Evaluating Your Professional Qualifications Using a Gap Analysis

Assignment created by Joy Adams, former Senior Researcher at the Association of American Geographers, in conjunction with Michael Solem (msolem@txstate.edu).

1. Students will identify a potential occupation, based on an area of personal interest or selected from among the profiles of professional geographers in Practicing Geography, the AAG’s Jobs and Careers website, or external sources.

2. Students will assess their previous knowledge of this occupation, including its educational requirements, required skills and abilities, estimated salary and hiring outlook, and other considerations.

3. Students will conduct research to verify, refute, and/or refine their initial perceptions using the information provided in the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook (http://www.bls.gov/ooh/), O*Net (http://www.onetonline.org/), and/or the online salary and labor information available on the AAG Jobs and Careers website (www.aag.org/salarydata).

4. Students will perform a gap analysis (as described in the excerpt from Chapter 1 of Practicing Geography) to assess their preparation to work in this occupation and identify areas where further training, education, or experience is necessary or advantageous.

Optional written assignment: For assessment purposes, students will submit their gap analysis matrix with a brief paper about their self-evaluation that demonstrates: 1) their ability to conduct basic research related to employment prospects and career opportunities; 2) clear and effective written communication; and 3) critical thinking about their own skills and qualifications relative to the demands of the job market. Papers should also include a reflective component in which students discuss the accuracy of their preconceived ideas about a specific occupation and how this exercise might influence their approach to future professional development, job searches, and educational activities.

Links

• AAG Careers: http://www.aag.org/cs/careers

• ONET Site: https://www.onetonline.org

Gap Analysis Tools

ONET Workforce Summary Reports