Note you do not have to include everything on this list – only identify and analyze
the trends pertinent to your industry.
Technological Trends
Describe any pertinent current trends in the social climate such as: competing
technology development; available research funding; associated/dependent
technologies; replacement technology/solutions; maturity of technology;
manufacturing maturity and capacity; information and communications; consumer
buying mechanisms/technology; technology legislation; innovation potential;
technology access, licensing, patents; intellectual property issues; global
communications. Note you do not have to include everything on this list – only
identify and analyze the trends pertinent to your industry.
7.3.3 Career Path Research (Maximum 4 pages)
Conduct secondary research into your desired career path. Research needs to include
the position when you first graduate AND the next position you will be promoted to
in order to achieve your desired career. For each position include the following:
identify the position title, describe the skills and abilities required, education and/or
professional designations needed, examples of tasks to be completed and estimated
compensation/salary. The information in this section must be written in paragraph
format and be written in your own words. Do not cut and paste directly from a
secondary source (NO quotes). Please note, this research can be done even if you are
planning on being entrepreneur.
CAREER RESEARCH REQUIREMENTS 14
Listed below are two possible sources which will assistance in researching your career
path. In addition, positions posted on employers’ websites are other possible sources
of information. Ensure all secondary information in this section has in-text citation
and is listed on a reference page as per the APA guidelines at:
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/1/.
1. Career Cruising – Go to the link – https://public.careercruising.com/en/. To sign into
the system, please use the following:
Username: Dalhousie Password: Lawson
2. Government of Canada Job Bank – http://www.jobbank.gc.ca/homeeng.do?lang=eng
IMPORTANT: This section must have secondary sources for it to be credible and
all information that has been paraphrased from a secondary source must be
sourced using APA format which includes both in-text citation and a reference
page. Personal experience and informal conversations are not credible secondary
research sources, so both are inadmissible. Not citing secondary information is
considered plagiarism.
7.3.4 Summary of Informational Interview (Maximum 4 pages)
The summary needs to start with a description of the primary data collection process.
It should include the name, title and company of the individual interviewed, method of
data collection (in person or by phone or by skype), length of the interview as well as
when and where it was completed.
Next, this section needs to include a summary of what you learned from an
informational interview with an individual in the second position that you discussed
in the Career Research Path Section (previous section). This may or may not be your
supervisor however; the individual interviewed cannot be a family member (i.e.
mother, father, brother, sister, cousin, etc.).
Students will need to plan, conduct and document (i.e. transcript including questions
and verbatim answers) an interview a minimum of 30 minutes to a maximum of 60
minutes. The interview must be conducted either in-person or via skype or by
telephone. To obtain the verbatim answers it is strongly recommended you record the
interview, however, ensure you tell the interviewee the interview is being recorded.
Choose which of these three media is most appropriate for your interviewee.
Interviews conducted via email will NOT be accepted or marked.
Be creative (yet respectful) with your questions. Provided below is a sample of just a
few questions you might ask however, you are also expected to develop or design
some of your own questions tailored to your situation/position, organization and/or
individual you are interviewing. Ensure the questions are asked in a logical order as
question order will have a significant impact on the effectiveness of the interview.
CAREER RESEARCH REQUIREMENTS 15
• What skills, competencies, further education / training, designations, or other
prerequisites are required to fulfill your role?
• Are there specific networks or associations that one should belong to in order to
fulfill your role?
• What do you like best / love about your job?
• What do you like least about your job?
• Did you have a mentor? If so, how did it help you? Would you recommend a
mentor for others pursuing your role? Would you consider being a mentor yourself?
• What would you do differently if you could start your career over again?
• Is work / life balance suitable for / possible in this job?
• Do you have any other advice for me or future incumbents of this role?
Your report must include the following information:
1. On the cover page of the report complete contact information must be
provided for the individual you interviewed as a random sampling will be
conducted to ensure the legitimacy of the interviews. If contact information is not
included your informational interview and any report sections based on the
interview information will not be marked. Please include the following
information on the title page of your report:
Full Name:
Position Title:
Company Name:
Mailing Address:
Email Address:
Phone Number:
2. In an appendix to your report, a complete typed transcript of the interview
including questions and verbatim responses must be provided. The format the
transcript should follow has been included in Appendix B. If the transcript is not
included, then this section and the summary interview section can’t be marked.
7.3.5 Additional Informational Interview Candidates (Maximum 4 pages)
Identify three more potential informational interviewees. For each individual include
contact information (full name, position title, company, mailing address, email address
and phone number) and describe why they would be a valuable or appropriate
interviewee. Contact information for each individual must be included in this section
even though you do not actually conduct the interview for this report. Remember that
obtaining multiple points of view is important so ensure that the interviewees do not
work for the same organization. Even if you are interested in working for a particular
organization it is important to obtain opinions of individuals not working for that
company.
CAREER RESEARCH REQUIREMENTS 16
7.4 Understanding of Personal and Work Values Survey
As per the email you received in January from Management Career Services, this
section of your work term report relates to a study being conducted by Scott Comber,
and several other individuals (Jenny Baechler, Mary Donahue, Anna Cranston,
Kathleen Wooden and Liz Wilson), to better understand the values (personal and
work) of Millennial business students over the course of your commerce program. The
study involves completing an on-line Opinio administrated survey five times during
the course of your Bachelor of Commerce program as explained below.
• First Survey: Before you start your first co-op work term (January 7 to February
8, 2019) – email from Management Career Services
• Second Survey: Within one month of completing your first work term (deadline
May 9th, 2019) – Comm 2801 work term report
• Third Survey: Within one month of completing your second work term
(December 9, 2019 to January 9, 2020) – Comm 3801 work term report
• Fourth Survey: Within one month of completing your third work term, (mid
August to early September 2020 – specific dates to be confirmed) – Comm 3802
work term report
• Firth Survey: One year of full-time employment (after graduating from the
program – specific dates to be confirmed).
The on-line survey related to your Comm3801 work term report will be available for
completion between 9am December 9
th to 4pm January 9
th on Opinio. The link to the
survey will be posted on your Comm3801 course on Brightspace early December. The
survey will take approximately 10-15 minutes to complete and can only be completed
during this time period.
You will receive a point for completing the survey as part of their work term report
however, it is completely your decision as to whether you want to include your data as
part of the research. The point is awarded for completing the survey not for
participation in the study. You need to complete this survey as part of your work term
report, even if you did not complete the first survey in January. Nothing for this
section is included in your written report.
The personal benefit of completing the survey is that you will receive a summary
report by email each time you complete the survey that will provide you with a better
understanding of your personal and work values, and how these may change over the
course of your program. Increased self-awareness of your values may also contribute
to your ability to align your values with those of organizations where you may wish to
work for in the future.
If you have any questions about this study, please contact Scott Comber
(scott.comber@dal.ca). If you have technical questions about the survey please contact
Liz Wilson (Lisette.wilson@dal.ca)
CAREER RESEARCH REQUIREMENTS 17
7.5 References (As many pages as needed)
This section is mandatory. Every analysis needs secondary sources and all sources need to
have both in-text citation and be listed on a reference page as per APA format. Remember
that in-text citation is required whether it is a direct quote or rephrased information of
another author. Follow the APA Guidelines to create your References page, as well as intext citations. Refer to
http://libraries.dal.ca/content/dam/dalhousie/pdf/library/Style_Guides/apa_style6.pdf or
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/1/.
Note: This is called “References” and NOT “Works Cited” or “Bibliography”.
7.6 Appendices (Maximum 10 pages)
A typed transcript in single line spacing of the informational interview (format for the
questions and verbatim responses is included in Appendix B of this document) must be
provided in an appendix to your report. In addition, the appendices may (not required)
contain tables or figures which are too large to include in the body of the report. Assign
letters to each appendix in the order the material is presented in your report (Appendix A,
Appendix B, etc.). If you include material in an appendix, you need to discuss the
information in the body of the report and indicate to the reader where the transcript and
tables and/figures are located.
8.0 Report Submission Process – Electronic Submission
Report submitted in electronic format only.
• DUE DATE AND TIME: 4pm Atlantic Standard Time Thursday January 9, 2020
• FILE FORMAT: Report MUST be a Word file saved in PDF format as reports are
required to go through the plagiarism software before being marked. PDF files created by
scanning will NOT be accepted. Student who upload an incorrect file format will be required
to upload files in the correct PDF format with identical content by a deadline provide by the
instructor for their report to be marked. Incorrect file formats will result in a 15% deduction
to the final report mark. Reports which have been modified from the original submission will
not be marked.
DIRECTIONS on how to save a Word file as a PDF found on the Comm3801 course website
and in Appendix C to this document.
• FILE NAME: Last name First name 3801 F2019.pdf
(i.e. Wooden Kathleen Comm3801 F2019.pdf)
• SUBMISSION LOCATION: Course Comm3801 on Brightspace
When submitting your report ensure you have complete contact information on the title page
of your report for the individual you interviewed as a random sampling will be conducted to
ensure the legitimacy of the interviews. The contact information should include full name,
CAREER RESEARCH REQUIREMENTS 18
position title, company, mailing address, email address and phone number. If contact
information is not included the interview and any information related to the interview will not be
marked.
8.1 Late Policy
Since all work term courses (Comm2801, Comm3801 and Comm3802) are classified as
work intregated learning and the report is considered your final exam for each course the
Student Declaration of Absence does not apply to any work term courses. Click here to view
the full policy.
Failure to submit the original work term report by the due date without prior approval
means the student will receive a grade of “Marginal Fail” for the work term report which
will stay on their transcript. The student will be provided with one more opportunity to
submit the report. If the second submission deadline is missed the student will receive a
grade of “Fail” for the work term report and will need to redo both the work term and report.
Extensions will only be considered for medical and compassionate reasons or other
extenuating circumstances. Please note that situations such as computer breakdown, lost
computer files, lost/stolen computer, academic exchanges, supervisor absence, busy
schedules, travel delays, not checking Dalhousie email and other situations that students
should anticipate and plan for will not be considered as acceptable reasons for work term
report deadline extension.
To seek an extension, the student must contact the Instructor before the deadline and
medical notes must be submitted to the Undergraduate Advising Office, 2nd floor, room
2086 of the Kenneth C. Rowe Management Building. Please refer to the university’s
academic regulation 16.8 for more information.
CAREER RESEARCH REQUIREMENTS 19
Appendix A: Work Term Report Grading Rubric
Comm 3801
September, 2019
Instructor: Kathleen Wooden
Email: kathleen.wooden@dal.ca
Grade
0 – 5
Insufficient description of company background which includes some or none of the following
corporate structure, mission/vision, and estimation
of the staff count. Description of one main competitor
is inadequate or missing. Secondary sources may or may not have been used.
0 – 5 One to two page resume does not include two work
term experiences to date and/or follows only a few of
the guidelines for an effective resume outlined in the
Commerce Co-op Orientation or resume is missing.
0
Inadequate or no description of the desired career
and/or industry (code, size and growth)in which the
student aspires to work in five to seven years after
graduation. Secondary sources may or may not have
been used.
0 – 5
Insufficient identification and/or analysis of the
current PEST (Political, Economic, Social and
Technological) trends or section is missing.
Secondary sources may or may not have been used.
0 – 5
Inadequate or missing identification of career path to
achieve a desired career. Includes first two positions
or only one position in the career path. Each position
does not include the following information: title,
skills and abilities required, education and/or
professional designations needed, tasks to be
completed and estimated compensation/salary.
Section may/may not be written in paragraph format
in the students words (may use quotes). Secondary
sources may or may not have been used.
0 – 5
Extremely limited or no summary of primary data
collection process (name, title and company of the
individual interviewed, method of data collection,
length of the interview, when and where) and/or
informational interview. Or individual interviewed is
not in a position desired to be achieved in five to
seven years after graduation.
0 – 4
Identification of fewer than three interviewees in the
student’s ideal career / job role. Or a lack of a
description of why each individual would be valuable
and/or incomplete contact information. Or no
additional informational interview sources are
included.
0 – 5
Interview is poorly planned (i.e. not long enough or
questions inappropriate) and/or inadequately
documented or not documented (i.e. no transcript or
transcript format not followed) and / or interviewee
does not meet requirements. May or may not include
contact information for interviewee on title page.
0 – 5
In-text citations and/ or reference list follows only a
few or none of the APA guidelines.
0 – 2 Only a few or no formatting requirements are
followed (i.e. header, page numbering, font, line
spacing, section length, layout, margins, font type
and size, etc.).
0 – 8
Language is unprofessional. Assistance provided by
The Writing Centre (writingcentre@dal.ca) or
International Student Success Program – ISSP
(Oksana.Shkurska@Dal.Ca).
100 Total Grade Revised August 2019
Personal and Work Place Values
Survey
1
Survey on personal and workplace values can ONLY be completed on Opinio between 9am December 9th until 4pm January 9th (link to survey found
posted on Brightspace). Completion of the survey is part of the work term report however, it is the student’s decision as to whether their data will be
included as part of the research study.
Values Survey – 1 Point
Grammar and spelling are appropriate for
business report.
Writing Style – 15 Points
On occasion, language is unprofessional or
spelling / sentence structure is distracting.
Sufficiently planned interview (i.e. interview
length is between 30 to 60 minutes, questions mostly relevant, few unique questions, some logic
to the order of questions, etc.) Interviewee meets
all of requirements and transcript format is
followed. Complete contact information for
interviewee included on title page.
Well planned interview (i.e. interview length is
between 30 to 60 minutes, questions all
relevant, few unique questions, logical order of
questions, etc.) Interviewee meets all of
requirements and transcript format is followed.
Complete contact information for interviewee
included on title page.
Research and General Report Formatting – 15 Points
Format
12 – 15
Concise description of the primary data
collection process (name, title and company of
the individual interviewed, method of data
collection, length of the interview, when and where). Succinct summarization of key
information learned from an informational
interview with an individual in a desired
position five to seven years after graduation.
Additional
Informational
Interview
Sources
Summary of
Informational
Interview
Identification and detailed description of the
career path to achieve a desired career.
Includes first two positions in the career path.
Each position includes a title, skills and abilities
required, education and/or professional
designations needed, tasks to be completed
and estimated compensation/salary. Written in
pragraph format in the students words (no
quotes) and uses secondary sources.
Identification of
Desired Career
and Industry
Concise description of the desired career and
industry (code, size and growth) in which the
student aspires to work in five to seven years
after graduation. Secondary sources used.
Industry
Research
7 – 8
Career Path
Research
Identification of three additional potential
informational interviewees with complete
contact information and a succinct description
of why each individual would be a valuable or
appropriate interviewee.
Complete interviewee contact information on title page and interview transcript in an appendix must be included for this section to be marked.
Resume
Succinct description of company background which includes corporate structure, mission/vision, and estimation of the staff
count. Identification of one main direct
competitor with a concise explanation of what makes the company a direct competitor.
Secondary sources used.
Adequate description of company background which includes all or most of the following
corporate structure, mission/vision, and estimation
of the staff count. Identification of one main direct
competitor with a sufficient explanation of what makes the company a direct competitor.
Secondary sources used.
One to two page resume containing up-to-date
information on two co-op work terms which follows
several of the guidelines for an effective resume
outlined in the Commerce Co-op Orientation.
Sufficient description of the desired career and
industry (code, size and growth) in which the
student aspires to work in five to seven years after
graduation. Secondary sources used.
Career Plan Research – 49 Points – Each section in this part of the report should be related to your desired career.
Adequate identification and brief analysis of the
current PEST (Political, Economic, Social and
Technological) trends impacting the industry
identified. Secondary sources used.
6 – 7
8 – 10 6 – 7
Thorough analysis of the impact of the current
PEST (Political, Economic, Social and
Technological) trends on the industry
identified. Secondary sources used.
One to two page resume containing up-to-date
information on two co-op work terms which
follows all or most of the guidelines for an
effective resume outlined in the Commerce Coop Orientation.
8 – 10 6 – 7
Work Term II Report Grading Rubric
Area
Student ID:
Required elements for the report to be marked:
Student Name:
Feedback
PASS / MARIGNAL FAIL / FAIL
1st Submission -> Pass – 60 or above Marginal Fail – Less than 60
2nd Submission -> Pass – 60 or above Fail – Less than 60
Current Position – 20 Points
Company
Background
8 – 10
8 – 10
6 – 7
2 1
Identification and adequate description of the
career path to achieve a desired career. Inlcudes
first two positions in the career path. Each position
includes several of the following information: title,
skills and abilities required, education and/or
professional designations needed, tasks to be
completed and estimated compensation/salary. Written in paragraph format in the students words
(no quotes) and uses secondary sources.
8 – 9 6 – 7
Complete interviewee contact information must be included on title page for this section to be marked.
Identification of three additional potential
informational interviewees with complete or the majority of contact information and an adequate
description of why each individual would be a
valuable or appropriate interviewee.
6 – 5
Satisfactory description of the primary data
collection process (name, title and company of the
individual interviewed, method of data collection,
length of the interview, when and where).
Adequate summarization of key information
learned from an informational interview with an
individual in a desired position five to seven years
after graduation.
6 – 7
Uploaded File
Format
8 – 10
6 – 7
5 3 – 4
Sourcing follows several of the APA guidelines for
in-text citations and reference list.
9 – 11
Several of the formatting requirements are
followed (i.e. header, page numbering, font, line
spacing, section length, margins, layout, font type
and size, etc.).
Sourcing follows all or most of the APA
guidelines for in-text citations and reference
list.
Formatting requirements are followed (i.e.
header, page numbering, font, line spacing,
section length, layout, margins, font type and
size, etc.).
8 – 10
15% Grade Deduction for incorrect file format submission
Informational
Interview
Transcript
(Appendix)
Text / Writing
APA Citation
Format
Incorrect file formats will result in a 15% deduction in the total grade. Report MUST be a Word file saved in PDF format. PDF files created by scanning will
NOT be accepted. Student who upload an incorrect file format will be required to upload a file in the correct format with identical content by a deadline
provide by the instructor for their report to be marked.
CAREER RESEARCH REQUIREMENTS 20
Appendix B: Format for Interview Transcript
Interviewer: Particularly in regard to design and development, what are your duties as a
mechanical engineer?
Interviewee: Do you mean before I took this position or in this position.
Interviewer: Both.
Interviewee: In my position I have now, about half of my time is devoted to counseling and
registration and other issues like that. About thirty to forty percent of my time is involved with
teaching, doing preparation, helping out in the labs, and helping students. About five to ten
percent of my time is spent being involved in academic committees and working with
administrative items.
Interviewer: Do you do any research?
Interviewee: Most of my research is education-related. I have a grant from the National Science
Foundation to put some CNC machines in the student labs to teach students.
Interviewer: What types of research did you do before when you were an associate
professor?
Interviewee: I worked primarily with acoustics and noise control, with my emphasis being in
active noise and vibration control. I worked with the aircraft fuselage and all of the vibrations
and noises created in there and limiting their effects on the cockpit. Of course, automobile
engines are also very noisy being so close to the driver. I also worked with compressors. I
worked with really small compressors to really big compressors. I worked on small refrigeration
units using passive and active control techniques. You’d be surprised at how big an issue
refrigerator noise is overseas, in Europe and Asia with their tight living conditions. I also worked
with huge engine compressors of up to sixty horsepower. That’s really big for a university, you
know. I also worked with reciprocating compressors, screw compressors, scroll compressors, and
rotary compressors.
CAREER RESEARCH REQUIREMENTS 21
Appendix C: Steps to Save a Word File in PDF format
1. Go to File tab.
2. Select SAVE AS.
3. Insert proper file name then select PDF for Save as type.
4. Upload the PDF file to your Comm3801 course on Brightspace by 4pm (Atlantic
Standard Time) January 9, 2020.