1 credit Career Planning & Strategies course (BA 297)

If you’re a campus student pursuing the Smeal College of Business, you are invited to take advantage of the optional 1 credit Career Planning & Strategies course (BA 297) taught by Smeal’s undergraduate Business Career Center BEFORE your enrollment at University Park.

Registration for BA 297 for Fall 2019 is open! Once your scheduling date has arrived, email Lauren Watson at lmw268@psu.edu via your PENN STATE EMAIL and please provide your Commonwealth campus and class year.

ONLINE section exclusively for Smeal-tracking freshmen & sophomores enrolled at a Commonwealth campus during the semester the BA 297 course is taken
Offered every Fall and Spring
Asynchronous – no live class meetings
Instructed by Business Career Center staff member
Several topics taught by employers from Smeal’s Corporate Partner Program
Can front-load your completion of lectures and assignments
Note: not a graduation requirement for the Smeal program

Anticipated weekly topics:

Course Introduction/Values and Employability in your search
Career Fair Prep and Researching Companies
Resumes
Communicating with Employers
Attend a career fair
Personal Branding
Behavioral-Based Interviewing
Interviewing Overview
Case Interviewing
Cover Letters
Evaluating Offers
Ethics
Technology in the Search Process
LinkedIn/Online Networking
Transition to the Workplace

Estimated assignment and weekly lecture breakdown:

Weekly lectures
- 25-50 minute lecture recordings
- 5-10 minute weekly attendance quizzes
- Attend a career fair
Assignments: 30 minutes or less to complete
- Values paper (1 page)
- Prepare and record elevator pitch
- Practice virtual interviewing
- Course evaluation survey
- Final reflection paper (1-2 pages)
Assignments: 1 hour or more
- Resume
- Mock interview
- Out of class professional development experiences

Questions? Please don’t hesitate to contact the instructor, Lauren Watson, at lmw268@psu.edu