Self Marketing Plan: Research Results, Implications, and Considerations for Integrating Marketing and Career Planning

Many college students put off looking for their first "real" job after graduation until it's too late. Career Services administrators know this. Professors see this. And parents worry about this. But how do you change this cycle? It's simple: through experiential education. Experiential learning - or, "learning by doing" -- helps students learn not just the "theory" they are supposed to gain from the classroom, but the all-important "why" - why does this matter to me?

The inclusion of an experiential learning project, such as the Self Marketing Plan, can meet the needs of several constituencies when teaching marketing concepts for career planning. First, the Self Marketing Plan can assist faculty in educating students about the core marketing concepts being reviewed in class. Second, the project can help students develop the key skill sets that employers/researchers say are important. Lastly, the project can provide the impetus for students to begin career planning, a key factor in career entry success.

In this book, McCale shares her experience in implementing the self marketing plan for five years in a principles of marketing class. McCale discusses the core concepts that create the foundation for both experiential education, how the self marketing plan fits into a teacher's overall course design, and the core elements needed in the self marketing plan. Her research shows that this activity ubiquitously aids the majority of students, and provides readers the key considerations to consider before implementing the self marketing plan in your classroom.

Dr. Christina McCale has more than 17 years corporate marketing experience, during which time she was responsible for leading, hiring and mentoring employees. Capitalizing on this, and her vast teaching experience, she has spent the last 10 years exploring how best to prepare college students for the "real" world.