The first and most basic steps in my career action plan were to set a solid foundation on which achievable goals could be made. For example, my first step was to make business cards, create a resume, and maintain a competitive …show more content…
My career coach actually formerly recruited for Google! I was able to further expand my network by attending events at The Exchange, tabling for my RSO at Welcome to the Majors, and attending ALPFA Orlando meetings and events. Now that I have a foundation, the next part of my action plan is to research specific requirements and criteria for project managers at Google and other similar companies and gain relevant experience in those targeted areas. According to the Google Careers website, project managers “lead complex, multi-disciplinary projects, ushering projects through the entire lifecycle - managing schedules, identifying risks and clearly communicating goals to project stakeholders.” Part of my career action plan to be completed during my time at UCF includes gaining leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills. I have begun to work on this part of my action plan by being the Chapter Vice President for ALPFA at UCF, a professional development and business-oriented organization. Through this experience I have gained various transferrable skills that make me more marketable. For example, I have led a team of 9 people to implement a new recruiting campaign that increased our membership by 50% and created and delivered over 15 classroom …show more content…
In the remaining year I have at UCF, I will reach out to people who already work at Google through LinkedIn and ask for a few minutes of their day to have an informational interview. As we learned in our readings this semester, informational interviews are one of the best ways to determine what attributes companies are looking for that are not specifically advertised on their job descriptions as well as an opportunity to establish a connection with someone already in the company that may be of value in the future. I have also begun and will continue to evaluate the need for graduate school and what companies can help subsidize the cost. Currently, Google offers a tuition reimbursement program up to $12,000 annually. Though this is an extremely attractive option, other companies like Starbucks are notorious for their tuition reimbursement plans. Thus, in the next year I plan on deciding what the best option is for me, whether that be pursing an MBA with the help of Google or another company, or earning a certification like a CPA or