The way to rectify this situation, of course, is to pursue activities
that will both develop your missing P.E.A.K.S. and at the same time
give you the opportunity to prove you have done so. For example, if you
need a certain computer skill that you don’t have right now, you could
sign up for a course or workshop that teaches this skill and also gives
certificates upon successful completion. A student who needs evidence
of real-world marketing experience to get a desired job upon graduation
could volunteer to do a marketing plan for a struggling charity that
would write a letter of appreciation at the end of the project.
The following are ways to go about pursuing activities that will de-
velop your missing P.E.A.K.S.Establish priorities for developing your missing P.E.A.K.S. Be-
cause you are unlikely to develop all of your missing P.E.A.K.S. simul-
taneously, it is a good idea to set some priorities. To help you do this,
here are some questions you might ask yourself:How secure is your current job right now?
Is there something very important you need to remain employable
that you are missing?
Is there something that is glaringly missing from your portfolio that
you will need in order to achieve your next career goal?
What are the most important P.E.A.K.S. you are lacking that you will
need to achieve your long-term career plans?Identify activities that will develop your high-priority missing
P.E.A.K.S. Choosing the right activities to develop your missing
P.E.A.K.S. is very important. To help you do this we have included a
worksheet in the appendix,“The Career P.E.A.K.S. Aspiration Work-
sheet,”which takes you step by step through the process of identifying
the development activities that are right for you. Whether or not you
choose to actually use this worksheet, you might want to at least take
a look at the step-by-step process for filling it in, as doing so may in-
spire you to come up with some good ideas. We also encourage you to
consider the following questions before deciding which activities to pur-
sue:What professional development activities have you been meaning to
get around to doing for some time now? You probably already know
what you should be doing to develop your P.E.A.K.S.
What sort of development activities were you told in informational
interviews would be helpful?
How long would it take to do each activity you are considering? You
can pick up a workshop quickly, but getting a further professional de-
gree is going to take a lot of advance planning.
What will these activities cost you in both financial and personal
terms? And how great is their anticipated yield?
Will you enjoy doing the activities you are considering? The bigger
the project the more difficulty you will have sticking with it, if it’s notChapter 8: Developing Your Portfolio to Protect and Advance Your Career 121