Week 4 Assignment Template: Reflecting on Your Skills, Goals, and Accomplishments
Part 1: About Me: Reflection on Goals, Strengths, and Areas of Growth
Answer the following questions in your own words to capture how you see yourself in terms of values, aspirations, key qualities, goals, strengths, and areas of growth:
- What are your values, motivations, or aspirations?
- What are some of your main personal, academic, and professional goals?
(Make sure to write five or more complete sentences.) - What are some of your strength areas? Think about the top 2–3 skills you would advertise about yourself, or consider what others come to you for advice about.
(Make sure to write five or more complete sentences.) - What are some areas you would like to grow and improve in?
(Make sure to write five or more complete sentences.)
Part 2: Accomplishment Statements
Accomplishments don’t have to be as large as climbing the top of Mount Everest or starting your own company. We accomplish many things that have meaning every day. For example, perhaps you organized volunteers for your school’s food drive or made an extremely profitable sale. Or, if you’re more advanced in your career, perhaps you’ve received a promotion or special recognition.
Review the Accomplishment Categories to help you identify two accomplishments from work, school, volunteering, or other activities and practice communicating them using the formats below.
Your Two Accomplishment Statements Using Brainstorming Format
Step 1: Write two accomplishment statements using the brainstorming format: Challenge, Action, Result, and Details, which is explained below.
| Challenge | What was the situation, problem, or requirement?
[Example of response from someone with retail management experience: An increase in customer complaints about the helpfulness of staff.] |
| Action | What specific actions did you take to resolve or meet the challenge?
[Example: Developed a new training program for staff, got approval from district manager, and once approved implemented it with a regular review process.] |
| Result | What benefit was created in specific and measurable terms? (Be sure to tie results to the organization’s goals when possible.)
[Example: After three months, customer complaints decreased.] |
| Details | What clarifying details, such as numbers or percentages, can provide context? (Consider answering how many, how much, how long, or how often.)
[Example: Previously, customer complaints averaged four per week. After three months, complaints averaged one or fewer per week.] |
Accomplishment Statement #1: Write your accomplishment statement, in your own words, using the brainstorming format in the boxes below.
| Challenge | |
| Action | |
| Result | |
| Details |
Accomplishment Statement #2: Write your accomplishment statement, in your own words, using the brainstorming format in the boxes below.
| Challenge | |
| Action | |
| Result | |
| Details |
Your Two Concise Accomplishments Statements Using Résumé Format
Step 2: The two accomplishment statements you wrote in Step 1 above will help you write your two accomplishment statements concisely using either of the two résumé format options below. (Note: you will not be completing a résumé).
-
Résumé Format Option 1: Result + action + brief description with clarifying details.
- Example: Decreased customer complaints from three per week to one or fewer per week by training staff and implementing a regular review process.
-
Résumé Format Option 2: Action + brief description with clarifying details + results.
- Example: Trained retail staff in customer-service techniques and implemented a regular review process, decreasing customer complaints from three per week to one or fewer per week.
Accomplishment Statement #1: Write your accomplishment statement using either résumé format option, in the box below:
| Accomplishment Statement #1 Using Résumé Format Option 1 or 2 |
Accomplishment Statement #2: Write your accomplishment statement using either résumé format option in the box below:
| Accomplishment Statement #2 Using Résumé Format Option 1 or 2 |
Part 3: Reflect on Your Experiences
Reflect on Your Experiences & Practices for the Future
- How has reflecting on your goals, strengths, areas of growth, and accomplishments been valuable for you?
- What are 1 –2 ways you can build in a regular practice of reflection that will help you reach your future goals?
Connection between Accomplishments and 10 Skills
- Identify two of the 10 Skills (from the Skill Definition Table) that have helped you reach the accomplishments which you listed in Part 2. Briefly explain how.
- Do you feel more confident in expressing your accomplishments to an employer after writing your accomplishments in a résumé-appropriate style, which you did in Part 2? Briefly explain.
