CAREER DECISIONS

“WHAT DO I WANT TO BE WHEN I GROW UP?”

STEP ONE

A. SELF ASSESSMENT - WHAT ARE YOUR VALUES,

LIFESTYLE GOALS & INTERESTS?

M.E. PP 687-688

1. VALUES - WHAT IS IMPORTANT TO YOU

WORK VALUES - VALUES IMPORTANT TO SUCCESS ON THE JOB: HONESTY,

DEPENDABILITY, DILIGENCE, TEAM SPIRIT

2. YOUR LIFESTYLE GOALS

WHERE YOU LIVE TYPE OF HOUSING LEISURE ACTIVITIES RELATIONSHIPS WITH FAMILY &

FRIENDS

TYPE OF TRANSPORTATION WHAT YOU DO TO EARN A LIVING

3. GOAL SETTING

LONG RANGE GOALS - THOSE FURTHEST INTO THE FUTURE

MEDIUM-RANGE GOALS - HELPS YOU TO MOVE CLOSER TO LONG RANGE GOALS

SHORT-RANGE GOALS - THOSE THAT ARE MOST IMMEDIATE

LIFESTYLE GOALS - HOW YOU SEE YOURSELF LIVING IN THE FUTURE

4. INTERESTS

YOU’LL PROBABLY SPEND 30-40 YEARS WORKING SO YOU WANT TO CHOOSE SOMETHING YOU ENJOY

• FAVORITE CLASSES?

• HOBBIES?

• WORLD OF WORK CAREER INTEREST SURVEY

5. SKILLS & APTITUDES

SKILLS - WHAT YOU’RE GOOD AT

APTITUDE - A KNACK, OR A POTENTIAL, FOR LEARNING A CERTAIN

SKILL

6. YOUR PERSONALITY

LIST 10 WORDS THAT DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY

SELF-DIRECTED SEARCH

DICTIONARY OF OCCUPATIONAL TITLES - DESCRIBES RELATIONSHIPS OF JOBS WITH DATA, PEOPLE & THINGS

7. WORK ENVIRONMENT

INDOORS/OUTDOORS? SITTING DOWN/STANDING UP? DUSTY, NOISY, BLOODY? DANGEROUS? PHYSICAL? SHIFTS? WORK RELATIONSHIPS? ALONE?

B. CAREER ASSESSMENT - (STEP 2)

• WHAT KIND OF WORK VALUES?

• HOW DOES THE JOB FIT INTO YOUR LIFESTYLE? (TRAVEL? FAMILY TIME? WEEKENDS?)

• CAREER OUTLOOK - AVAILABILITY OF JOBS

• HOW MUCH EDUCATION & TRAINING? (2 YRS? 4 YRS? 8 YRS?)

• DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES?

• NEEDED SKILLS/APTITUDES? (DOES THE JOB MATCH YOUR’S?)

CAREER ASSESSMENT

PERSONALITY TRAITS NEEDED DOES THE WORK ENVIRONMENT

MATCH THE ONE YOU WANT? WORK RELATIONSHIPS?

C. RESOURCES

DICTIONARY OF OCCUPATIONAL TITLES (JOB DESCRIPTIONS)

OCCUPATIONAL OUTLOOK HANDBOOK (PROVIDES DETAILS ON HOURS, EDUCATION, SALARIES, WORKING CONDITIONS, ETC.)

CAREER CONSULTANT ON-THE-JOB TRAINING

marketing

Careers

E. Marketing careers (no notes)

Characteristics of a marketing career– Diverse jobs (buying, selling, creating, advising, designing

ads)– 33% of U.S. jobs involve marketing– Above average income– Advancement– Can be stressful

Marketing careers

Employment trends are projected to continue at a high level through 2012

Occupational area – Advertising– Customer service– E-commerce– Entertainment marketing

Occupational area Entrepreneur Fashion merchandising Financial services Food marketing Hospitality marketing Importing/exporting Market research Pharmaceutical marketing

Occupational area

Product management Professional sales Public relations Real estate Restaurant management

Retail mgt. Sales mgt. Service marketing Sports marketing Travel/tourism

E. Job levels Entry-level jobs – no experience needed; very

few decisions to make

Career-sustaining jobs – higher level skills; more decisions (head teller at a bank)

Job levels

Marketing specialist employees - a team leader; involved in daily decision-making (account executive at an ad agency)

Marketing supervisors – requires good management skills; must make smart decisions on a regular basis; higher income (customer service manager at a bank)

Managers and CEOs/owners – top level job; highly skilled, run the business; responsible for success/failure (Chief Financial Officer of Marriott Corp.

9.01 Understand procedures to obtain a job

A. Job leads – finding potential job openings

1. Cooperative education/Internship 2. Newspaper and trade magazines 3. Employment agencies

– Public – supported by state & federal $$; free service; Employment Security Commission

– Private – profit driven; fee charged to the employer or employee; Manpower, Kelly services

Job leads

4. Company personnel/human resources offices

5. Internet – Hotjobs.com; Monster.com; Careerbuilder.com

Letters of inquiry – written to a company about potential job openings after other job leads have been exhausted

6. Networking

a. Building relationships from people you know to people they know– Not formal groups with formal rules – “Word of mouth” – Done through clubs, conferences, trade

associations, church, community activities, athletic events

b. Obstacles in networking

Personal barriers – uncomfortable reaching out to others; lack of trust

Lack of knowledge – don’t understand the benefits or

know how to find networks Lack of foresight – don’t look ahead to the future value;

don’t have time & won’t make time Lack of work ethic – doing just enough to keep a

job & going no further

B. Applying for a job?

Step 1: Application– Application form – Cover letter – Résumé – References – Electronic résumé

a. Application form – requested info. to be used in the hiring decision

1. Write clearly & spell correctly 2. Use blue or black ink 3. Full name, not nickname 4. Specific job title, not “any job” 5. Complete education info. Including

years, concentrations 6. Complete employer info. – Including

addresses, duties, time

Application form

7. Complete every section – n/a or “not applicable” in areas that don’t apply; _____________ will also work if neat

8. Get permission from references before using their names

b. Cover letter

Personal business letter that accompanies a resume & introduces a person to the company (never send a resume without a cover letter)

Get example & write scratch copy

c. Resume – a personal data sheet providing info about a person

1. Heading – includes personal information (name, address, phone, email, fax)

2. Job Objective – Identifies the position to be considered

Resume

3. Education & training – formal education & additional training included; significant courses taken (can be switched with work experience)

4. Work experience – List all jobs in reverse chronological order; description of all jobs & specific skills; volunteer work can be included here

Resume

5. Personal accomplishments – list activities, honors, interests, abilities

6. References – people (not relatives or friends your own age) who can give a positive recommendation– Former employers, teachers counselors,

business contacts (have list of all info)– “References Available Upon Request”

d. Electronic resume

Becoming very popular to send resume online– Text only– Avoid bold, italics & underlining– Traditional fonts (size 12 or 14)

Computer scans resume searching for key words/phrases (whatever the company is looking for)

Spell out acronyms & use industry specific jargon Submit as an attachment; be sure email address is

correct

Step 2: Prepare for the interview

A. Dress professionally 1. DRESS AS IF YOU WORKED THERE - ONLY

BETTER 2. NO JEANS 3. CONSERVATIVE HAIR 4. JEWELRY - “RULE OF 5”

- CONSERVATIVE ONLY 5. NO TOBACCO, GUM, FOOD

Dress professionally

6. CLEAN HAIR, SKIN, NAILS 7. FRESH BREATH 8. NO COLOGNE

Prepare for the interview– B. Arrive 10 minutes early– C. Be knowledgeable about the company

(look it up)– D. Practice answering questions (get

your list)– E. Prepare questions to ask the

interviewer (get your list)

Step 3: Make a good 1st impression

APPEARANCE COUNTS!!!! SHAKE HANDS!!! – at the beginning & at

the end of the interview ATTITUDE! ATTITUDE! ATTITUDE! –

– Separates winners from losers– Smile– Eye contact– Enthusiastic & motivated

Step 4: Follow up the interview

A. FOLLOW-UP LETTER – thank you letter stating your appreciation for the time they gave as well as reaffirming interest in the job

B. PHONE CALL – if you have not heard the results, call 5-6 days later

C. RESIGNATION LETTER – (IF YOU GET THE JOB); letter written to inform your employer that you are leaving– Always follow company policy– 2-week notice is common courtesy

Follow up

D. REFERENCE LETTER – letter from a previous employer containing statements about your character, abilities, skills & attitudes– Get one before you leave– Make copies

E. After you’re hired

1. Thank all of the interviewers 2. Maintain a list of accomplishments 3. Keep learning new skills 4. Keep network contacts 5. Volunteer and be a team player

After you’re hired

6. LEARN THE COMPANY POLICIES– WORK SCHEDULES– HIRING PROCEDURES– COMPENSATION– BENEFITS

7. LEARN COMPANY REGULATIONS – EMPLOYEE CONDUCT– CUSTOMER TRANSACTIONS– GENERAL WORKPLACE ISSUES