Below will appear the text of the assignment sheet for the Creative/Electronic-Media Project (CrEMP), adapted for online presentation. This version is to be considered authoritative, superseding any previously published information regarding the CrEMP.
Because hiring and recruitment, and indeed general business, are increasingly done through online media, it is fitting that students in ENGL 3323 be given the opportunity to present themselves and their work in those media, both for hiring purposes and for pre-professional development. To that end, students in my Spring 2015 sections of the class will be asked to compile personal profiles and post them to LinkedIn, a social media platform that as of this assignment still functions largely in a professional capacity (although not exclusively, admittedly) and which offers a clean, clear template for organization that scans easily.
Students are expected to compile an online profile that advertises them for general hiring. Much of the information in the profile will be taken and updated from that compiled for the earlier JobP, although some adjustments will need to be made to suit the medium and the rhetorical situation. LinkedIn offers a number of options for materials to include; those required and suggested for the CrEMP, as well as their expected order and what they are expected to contain, are noted below:
A relatively recent, appropriate headshot- Visuals matter, and including a picture does much to increase interest in the profile. At least one picture is required, and it should be displayed at the top of the profile. It should be appropriate to a business or professional setting, so it should not depict the subject in illegal, immoral, unethical, or questionably moral or ethical situations; it should also not project an unpleasant attitude on the part of the subject.
Summary- While resumes will typically be sent to specific agencies under cover letters and thus require no announcement of career objectives or professional overviews, the online profile will necessarily be presented to a general audience. As such, a brief (three- to four-sentence) summary of professional goals, long-term and immediate, is helpful.
Experience- As in the resume, a reverse-chronological-order list of positions held is helpful to present; it lets prospective employers know about the work the profile’s subject has done. Each position should be listed with the following:
Descriptive position title
Organization or agency of employment
Term of employment (months and years)
Brief (two- to three-sentence) description of employer and job duties
Skills- Job titles and descriptions do not always convey the whole of a person’s capabilities. A list of seven or more professional skills, including those relevant to desired positions and those generally applicable to business and professional environments, will help to demonstrate the profile subject’s abilities.
Publications (optional)- Links or citation data that connect to publications the profile’s subject has authored or co-authored will also help to illuminate the subject’s abilities. The title of the publication, the venue of publication, and the date of publication are required, and a brief (one- to two-sentence) summary of the publication should appear for each entry. Entries should be listed in reverse chronological order.
Projects (optional)- Similarly, links or citation data that connect to projects on which the profile’s subject has worked help to illuminate the subject’s abilities. The title and range of project dates should appear for each entry, as should a brief (one- to two-sentence) summary of the project’s scope and import. Entries should be in reverse chronological order.
Honors and Awards (optional)- The same is true for any honors or awards received in a collegiate or professional context. For each entry, the name of the award, the awarding agency, the date of the award, and a brief (one- to two-sentence) summary of the nature of the award should be provided. Entries should be listed in reverse chronological order.
Organizations (optional)- Memberships in professional organizations should be listed, typically in order of scope. Where available, dates of membership should be provided. If the membership has been active, a brief summary of activities will be helpful.
Education- While what has been done is more important than what has been studied, study is not unimportant. All completed and in-progress higher education should be listed, with each degree or certificate program presented in reverse chronological order, determined by date of (expected) completion. Each entry should list the school, degree, major, and dates of enrollment.
Courses- Names of degrees do not determine the whole scope of an education. Courses relevant to professional identity should be listed, typically in either alphabetical order or by course number; both course title and course number (including prefix) should be provided for each, and no fewer than seven should be listed.
Any additional materials students desire to include should follow the course listing.
A copy of the grading rubric that will be returned to the student following review of the CrEMP appears here. Scoring of the CrEMP will be determined according to the following criteria:
Format (15 points)
Does the CrEMP follow the order of information listed above? Does it provide at least one appropriate, relatively recent headshot?
Content (25 points)
Does the CrEMP contain the requested information, as noted above? Is that content sufficient to address the needs of the reader (i.e., determining whether or not the subject of the online profile is a viable candidate for general hiring)?
Mechanics (10 points)
Does the CrEMP adhere to the conventions of academic American English expressed in the course textbook and discussed during class time? Does it observe diction, register, and tone reasonably appropriate to professional discourse, such as can be reasonably expected of students in an upper-division English class?
The CrEMP is to be submitted via link emailed to the instructor’s okstate.edu address before the beginning of class time on 1 May 2015. It is a 50-point major assignment. As usual, any outside information must be accounted for appropriately, and failure to do so will prompt investigations for plagiarism.
Note that the CrEMP is an individual assignment. Each student is expected to submit a unique project.
Information may be forthcoming. Check back for updates.