Lesson Plan
Creating Star Quality Job Seekers
| Subject: | Literacy |
| Grade span: | 9 to 12 |
| Duration: | two hours, with additional planning and follow up time |
Description:
Young adults often need support identifying their strengths, presenting them in interviews, and developing good resumes as they seek their first jobs. Parents and siblings may also benefit greatly from a family event that offers basic training in job seeking skills. To organize this event you can: 1) partner with high school business teachers or counselors, your local community colleges or employment office, other community organizations, and/or consultants that provide resume/employment services; or 2) work with your own staff, students, and online instructional tools offering interview and resume building skills. This project requires two to four planning meetings, a two-hour evening event, and a time for student follow-up.Learning Goals:
- Involve parents, community partners, and students with the afterschool program
- Provide functional literacy training to parents, students, and siblings
- Create connections between community employment services and community job seekers
- Improve job-seeking skills in the afterschool community
Materials:
- Sample resumes representing common jobs in your community from applicants with diverse characteristics (age/experience/cultural backgrounds, etc.)
- Worksheets for listing experience, education, training, activities, and service
- Handouts providing tips and resources appropriate to each learning station
- Access to computers for final production of resumes (your sites or partner sites).
Preparation:
- Identify a planning group, including partners, students, and parents
- Use knowledge of community and parent characteristics to plan a recruitment strategy (promotion, perks, prizes, day care, etc.)
- Find individuals to run stations such as: 1) uncovering your assets; 2) tailoring content to personal goals; 3) presenting yourself in interviews; 4) writing a good resume; 5) selecting a format; and 6) writing a cover letter
- Plan presentations, activities, handouts, and coaching strategies for each station
- Assign tasks for event hospitality and refreshments
- Set an event date and carry out your recruitment/publicity plan
What to Do:
- Welcome participants with a sign-in sheet, name tags and provide information about the event agenda
- Provide all attendees with a brief introduction of the goals for the event, information about what a good resume can/cannot do, a description of each learning station and an introduction of the station coaches and hosts
- Allow time for participants to visit each station for mini-sessions of about 15 minutes, signaling shift times.
- Assemble the entire group for refreshments, final giveaways (resume paper/ free consultation), information about follow-up, and opportunities for questions
- Collect an evaluation survey to gather feedback on effectiveness of format and usefulness of information for each activity
- Provide handouts listing community resources for further learning
- Work with student follow-up teams to create electronic files, edit, polish, and print copies of submitted resumes for participants
Evaluate (Outcomes to look for):
- Attendance and participation from families and the community
- Increased knowledge about, and skills in asset identification, presenting experience in interviews, and resume preparation among participants
- Well-prepared resumes for students and extended family members
- Interest in related follow-up events, such as deeper job interview skills
- Evidence that new skills have met with success (through follow-up surveys and feedback from organizations).
