Measuring Professional Readiness
Overview
The goal of the professional development curriculum is that on the day a student graduates, they are able to:
- Describe the kind of company and job they are seeking
- Articulate their professional story, making connections between their previous professional experiences and new career as well as describe their strengths, motivations, and passions
- Talk through their technical thought process, make connections between technical learning and tech used at company of choice, and solve technical challenges using process built at Turing
- Present high-quality materials for a job application (i.e., resume, cover letter, and updated portfolio)
- Tap into their current network and utilize strategies for building new relationships
- Use negotiation skills to lead to a satisfactory job offer
In order to reach that goal, we have broken down the professional development curriculum into 5 core competencies:
- Networking
- Interviewing
- Materials
- Job Search Strategies
- Negotiations
We recognize that everyone comes into Turing with their own unique identity and experience, including their professional experience. In order to both reach students where they are when they arrive at Turing, we have further broken down the core competencies into three levels (Level I, Level II, and Level III) so that students can engage with the curriculum at their own comfort level and also push themselves to grow professionally and be successful in their job search. The aim here is that even if a student hasn’t had any prior professional experience, they should be able to work through these standards to achieve Exceptional in Level III in all areas by the time they graduate.
Here are the tools we’ll use to measure professional readiness (skip to each section of this page):
- Professional Development Curriculum Standards:
- Rubric
- Evaluations
Professional Development Curriculum Standards
Note: SIAT = Student is able to
Networking
Defined as using outreach and networking strategies to make connections in the software industry to support a student’s job search.
| Level I (Knowledge, Comprehension) | How it’s measured | Level II (Comprehension, Application) | How it’s measured | Level III (Application, Analysis, Synthesis) | How it’s measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Learning: * Identification of what information needs to be acquired about the tech industry Actions: * Outreach in the Turing community |
* SIAT describe their own needs in regards to their identity and networking * SIAT formulate specific questions about the tech industry important to their experience and connect them to their career goals * SIAT ask mentors questions about their jobs and career paths * SIAT discuss career goals with mentor in at least two conversations |
Learning: * Make connections between information gathered and next steps for networking Actions: * Outreach to warm contacts * Phone call/coffee meeting with warm contacts |
* SIAT identify and utilize networking strategies that work best for them based on their own identity * SIAT identify and utilize networking groups with which they identify * SIAT identify contacts from their network to reach out to linked to specific reasons * SIAT describe and demonstrate successful strategies for how to write messages to contacts * SIAT schedule a coffee meeting/phone call * SIAT formulate specific questions for coffee meeting tied to goals * SIAT apply responses from contact to create connections to student’s own values and goals in their career path |
Learning: * Synthesize learning from initial outreach and apply to specific positions and/or further learning Actions: * Outreach for specific position * Phone call/coffee meeting with cold contact * Job shadow |
* SIAT identify contacts outside their immediate network from companies/industries that align with their interests * SIAT identify relevant contacts from companies with positions they want to pursue * SIAT research company and contact to come up with relevant questions for coffee meetings or job shadows * SIAT analyze takeaways from conversations to apply to own career goals and use in job application |
Interviewing
Defined as the skills needed to thoroughly respond to behavioral interview questions, articulate technical process, and demonstrate technical knowledge through code challenges.
| Level I (Knowledge, Comprehension) | How it’s measured | Level II (Comprehension, Application) | How it’s measured | Level III (Application, Analysis, Synthesis) | How it’s measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Learning: * Beginner level storytelling * Articulate technical thought process Actions: * Using Pairin to formulate story on strengths * Assessments in technical classes |
* SIAT describe how their identity influences their career goals * SIAT describe their strengths as they see them in previous careers/experiences and in current work at Turing * SIAT describe why they decided to pursue this career in basic terms (i.e., desire for career change, love of problem solving, etc.) * SIAT reflect on and describe their approach to problem-solving in technical assessments |
Learning: * Intermediate level storytelling * Interviewing strategies Actions: * Solve independent/take-home challenge * Answer technical questions |
* SIAT apply reflections to describe why they belong in the tech industry * SIAT describe growth they observe in their strengths in their current work at Turing * SIAT describe their goals for their career and values that matter to them in companies regardless of whether or not they have a specific company in mind * SIAT make connections between skills/mindsets from previous career to new career * SIAT provide relevant examples/utilize STAR in interview prep * SIAT reflect on and describe their approach to problem-solving in independent/take-home challenges |
Learning: * Advanced level storytelling * Incorporating research on specific company Actions: * Participate in live whiteboarding or coding session with interviewers |
* SIAT analyze strengths and apply them to new contexts in their current work at Turing and how to achieve their career goals * SIAT describe their goals for their career and values that align with a specific company they plan to interview with * SIAT make connections between skills/mindsets from previous career to specific position/company they plan to interview with to describe why they are a good fit * SIAT provide relevant examples/utilize STAR in either interview prep or real interviews * SIAT demonstrate reflection on and improvement in interview responses * SIAT reflect on and describe their approach to problem-solving in whiteboarding/live coding sessions |
Materials
Defined as a student’s branding materials that showcase their work for employers, i.e., LinkedIn, resume, portfolio, cover letter.
| Level I (Knowledge, Comprehension) | How it’s measured | Level II (Comprehension, Application) | How it’s measured | Level III (Application, Analysis, Synthesis) | How it’s measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Learning: * Understanding what information should go into public-facing profiles Actions: * Identify and list professional accomplishments, strengths, and/or interests to share with others (LinkedIn rough draft) |
* SIAT understand what makes them a unique asset to the tech industry in order to pull out aspects of identity to highlight in LinkedIn * SIAT create a LinkedIn profile that includes: * Professional-looking headshot * Headline updated * Summary statement * Turing added If a student has extenuating circumstances that preclude them from having a LinkedIn profile, the CD team will work with them on alternative options |
Learning: * Summarize and visually present professional accomplishments, strengths, and/or interests to share with others (Resume rough draft; Portfolio rough draft; LinkedIn profile updates) * Apply professional storytelling, understanding of transferable skills, and technical learning to job descriptions (Cover letter rough draft) Actions: * Compare effective LinkedIn profiles |
* SIAT understand what makes them a unique asset to the tech industry in order to pull out aspects of identity to highlight in resume and portfolio * SIAT summarize professional accomplishments and technical skills for a resume rough draft * SIAT describe what makes a portfolio effective for a job search through analysis * SIAT apply ideas of effective portfolios to rough draft * SIAT describe what should and should not be included in a cover letter |
Learning: * Analyze resume and portfolio for what’s working and what’s not to make final updates * Analyze job descriptions to pull out specifics for cover letters Actions: * Compare cover letters for effectiveness * Write a cover letter tailored to a job posting |
* SIAT describe why they are a good fit for a position based on job description using their identity, strengths, and values * SIAT create a revised resume that highlights technical skills, transferable skills, and career interests * SIAT create a final portfolio that showcases projects visually with descriptions that demonstrate their abilities and successes * SIAT write a cover letter tailored to a specific position at a specific company utilizing best practices for cover letter writing * SIAT update their LinkedIn profile with all necessary components and with meaningful connections in the industry |
Job Search Strategies
Defined as a student’s understanding of their own goals and creating a set of steps to achieve them.
| Level I (Knowledge, Comprehension) | How it’s measured | Level II (Comprehension, Application) | How it’s measured | Level III (Application, Analysis, Synthesis) | How it’s measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Learning: * Beginner Career Exploration (Identification of career goals in a broad sense) Actions: * Create initial career roadmap |
* SIAT identify work they enjoy doing at Turing and why * SIAT describe values they are seeking from a workplace * SIAT make connections between personal values based on their identity and values in an ideal workplace |
Learning: * Intermediate Career Exploration (Drill down into specifics for career goals) Actions: * Update career roadmap |
* SIAT make connections between work they enjoy at Turing and work they would like to pursue as a career * SIAT describe at least 1 company/industry they are interested in pursuing * SIAT make connections to how their previous experience, strengths, passions, and/or values align to the industries/companies they’ve chosen through research |
Learning: * Application of Career Exploration findings Actions: * Analyze companies and postings effectively and apply to career roadmap |
* SIAT describe all components of their job search strategy and how they work together * SIAT analyze job postings and company websites to identify alignment with interests and skills * SIAT describe how opportunities they decide to pursue match their career goals and interests * SIAT describe at least 3 companies/industries they are interested in pursuing * SIAT create and maintain a job search tracking system |
Negotiations
Defined as information on software industry market rates for compensation and the resources needed to negotiate for competitive rates.
| Level I (Knowledge, Comprehension) | How it’s measured | Level II (Comprehension, Application) | How it’s measured | Level III (Application, Analysis, Synthesis) | How it’s measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Learning: * Familiar with concept of negotiations Actions: * Discussion of job offers with mentor * Read through Turing outcomes reports |
* SIAT describe the benefits of negotiating job offers * SIAT understand aspects of job offers (i.e., base salary, signing bonuses, benefits, equity, etc.) * SIAT understand how the wage gap affects them based on their identity * SIAT describes how their identity influences their feelings about negotiations |
Learning: * Understanding of salary and benefits at tech companies * Understanding of laws regarding salary in states/regions seeking employment (i.e., the Colorado Equal Pay Act) Actions: * Research project into salary and benefits packages at top companies * Research into the laws protecting job seekers in salary negotiations |
* SIAT understand general salary and job offer expectations at companies of interest * SIAT apply understanding of tech job offers to create their own salary goals for their new career using market rates for industry and Turing salaries history * SIAT describe what is and isn’t allowed regarding salary information in regions that they are interested in job searching * SIAT identify their own blockers in negotiations and strategize solutions |
Learning: * Strategies for negotiating for market rate salaries based on skillset Actions: * Apply strategies to real offers they receive |
* SIAT discuss effective negotiation strategies * SIAT create their own strategy for approaching negotiations in their job offers based on their values, identity, and needs * SIAT analyze job offers and utilize negotiating strategies for approaching them |
Rubric
Students and the career development team will use the following rubric to:
- Determine professional readiness at each level
- Determine interventions for not meeting expectations
- Demonstrate at which level a student is performing
| Exceptional | Meets Expectations | Below Expectations | Well Below Expectations | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Networking | * Student demonstrates understanding of personal needs in networking, including comfort level and value add; initiates conversation with mentor; asks specific questions about their experience; follows up on conversation; implements advice from mentor (Level I) * Student can describe in detail the networking strategies they are using with their network; initiates conversation with contact from network; writes message to set up phone call; asks specific questions about contact’s experience; follows up on conversation; applies takeaways from conversation to own career goals (Level II) * Student can describe in detail the networking strategies they are using to identify contacts outside their network from companies/industries aligned with interests and/or with open positions they want to pursue; conduct research into companies and contacts; utilize research to create specific questions to ask contact; analyze takeaways from conversations to apply to own career goals and use in job application (Level III) |
* Student initiates conversation with mentor; asks specific questions about their experience; some follow-up and/or application of learning (Level I) * Student initiates conversation with network contact; sets up meeting and asks specific questions about their experience; some follow-up and/or application of learning (Level II) * Student is able to find a contact at a company of interest and describe why that contact is appropriate; sets up meeting and asks specific questions related to company and/or position; some follow-up and/or application of learning to job application (Level III) |
* Student initiates conversation with mentor; asks general questions; no follow-up or application of learning (Level I) * Student initiates conversation with network contact; focuses on general questions; no follow-up or application of learning (Level II) * Student initiates conversation with contact at company; asks the contact for a job at the company instead of building a relationship; no follow-up or application of learning (Level III) |
* Student does not understand the value of networking; does not initiate conversation with mentor or prepare questions (Level I) * Student does not initiate networking conversation with a contact (Level II) * Student does not initiate networking conversation with a contact and/or submits an application without networking at the company (Level III) |
| Interviewing | * Student utilizes their identity, values, strengths, and previous experience to describe their career goals in detail; student describes their approach to problem-solving in technical assessments in detail (Level I) * Student describes in detail why they belong in the tech industry; student describes growth in personal strengths in current work at Turing and makes connections between skills/mindsets of previous career and new career in specific detail; student identifies and describes values they want to find in companies and how they align with their own goals in specific detail; student utilizes STAR and provides relevant examples in interview prep; student describes their approach to problem-solving in independent/take-home challenge type assessments in detail (Level II) * Student analyzes the role their strengths play in their current work and applies them to how they’ll achieve their career goals; student identifies and describes values in a specific company they want to interview with and make connections between skills/mindsets from previous career to position at the company and how to utilize that understanding to describe why they are a good fit; student utilizes STAR and provides relevant examples in interview prep and/or in real interviews; student describes how they’ve improved on their interview practices in specific detail; student describes their approach to problem-solving in whiteboarding/live coding sessions in detail (Level III) |
* Student utilizes their identity, values, strengths, and previous experience to describe their career goals in a general sense; student describes their approach to problem-solving in technical assessments in a general sense (Level I) * Student describes why they belong in the tech industry in a general sense; student describes growth in personal strengths in current work at Turing and makes connections between skills/mindsets of previous career and new career in a general sense; student identifies and describes values they want to find in companies and how they align with their own goals in a general sense; student provides relevant examples in interview prep; student describes their approach to problem-solving in independent/take-home challenge type assessments in a general sense (Level II) * Student makes some connections between strengths and their current work and/or in how they’ll apply those strengths to achieve career goals; student identifies general connections between values, previous career, and skills/mindsets to a specific company they want to interview with; student provides relevant examples in interview prep and/or in real interviews; student describes how they’re improved on interview practices in a general sense; student describes their approach to problem-solving in whiteboarding/live coding sessions in a general sense (Level III) |
* Student considers some aspects of their identity, values, strengths, and previous experience but may not fully create connections between them and their career goals; student identifies some aspects of how they approach problem-solving in technical assessments but isn’t able to describe a full strategy (Level I) * Student considers their role in the tech industry but does not yet articulate a sense of belonging; student demonstrates understanding of how strengths are used in Turing work but does not describe growth throughout the program; student does not yet make connections between previous career and new career; student does not yet make connections between personal values and companies; student provides general examples or incomplete answers in interview prep; student identifies some aspects of how they approach problem-solving in independent/take-home challenges but isn’t able to describe a full strategy (Level II) * Student does not make clear connections between their strengths and current work at Turing and/or in how they’ll apply them to career goals; student does not specifically describe why they are a good fit a company; student uses an interview to discuss what a company can do for them rather than the value they can add; student provides vague or incomplete examples in interview prep and/or in real interviews; student is not able to describe how they’ve improved on interview practices; student identifies some aspects of how they approach problem-solving in whiteboarding/live coding sessions but isn’t able to describe a full strategy (Level III) |
* Student does not articulate career goals; student does not have a problem-solving process for technical assessments (Level I) * Student has not demonstrated reflections on their place in the tech industry; student does not make connections between strengths and work at Turing; student is unable to make connections between previous career and new career; student does not participate in interview prep; student does not have a problem-solving process for independent/take-home challenges (Level II) * Student is unable to describe how their strengths connect to work at Turing and/or their career goals; student is unable to describe how they would be a good fit for a company; student does not participate in interview prep and/or reflections on their interview practices; student does not have a problem-solving strategy for whiteboarding/live coding sessions (Level III) |
| Materials | * Student identifies and describes their value add to the tech industry in regards to their identity and utilizes that in their LinkedIn profile; student completes LinkedIn profile with professional headshot, updated headline, summary, and Turing in experience; student identifies and lists professional accomplishments, strengths, and/or interests in LinkedIn profile (Level I) * Student identifies and describes their value add to the tech industry in regards to their identity and utilizes that in their resume and portfolio; student presents professional accomplishes and technical strengths in resume; student analyzes multiple portfolios and describes what makes a portfolio effective; student utilizes understanding of effective portfolios to create rough draft; student describes what should and should not be included in effective cover letters (Level II) * Student uses their understanding of their identity, values, and strengths to describe why they are a good fit for a specific position in detail; student revises, maintains, and customizes their resume to positions highlighting relevant technical skills, transferable skills, and career interests in specific detail; student revises and maintains their portfolio that showcases projects visually with descriptions that demonstrate their abilities and successes in specific detail; student writes cover letters customized to specific positions at specific companies utilizing best practices for cover letter writing; student updates and maintains their LinkedIn profile with all necessary components and by adding meaningful connections in the tech industry (Level III) |
* Student identifies and describes their value add to the tech industry in regards to their identity and utilizes that in their LinkedIn profile; student completes LinkedIn profile with professional headshot, updated headline, summary, and Turing in experience (Level I) * Student identifies and describes their value add to the tech industry in regards to their identity and utilizes that in their resume and portfolio; student presents professional accomplishes and technical strengths in resume; student utilizes understanding of effective portfolios to create rough draft; student demonstrates general understanding of what should be in an effective cover letter (Level II) * Student uses their understanding of their identity, values, and strengths to describe why they are a good fit for a specific position; student revises, maintains, and customizes their resume to positions highlighting relevant technical skills, transferable skills, and career interests with general detail; student revises and maintains their portfolio that showcases projects visually with descriptions that demonstrate their abilities and successes in general detail; student writes cover letters customized to specific positions at specific companies utilizing some best practices for cover letter writing; student updates and maintains their LinkedIn profile (Level III) |
* Student can identify personal value add to tech industry but has not yet connected it to their LinkedIn profile; LinkedIn profile is missing one or more of the following: headshot, updated headline, summary, and Turing added (Level I) * Student can identify personal value add to tech industry but has not yet demonstrated that through resume or portfolio; resume and/or portfolio are missing key components (i.e., projects, previous experience, technical skills, etc.); student describes a cover letter as a form letter and/or only being about their accomplishments or needs without regard to the company/position (Level II) * Student is unable to make connections between identity, values, and strengths and a specific position and/or student is unable to describe why they are a good fit for a company; student makes some revisions to resume but does not consider all feedback and/or maintains it but does not customize it to specific positions; student makes some revisions to their portfolio but does not consider all feedback and/or is missing some specific detail/description; student writes general or form cover letters and/or does not demonstrate use of best practices for cover letter writing; student makes some updates to LinkedIn and/or maintains it inconsistently (Level III) |
* Student does not demonstrate understanding of value add to tech industry; student does not have a LinkedIn profile or equivalent (Level I) * Student does not demonstrate understanding of value add to tech industry; student does not complete resume and/or portfolio; student does not demonstrate an understanding of what should be included in a cover letter (Level II) * Student does not demonstrate knowledge of how to describe best fit for specific roles or companies; student does not update resume or portfolio to a final draft level; student does not write cover letters for roles or practice; student does not update LinkedIn with current information or contacts (Level III) |
| Job Search Strategies | * Student describes work they enjoy doing at Turing and why in specific detail; student describes values they are seeking from a workplace and how they connect to their own personal values and identity in an ideal workplace in specific detail (Level I) * Student makes connections between work they enjoy at Turing and work they would like to pursue as a career in specific detail; student describes at least 1 company/industry they are interested in pursuing and why in specific detail; student makes connections on how previous experience, strengths, passions, and/or values align with the companies/industries they’ve chosen in specific detail and by demonstrating research conducted (Level II) * Student demonstrates and describes a robust job search strategy, including how they analyze job postings and company websites to identify alignment with their interests and skills and which opportunities they decide to pursue based on career goals and interests; student describes at least 3 companies/industries they are interested in pursuing and why in specific detail; student creates and maintains a job search tracking system that they use consistently (Level III) |
* Student describes work they enjoy doing at Turing and why in general detail; student describes values they are seeking from a workplace and how they connect to their own personal values and identity in an ideal workplace in general detail (Level I) * Student makes connections between work they enjoy at Turing and work they would like to pursue as a career in general detail; student describes at least 1 company/industry they are interested in pursuing and why in general detail; student makes connections on how previous experience, strengths, passions, and/or values align with the companies/industries they’ve chosen in general detail (Level II) * Student demonstrates and describes a job search strategy, including how they analyze job postings and company websites to identify alignment with their interests and skills and which opportunities they decide to pursue based on career goals and interests; student describes at least 3 companies/industries they are interested in pursuing and why in general detail; student creates and maintains a job search tracking system that they use regularly (Level III) |
* Student describes work they enjoy doing at Turing but cannot describe why (inability to make connections between personal fulfillment); student describes a general sense of values they care about in values they are seeking from a workplace and how they connect to their own personal values and identity in an ideal workplace in general detail (Level I) * Student describes work they enjoy at Turing but do not make connections to work they would like to pursue as a career; student may have a general idea of what they’d like to pursue but cannot articulate why yet; student has begun but not completed research into companies to make connections between personal values and company (Level II) * Student describes some aspects of a job search strategy but does not have all components of how to analyze job postings and find opportunities they want; student has a general idea of companies/industries of interest but cannot yet articulate why they are interested; student does not consistently track job search activity/research (Level III) |
* Student does not describe work they enjoy doing at Turing; student does not describe values connections between themselves and future companies and/or describes that they “just want a job” (Level I) * Student does not describe work they would like to do in their career; student does not have an idea yet on any company/industry they want to pursue; student does not yet know how to conduct research on companies (Level II) * Student is unable to describe their job search strategy or describes wanting to “get any job”; student does not have a clear idea of companies/industries to target in job search; student does not track their job search activity/research (Level III) |
| Negotiations | * Student identifies and describes components of job offers in specific detail; student describes benefits of negotiating job offers in specific detail in regards to their own identity; student describes how the wage gap affects them based on their identity; student evaluates how to utilize their personal feelings regarding negotiations based on their own identity and experiences in future negotiations (Level I) * Student utilizes multiple sources to research and understand salary and job offer expectations at companies of interest; student directly applies this knowledge along with market rates and Turing salaries history to create their own salary goals and describes how to use this information in their job search; student describes what is and isn’t allowed regarding salary information in regions that they are interested in and describes how they will use this knowledge in their job search strategy; student identifies their personal blockers in negotiations and strategizes multiple solutions (Level II) * Student describes effective negotiation strategies and applies knowledge to create their own negotiations strategy based on identity, values, and needs in specific detail; student analyzes job offers and utilizes their strategy in negotiating them (Level III) |
* Student identifies and describes components of job offers in general detail; student describes benefits of negotiating job offers with some general connections to their own identity; student describes what the wage gap is but does not make a connection to their own identity; student describes personal feelings regarding negotiations based on their own identity and experiences (Level I) * Student utilizes at least one source to research and understand salary and job offer expectations at companies of interest; student directly applies this knowledge along with market rates and Turing salaries history to create their own salary goals; student describes what is and isn’t allowed regarding salary information in regions that they are interested in; student identifies their personal blockers in negotiations and strategize at least one solution (Level II) * Student describes effective negotiation strategies and applies knowledge to create their own negotiations strategy based on identity, values, and needs in general detail; student describes how they would approach job offers with their negotiating strategy (Level III) |
* Student can describe some components of job offers but may not have understanding of all of them yet; student describes general benefits of negotiating job offers but are not yet making connections to their own identity; student does not demonstrate full understanding of the wage gap or understanding of personal feelings about negotiations (Level I) * Student finds information on salaries but does not yet use it to inform career goals; student may have some general information on salary in specific regions but research may be incomplete; student may identify their personal blockers in negotiations but cannot yet strategize on solutions (Level II) * Student may be able to describe some negotiating strategies but is not yet sure how to create their own strategy (Level III) |
* Student is unable to describe components of job offers; student does not describe benefits of negotiations; student does not demonstrate full understanding of the wage gap or understanding of personal feelings about negotiations (Level I) * Student does not research salary information at companies of interest or know how to apply salary knowledge to career goals; student does not identify blockers with negotiations (Level II) * Student does not yet have knowledge of effective negotiating strategies (Level III) |
Evaluations
Students will evaluate themselves according to the standards and rubric at the end of each module through a survey that will also be shared with the Career Development Team so that we know how to support each student’s growth. This evaluation will also provide the basis for students’ end-of-module portfolio review.
Instructors will also complete a professional readiness evaluation on how they’ve seen students perform in regards to professional communication, work with team members, and implementing best practices for software development. This feedback will be shared with students during end-of-module portfolio reviews.