Job Search readiness

1. Career Readiness
Training

2. Objectives
To understand the steps in career
preparation.
To understand a job skills assessment.
How to conduct an effective job search.
How to apply effective interviewing
strategies.

3. Pennsylvania Department Standards (PDE) for
Career Education and Work.
13.1. A, B, D
13.2. A, B
13.3

4. Introduction
Career Awareness and Preparation
Have you researched your career options based on your personal interest
and abilities?
Do you know current labor market information; i.e education, skills and
employment experience required for desired job?
What career preparation opportunities are available at your school?
Do you have prior work experience?
Do you have a resume and cover letter?
Do you have computer access with internet?
Do you have a professional email address?
Do you have a professional voice message?
Do you have appropriate interview and work attire?
Do you know yourself?

5. PDE 13.1 Course Content
Career Assessment
Experience Opportunities
Labor market research
Job Searching
Interviewing Tips and Techniques

6. Self Assessment
What are your interest/What do you like
to do?
What is desired salary expectation?
Are you organized?
Good at planning?
What are your technical or computer
skills?
Are you dependable?
Do you have good Communication
skills?
Are you a team player?

7. Personal Interest
– Helping others (nursing, social services, teaching,
childcare)
– Service worker (hospitality/hotel, postal, transportation.
– Manufacturing/Labor
– Outdoors (physical, recreation, gardening)
– Office work (talking on phone, typing, memos/messages,
reception)
– Cooking
– Cleaning
– Computers
– Typing

8. Organization
Take notes, writing things down.

9. Planning
Do you plan ahead.
Do you organize
yourself before an
important event.
Are you prepared.

10. Computer/Technical
Skills
Microsoft Office
Excel
Powerpoint
Outlook
Typing
Internet

11. Communicating
On phone
In person
Writing

12. Dependable
On time
Good attendance

13. Team Player
Work well with others
Good attitude

14. Experience Opportunities
Internship
Volunteering
Part-time employment
Apprenticeship
Temp work
“Career Days”
Community Service
Job Shadowing

15. Where do you want to work
• Location
– City, State, Region
• Industry
– Business
– Social Services
– Education
– Health Care

16. Labor market research
• Review education and experience required for
your desired career goal.
• Identify possible job titles.
• What is the current market salary range.
• Is the position in demand in your local area.
• Is there expected industry growth.
http://www.dol.gov

17. Begin the Job Search
• Browse company websites
• Search and register on local, state, government resources; i.e. Career
links, Civil Service, USA GOV.
• Network professionally and socially; Linkedin, Facebook, ect.
• Browse and register on internet job boards (monster, career builders,
indeed.com, Craig's list, snag a job)
• Browse local and neighborhood newspapers.
– TAKE NOTES!!!!! company HR contact names, email address information (if
available)
• GET EXPOSURE!!!!!
– mail letter of interest, or cover letter and or resume directly to HR contact.
• Build profiles(if required)
• Have contact info for at least three references.

18. Searching
• I have an electronic resume on a flash drive or in my email.
• I regularly check the career center web sites for openings.
• I keep track of my contacts, interviews and other job-
search activities.
• I follow up on every interesting job lead immediately.
• I let friends and family know I am job searching.
• I keep updated copies of my resume in case I receive a call
from an employer.
• I follow-up each cover letter with a phone call or e-mail to
the employer requesting a job interview.
• I send thank you letters or e-mails immediately to every
person who interviews me.

19. 10 Effective Job Search Strategies

20. Effective interviewing skills.
Top 10 Interview Questions and Best Answers
By Alison Doyle, About.com Guide

21. 13.2.B Sample interview Q & A
Tell me about yourself.
What are your greatest strengths.
What are your greatest weaknesses.
How do you handle stress and pressure
Why do you want this job
Why should we hire you.
What are your goals for the future

22. Strength statements
“When I'm working on a project, I don't want just to meet deadlines. Rather, I
prefer to complete the project well ahead of schedule.”
“My time management skills are excellent and I'm organized, efficient, and
take pride in excelling at my work.”
“I am dependable, on time and will stay until the job is finished.”
“I have a good attitude, am a team player, and work well with others.”
“I pride myself on my customer service skills and my ability to
resolve what could be difficult situations.”
**make sure strengths are related to job description and provide examples.

23. Weakness statements
Replace “weakness” with the word “challenge”
“One of my challenges was to type faster, so I enrolled in a typing course”
“I began taking an on-line typing tutoring course.”
“This was a challenge for me so I decided to return to school to improve my skills and
knowledge in this area…….”
“I changed my time management methods to improve my efficiency.”
“I developed a new method to improve my ……”
*BE prepared to give an examples of how you
improved the weakness or challenge!!!

24. How you handle pressure or stress
• Give an example of how you handled an irate or
angry customer in your previous employment.
• Give an example of how you handled a difficult co-
worker.
• Give an example of how you accomplished a difficult
task or assignment within a deadline.
• Give an example of how you handled a situation you
thought was unfair; steps you took, what was the
result.
****DO NOT overstate, one
example is sufficient!

25. Why do you want this job
“I’m a people person and really enjoy working with all types
of people.”
“I’ve done some research on your company and see that you
have been in business…..”
“I’m looking for an organization that provides promotion
and growth opportunities.”
“I have always wanted to work in…….”
*Responses should include why your skills would make you
the best person for the job; always job related!!!!
Avoid discussing personal issues or problems unless asked!

26. Why should we hire YOU!
“You should hire me because I am a good worker
and I'm sincere about my work.”
“I’m dependable and will stay until the work gets
finished.”
“I’m a hard worker, with a very positive attitude,
and take pride in my work.”
“If you hire me, you will be getting a hard worker
who is dependable, has a good attitude, willing to
learn, with excellent customer service skills.”
DON’T BE AFRAID TO SELL YOURSELF!!!!!

27. Goal statements
“My short term goal is to get a position with a stable
and growing company.”
“My long term goal is to return to school for an
advanced degree in ………”
“Eventually I’d like return to school to…..”
“’I would to to grow with the company ………….”

28. Job Interview Tips
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqeghm8Uut
8&feature=player_embedded

29. 13.3 Career Advancement and Retention Skills
Attitude and habits that promote employment.
Attendance
Punctuality
Keeping a positive attitude
Enthusiasm
Team Work
Avoiding conflict, problem solving.

30. Career Preparation
Assessment
Begin

31. An Office Worker needs the following type of skills.
1. Technical
2. Communication
3. Organization
4. Planning
5. All of the above

32. Technical Skills
Good try!!!!
You do need technical skills in the office, but that
is not all.
Go back and try another.

33. Communication Skills
Not quite
Having good verbal and writing communication skills will
improve your employment opportunities, but there are others
skills an office worker needs.
Go back and try again

34. Organization
No
Being organized shows you have order and
structure, but there are more skills
needed!
Try again

35. Planning skills
Almost
As an office worker, you may be asked to plan
and arrange an event and you need good
planning skills to accomplish this.
Try Again!!!

36. All of the Above
Correct!!!
You must have Technical, Communication,
Planning, and Organization Skills to be an
effective Office Worker!!!!

37. During your career preparation, what
is the first thing you should do?
Browse newspaper articles and internet job sites.
Write a resume and cover letter.
Research the qualifications for my desired job.
Do a personal assessment of my interest, skills, and,
experience.

38. X No
Browsing the internet is part of the job search process,
but what skills and abilities do you currently have.
Go back and try again.

39. No, Try Again

40. Correct!!!
This would be the best starting point in
your career preparation to match your
skills and interest with the right career
choices!

41. X No
Researching qualifications is a good, but do you know
your skills and work experience?
Go back and try again

42. X No
Having a completed resume and cover before you begin
your career preparation would be a helpful guide, but
you have to know what your skills and work experience
are before you can begin to write it.
Go back and try again

43. Sally feels she is ready to start her job search.
She knows what she wants, knows her skills, and
knows her work experience. Sally is ready to
start looking for the job.
True
False

44.  True
Sally needs to conduct the following market research activities to
make her job search more effective:
 Research organizations or companies in her area that hire
someone with her skills, interests and background.
 Research potential career fields: typical entry-level jobs,
typical salaries, best geographic location for her desired job
positions.
 Identify the top three geographic areas where she would like
to live and work.

45.  Register with various Career Services agencies,
and build her profiles (if required) by various
employers.
 Create a resume, cover letter, and letter of
interest.
 Identify three individuals who will serve as
references.
 Develop her interview skills, and prepare by
practicing responses to typical questions.
Sally will need to do more preparation before starting.

46. X False
Sally will need to spend additional
time and effort preparing to make her
job search more effective.
Go back and try again

47.  Have an interview suit that is appropriate for
the field in which she plans to work.
 Have a professional-sounding answering
machine/voice mail message in case an
employer calls.
 Have a professional e-mail address to give to
employers.

48. Now you are ready to go
get that job!!!!!

49. Thank You
Shawn Linda Brown
browns12@duq.edu
M.S. Educational Studies
Duquesne University