When I grow up, I want to be a ........
At some point in our lives everyone has to decide what they are going to be when they grow up. There are many ways to make this decision:
- You can do what your parents tell you to do.
- You can flip a coin.
- You can do the same job as your best friend because your best friend is doing it.
- You can take some time to learn about the jobs that you are interested in and make the decision for yourself.
This project will offer you the opportunity and a guide to begin exploring different careers. By following this process, you will learn:
1. Which careers match your personality.
2. Facts and details about many different careers.
3. How to locate jobs related to your chosen career.
4. How to create a resume, cover letter and a follow-up letter.
5. How to conduct and participate in a quality interview.
You will be evaluated by many different sources including: Self, Peer and Teacher Evaluations.
Good Luck and Have Fun!!!!!!!!
Activity 1: Personality/Interest Survey
The first step in making any decision is gathering facts. Since we are looking for a career, that you will enjoy, it is important to know who you really are. At times it is hard to step back and look at ourselves in a non-biased view.
Discover your hidden talents and interests by taking two or more of the career surveys. Present your results as the introduction of your PowerPoint presentation. Don't forget to include your personality results, as well as your suggested careers.
Princeton Review Survey
Activity 2: Career Exploration
- The next step in this project is to gather facts on different careers. After looking at your suggested careers brainstorm with your partner about which job you would like to learn more about.
- Check with the instructor to make sure no one else has found the same job then find out as much as you can about it. Divide the following between the two of you:
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- Duties and Responsibilities
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· This is the information you'll present in your PowerPoint, so once you've found all the information you think you'll need, outline ideas for the presentation. Make sure you provide links for documentation of your information.
Activity 3: Job Search
- Now that you have made an educated decision about your career, it's time to find a job.
Good Luck!!!
- Complete a job search to find a job to apply for. If you cannot find a listing be creative and write your own.
- Make sure it is realistic and fits your jobs needs. Be Cautious of "Work from Home" and "Get Rich Quick" scams
- Include your complete job advertisement in your PowerPoint presentation
Activity 4: Resume
- Congratulations on finding some job possibilities, now let's prepare the documents you will need to apply for your job.
- You'll need to brainstorm on the information to put on your resume. Take a look at the samples and make sure you are logical, not comical or "out there" with your ideas.
- Write the first draft of the resume and set it aside.
After looking at the information regarding resumes, brainstorm together on what you need to say to grab the job interviewer's attention. Write the first draft and set it aside.
Here is a sample resume. Like letters, there are many acceptable styles, but a simple format, white or ivory background with black text, and no more than a page in length are good rules of thumb. Remember to start with your most recent job and education first.
YOUR NAME
street address
city, state zip
(area code) phone number
email@address
OBJECTIVE
Objective description (Why do you want this job and why are you interviewing for it?)
EDUCATION
School Names, Dates of Attendance, Degree, Coursework, etc.
EXPERIENCE
Job Title, Company Name, Dates of Employment, Job Description and Responsibilities, etc.
Job Title, Company Name, Dates of Employment, Job Description and Responsibilities, etc.
Job Title, Company Name, Dates of Employment, Job Description and Responsibilities, etc.
OTHER SKILLS
Skill 1
Skill 2
Skill 3 (Show that you are a well-rounded person).
Activity 5: Interview
- Now it's time for the mock interview. Gather information about interviews and make a script for the interviewer and the interviewee.
- Your interview should include at least 5 common interview questions.
- During your interview make sure to demonstrate quality interview skills.
- Practice a few times before you start.
Activity 6: Follow-up Letter
You thought we forgot about the follow-up letter didn't you? The follow-up letter is written after the interview, so you can, if needed, refer to things discussed in the interview. Brainstorm what needs to be included in the letter. Type out a first draft.
- The interviewer then needs to read it to the interviewee. Sometimes you can hear corrections that you don't see. I'm sure it's great already, but make it even better. Check your word choice, punctuation, spelling, form, and remember the purpose and audience.
- After making corrections and revisions, the interviewee needs to read it to the interviewer. Decide if any additional changes need to be made.
- Each student will type the final drafts. Make sure you read the final drafts to make sure they really are final.
- Print it out and SIGN YOUR LETTER IN INK.
Congratulations! You are finished with the written portion of your career project.
Now work on your PowerPoint presentation. Make sure it is at least 10 slides!