Bringing Placement Services to the Classroom
As a career services representative, what job search projects and/or activities can you create that instructors could integrate into their instructional delivery?
I agree sometimes they do not have the resources. We have a cosmetology department at our school and we have partnered with education that when a student gets an interview that we can validate, they can go to the spa and get a free haircut or service to help them get ready for the interview. It's a win win, the students in cosmo get the practice and the student gets a great new look for the interview.
One thing that we have been doing for externships for some of our programs is having the students bring us business cards of three places they would like to do their externship at. Meaning they do some of the legwork of reasearching places and etc. It gets them involved and gives them a little ownership when they do go on their sites especially if it's one of thre places they are interested in. We of course assist them in the entire process but it's a great way to get them involved.
In a writing class, we did a HR workshop for the students. We put 50 resumes in each folder, changing names and addresses and etc. Each student had the same resumes and then we gave them the same job description and position they were looking for. They had ten minutes to come up with their best two candidates and one backup candidate. We then reviewed their selections and asked them how they went through each resume. Most of them went through the resumes looking at one certain skill or looking at the overal quality/neatness of the resume. It was a great workshop for a writing class and at the same time teach them the importance of writing on a resume and the overall layout.
The most beneficial projects or activities that I could create to integrate into instructors' delivery would be to have the students compile lists of what they have gained from the individual class, including their work experience and accomplishments. Each class has a hands on component where the students are actively doing the job of that particular department in the field they are going into. This way when the students are at the point of creating their resumes they will already have some of their information needed in an organized way.
Working at a career college, the instructors could emphasis each topic or skill that they teach as a skill to list on a resume. For example, in an automotive technology program, each time a student demonstrates knowledge about a particular system (brakes, steering, electrical, etc.) the instructor could simply state, "there is another skill for your resume". Then at the end of the class or program, the instructor could have the students present a list of all the skills they now have available for their resumes.
All of the instructors are professionals from the fields they teach. They do a great job of relating the training to real world situations. If we could make the class rooms feel more like an actual work environment it will help the student feel more comfortable transitioning. Create a dress code specific to the industry prepares them to look the part. Helping the students quantify the skills from each course will also build up confidence.
We have taking a few of our classes on field trips to show how the training is applied. This also gave them an opportunity to see another side of the career they may not have thought about.
I believe that the college as a whole is responsible for continuously grooming the students and providing them with resources to become successful.
The best practice I can suggest is an interactive powerpoint. Here you can highlight the areas which the student is studying and what type of jobs are out there. You can then have the student search for those types of jobs.
Each "major" has multiple paths that can be taken upon graduation. Upon doing this, the student can have a clear understanding as to exactly what type of job the can obtain and the amount of openings in the field.
As a career services representative, what job search projects and/or activities can you create that instructors could integrate into their instructional delivery?
I can assist the instructors with creating a "career day" where the student would come dressed in business attire. their classmates will get a first hand look at how to dress for success and how not to dress. This can be constructive criticism for the students.
I can assist the instructors with having a "Describe yourself essay" this will get the student prepared to look within and understand themselves from a different prospective.
I can assist the instructors by asking if they can be the students' first person to "recommend" them. The instructors will have first hand knowledge on the students attendance, participation, and skills.
I can also, ask instructors to host "skill workshops" this is where the student will have the opportunity to improve on the skills they are learning in the classroom.
During one of the first classes I like to ask my students to contact 3 employers. Ideally, these employers should be from different types of companies within the industry. For example, an IT student may contact a small, medium and large company. Or a medical assistant student my contact a doctors office, hospital and per diem staffing agency. The assignment is to talk to these employers (ideally face to face) to ask how they got their start on the industry and to ask for advice. I hope for several results from this activity: 1) the student gains insight into their chosen field, and may have a better understanding of the types of environments in which they may want to work, or not work 2) this employer may become a mentor to the student, and the student should ask if they can talk periodically, 3) the employer may be a job source or referral source as the student gets closer to graduation.
We do a lot of team building exercises as well as a lot that were listed above. I think that it's important to remind them that they have to learn to work together on the job as well as life.
Beatriz,
On the job experience is important for all training. Students need organized externships. In that way they perform required skills and get feedback. They can add meaningful experience to their resumes.
Dr. Susan Schulz
Martha,
That's great. You might want to hold meetings so they can discuss ways to talk about life on the job. Students need to know how skills they learn in class apply to the workplace.
Dr. Susan Schulz
we send our students to medical offices to offer their services voluntarely
we have well trained instructors on every field and they have years of practice that they apply in the classroom
Viola,
We also believe that Career Services should be stressed in the classroom. We see great results when teachers talk about life on the job everyday and relate how skills learned in class are used in the workplace. Often instructors have to be taught how to do that. We think that career services is more than just a course. It helps when workshops are given throughout training and students are mentored by Alumni. Also workshops and other offerings are best when required. Thanks, Susan
Dr. Susan Schulz
Even though our school has a required Professional Resource Development course that all students must complete prior to going to their externships, our CS department does find it helpful to go into the classrooms and give talks on program-specific issues to resume writing, interview skills, job search and workplace success.
An example is speaking to students in our medical program on appearance and appropriate attire for the workplace. Even though most medical offices have employees wear scrubs,that would not necessarily be appropriate for an interview. Many students don't know that!
Jorge,
Yes, enrollment is about getting a job. To us this means that all staff and faculty need to keep students focused on the goal - employment in the field for which they train. Everyone has to understand the requirements of the job and what life at the workplace is all about. It takes everyone talking about work, how to successfully train, and how to integrate the process into ones life. Students need a lot of handholding in the process. We don't think there is anything wrong with that. The student is the customer and our aim is their satisfaction. They will tell others to enroll and keep returning for advanced training. thanks, Susan
Dr. Susan Schulz
One has to remember the reason that one attends a vocational training program is to work in the Career Field they are training for. From Day one it is essential to remember that goal and maintain focused, do your research on the demands of the position the success or lack there of entry level opportunities, how one can overcome those pitfalls like volunteering or internships. Process your resume and work on it throughout your training program, do job research aside from job boards and always remember that preparation and confidence are the keys to success to an entry level candidate
Amanda,
This is great. It sounds like your required courses cover all the employment skills needed. In addition, the courses are spaced out so students have time to absorb and use the materials. The challenge of disabilities seems to have made you all more creative in what you do to train students to be successful in the job search process. We think internships are valuable for any and every program. Students gain confidence and experience. Employers can enjoy a long interview process for their possible new hire. Thanks, Susan
Dr. Susan Schulz
Our students take 3 employment courses during their 1 year program with us. They learn about interview hygiene and etiquette; resumes, cover letters, and references; they receive feedback for mock interviews with our staff as well as our virtual reality training agent which gives them full immersion with an avatar that interviews them. Their last of the 3 classes covers how to appropriately interact with their coworkers and supervisors. Due to our students varying disabilities, our activities vary between small group, individual, role playing, and brief lectures. We try to keep it very visual and interactive.
Depending on their program, students also participate in an internship to support what they are learning in the classroom.
The purpose of our 3 employment classes is to start with them before the interview and then support the student through successful employment.
