Introduction
Introduction
“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive — and go do it.” (Howard Thurman, civil rights leader)
Embedded Files
Overview
Overview
Welcome to ACC STRIDE. This course provides the foundation you need to define your direction, plan your future, and truly stand out to employers. Together, we designed the STRIDE approach to help you focus your energy, build on your strengths, and create a career that reflects who you are and what you value.
This course is about more than just getting hired. It’s about owning your story and shaping your future. Over the next few weeks, we will cut through the job-search noise using a career and life design perspective. You will learn to zero in on your strengths, target best-fit opportunities, and tell your story with sincerity, authenticity, and precision.
Wherever you are on your journey, whether landing your first role, re-entering the workforce, or pivoting to a new industry, the ACC STRIDE approach applies to you.
STRIDE: Our Guided Approach
STRIDE: Our Guided Approach
What is STRIDE: Strengths | Target | Reflection | Impact | Direction | Engage
What is STRIDE: Strengths | Target | Reflection | Impact | Direction | Engage
Identifying a career direction and/or looking for work can feel overwhelming when you are not sure where to start or how to maintain momentum. The ACC STRIDE approach (career success building blocks) gives you a clear path forward through three stages: Define, Plan, and Stand Out. Each stage includes practical strategies and tactics to Define your career path with clarity and identify your why, Plan your future with focus, and Stand Out with confidence to get your first or next job.
Success in this course comes from transforming high-level job search strategies into specific actions using well-researched tactics. Our strategies are your 'what' and 'why', and our tactics are the 'how' of your job search.
Note: Within the ACC STRIDE approach, these elements break down as follows:
The 'Why': Your core purpose, motivations, and the values driving your career choices.
The 'What': Your target (your job title).
The 'How': The specific, actionable steps you take to make it all happen.
Stages and Strategies
Stages and Strategies
In the Define stage, we begin by building a sustainable job search mindset - that is, managing your energy to prevent burnout. You will identify and use your strengths, career priorities, and North Star (your job guides) to map your path; you will learn how to use career chats (career conversations) to gain more information on your 'what', and validate your 'why'. Next, we share resources to inform you on high-growth industries and market demand.
In the Plan stage, we will turn the Define insights into a brand statement that clearly communicates your professional focus. We will show you how to develop a conversation starter (also known as an elevator pitch) to concisely communicate your past, present, and future. Finally, we work with you on developing a 'story bank' to talk, in career chats and interviews, about your unique alignment with a job role.
At this point, some of you may dive into 'learning by doing' (like internships and contract gigs) to gain real-world experience in your area of interest.
In the Stand Out stage, you will learn how to build a community of professional peers. In addition, we will show you ways to tailor your resume and cover letter for specific roles, increase online visibility, master the art of interviewing (START story structure) and negotiate a salary with confidence.
Boosters
Boosters
While the three stages and their tactics give you a path, STRIDE's boosters amplify your efforts. These boosters are strengths, storytelling, community, and artificial intelligence (AI). All four boosters help you implement each of STRIDE's stages with greater impact and intention.
Strengths: In a crowded job market, your strengths are your edge. When you lead with what you naturally do well, you choose a career path that actually fits you and you tell your story with confidence. Your strengths help you make smarter choices about where you are headed.
Storytelling: Storytelling is your voice. It brings your strengths to life and helps you connect your experience to an employer’s needs. Whether in an interview or in your LinkedIn profile’s About statement, a well-told story gets you noticed and makes you memorable.
Community: Your connections are your community. Your community is the engine that carries your message into the world. Beyond just making connections and collecting contacts, building community is about turning your job search process into a team effort including personal and professional peers, mentors, teachers, and family. Your community opens doors.
Artificial Intelligence: It goes without saying that Generative AI (GenAI) (e.g., Gemini and Claude) and GenAI-related platforms play a significant role in today’s job search process. We teach you to use AI to brainstorm, clarify your message, and conduct research more efficiently. You bring the substance, AI helps you polish it. However, you are always in the driver’s seat.
The true power of AI lies in its ability to help you find your voice and highlight your achievements, NOT replace it. In this class, we will use a variety of AI tools like GenAI, Goldi, and Big Interview to help you bring your unique story to life.
Warning:
AI sometimes uses buzzwords and generic language that reduces the impact of a candidate’s message in their resume, cover letter, LinkedIn profile, and other job search documents. They are a red flag to recruiters and hiring managers.
Recruiters and hiring managers are seeing an abundance of AI-generated applications in their inboxes. Submitting documents that rely heavily on AI can result in an immediate rejection.
Never share personal information when interacting with any form of AI. This information can be shared with third parties.
AI responses are only as accurate as the information provided in a platform’s enormous database. Always ask AI for its sources to confirm information.
There are many biases associated with AI output. Keep this in mind when reviewing AI feedback.
Conclusion
Conclusion
This course is based on ACC’s STRIDE approach, providing the strategies, tactics, and boosters to guide you through the job search process. Ultimately, though, every decision you make and every action you take is your own.
Your career is not something that happens to you. It is something you build through intentional choices.
As you move through STRIDE’s Define, Plan, and Stand Out stages, and its related tactics and boosters, you will turn a career journey into a purposeful mission. You do this by building a bridge between who you are and where you want to be - with a plan to back it up. In the end, our approach helps you achieve the clarity to choose the right path and confidence to land your next role, whether it be full-time, part-time, contract, or an internship.
Note: Please keep in mind that this textbook provides a high-level overview of each topic. We will dive in much deeper during class. Therefore, it is important to read the assigned chapters beforehand so that our class conversations are meaningful and substantial. Thank you!
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