Personal Essay

ASSIGNMENT: Select one specific event in your academic or professional career when you used one of the employability skills below.

• The innovation skill, which helps you use strategies to develop your ideas and create change
• The communication skill, which helps you effectively share information, your ideas, and your perspective
• The productivity skill, which helps you plan your time and your writing
• The technology skill, which helps you use digital tools and devices to document your writing efficiently and effectively

Write a (500-800-word) narrative essay that describes this event. Some examples could include:

• Firsts: Think of a “first” in your academic/professional career when you used your chosen skill, and describe that moment in detail.
• Proud moments: Choose a moment when you felt proud about an accomplishment that was made possible by using one of the above skills.
• Adversity: Describe a time when you had to think or act quickly to overcome a challenge using one of the above skills.

Your essay should include the following components:

• In your introduction:
• Explain the scenario.
• In your body paragraphs:
• Describe the employability skill you used and how it was used in your specific event.
• Describe the benefits or shortcomings of using this skill and how the skill contributed to your success; or alternatively, how it could have been utilized differently to achieve greater success.
• In your conclusion:
• Describe what you learned about yourself through the experience and how you plan to utilize this skill in the future.

Helpful Links:

A. Assignment Guidelines

DIRECTIONS: Create a 500-800-word personal essay in which you:

1. Explain the scenario you have chosen.
2. Describe the chosen employability skill and how it was used in the scenario.
3. Describe the benefits or shortcomings of using this skill and how it contributed to any success.
4. Describe how it could have been used differently to achieve greater success.
5. Describe what you learned about yourself throughout this scenario.
6. Minimize mechanical and stylistic errors.
7. Complete the reflection questions listed below.

B. Reflection Questions

DIRECTIONS: Below your assignment, include answers to all of the following reflection questions.

1. Consider the early stages of your writing process. What brainstorming and prewriting activities did you engage in to compose your narrative? How did they help you begin formulating your ideas? How do you anticipate that these steps will make the writing process more productive? (4-5 sentences)
2. Consider the skill you chose as a topic. Why did you pick this particular skill? What about it are you looking forward to exploring as you work on your later assignments in this course? (3-4 sentences)