OAS COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Calzada, Oas, Albay

MODUE 10: JOB SEARCH AND ADVANCEMENT

INTRODUCTION

Job searching or job hunting or job seeking is the act of looking for employment,
due to unemployment, discounted with a current position, or desire for a better position.

Advancement is the process of promoting a cause or plan. It is the promotion of

a person in rank or status.

OBJECTIVES:

At the end of the lesson, you should be able to:

1. Know how to match skills, values and interests with job possibilities.
2. Identify sources of job information
3. Be able to prepare letter of application and resume
4. Learn how to develop job interview skills
5. Differentiate the job advancement strategies develop.

TIME: The time allotted for this module is 6 hours.

LEARNER DESCRIPTION

The participants in this module are BSOA Second Year Students.

MODULE CONTENTS:

LESSON 1: Matching Skills, Values and Interest with Job Responsibilities

By the end of this lesson, you should be able to:

1. Know how to match skills, values and interests with job possibilities

Assess Yourself

Find careers that match your work skills, interest and values. An assessment helps you
learn about yourself. Career assessment tools ask questions to help you learn about
you and careers that fit you.
What is an Assessment?

Learn about assessment and what a career assessment can tell you.

Skills

Learn about how to identify your skills, use them in your resume, or improve them with
practice.

∙ ISEEK Skills assessment

Rate your skills and see which careers are a match for the skills that are important to
you.

∙ Career One stop skills Profilers

Use this tool to create a list your skills and match them a job types that use those skills.

∙ MN Careers Interest Assessment

See how your interests related to the careers that fit you best.
∙ ISEEK Career Cluster Interest Assessment
Rate the activities you enjoy, your personal qualities and school subjects you like to see
which career clusters are a match for your interests.

Job Sources of Career Information

By the end of this lesson, you should be able to:

1. Identify the sources of job information.

Personal Contact

Families and friends can be extremely helpful in providing career information. While
they may not always have the information needed, they may know other knowledgeable
people and be able to put the job seeker in touch with them. These contacts can lead to
an 5information interview6, which usually means talking to someone who can provide
information about a company or career. This person should have the experience to
describe how he or she trained for the job, received promotions, and dislikes the job.
Not only can the person advise what to do, he or she can advise what not to do.
Libraries and Career Centers

Libraries offer a great deal of information about careers and job training. Begin by
searching the catalog under6 vocations6 or 5careers6 and then look under specific
fields of work that match areas of interest. For instance, those who like working with the
veterinary assistants, zoologists, animal trainers, breeders, groomers and others whose
occupations involve working with animals. Trade publications and magazines describe
and discuss many kinds of work in various fields.

Most school and public libraries own current editions of the Occupational Outlook
Handbook, which describes hundreds of occupations in detail and is revised every year
by the Department of Labor and Employment. School career centers often offer
individual counseling and testing, guest speakers, field trips and career days.
Information in career guidance materials should be current. It is wise to find a numbers
of sources, since one resource might glamorize the occupation, overstate the earnings,
or exaggerate the demand for workers in the field.
Counselors

Counselors are professionals trained to help clients assess their own strengths and
weaknesses, evaluate their goals and values and determine what they want in a career.
Counselors can be found in:

∙ Placement offices in private vocational or technical schools

∙ College career planning and placement offices
∙ Vocational rehabilitation agencies
∙ Counseling service offices offered by community organizations.
∙ Private counseling agencies
∙ State employment service offices.

The Internet

The Internet provides much of the same job information that is available through
libraries, career centers and guidance offices. However no single network resource will
contain all the desired information. As in a library search, one must look through various
lists by field of discipline or by using keyword searches.

A good place to start an Internet search for career information is at the Website of
DOLE Statistics, where job seekers can find the aforementioned most current edition of
the Occupational Outlook Handbook. This resource contains specific information and
statistics on occupation from aircraft mechanics to zoologists. Topics covered range
from the type of education or training required to working conditions, earnings,
prospects for career openings and advancement and description of what workers do on
the job.
Organizations

Professional societies, trade associations, labor unions, business firms and educational
institutions offer a variety of free or inexpensive career materials. Trade organizations
are particularly useful sources of information if one already has a job and is seeking
another or fears being 5downsized6 by one8s present employer.

Education and training Information

All jobs require some kind of training, even those that primarily utilize simple, everyday
skills. Many people acquire these most basic job skills during the process of growing up
and through compulsory education. Additional on-the-job training is often sufficient for
success in a first-timer job. Most career jobs, however, require more education and
training than can be provided through the basic life experience and new employee
orientation programs.

For career training for some fields may be available through vocational courses in
public schools, local branches of employment offices or apprenticeship programs. Some
occupations require a few months training, while others may take many years of
education and be very costly. Physicians, for instance may spend as many tens of
thousands of pesos to learn specialty in medicine.

Colleges, schools and training institutes readily reply to requests for information about
their programs. Professional and trade associations have lists of schools that offer
career preparation in their fields.

Preparing Letter of Application and Resumes

By the end of this lesson, you should be able to:

1. Be able to prepare letter of application and resume

Letter of Application and Resume

A letter of application also known as a cover letter is a document sent with your resume
to provide additional information on your skills and experience. A letter of application
typically provides detailed information on why are you qualified for the job you are
applying for. Effective application letters explain the reasons for your interest in the
specific organization and identify your most relevant skills or experiences.
Your application letter should let the employer know what position you are applying for,
why the employer should select you for an interview and how you will follow-up.
What in include in a letter of Application?

When writing an application letter you should include:

∙ Subject (for an email letter)

List the job are applying for and your name in the subject line of your email message, so
the employer is clear as to what job you are interested in and who you are.

First Paragraph: mention the job you are applying for and where you found the listing.

Middle Paragraph(s): What you have to offer the employer mention why your skills and
experience are a good fit for the job.

Last Paragraph6 Say thank you to the hiring manager for considering you and note how
you will follow up.

∙ Signature

End your cover letter with your signature, handwritten, followed by your typed name.

∙ Resume

A resume is a document used by persons to present their background and skills.

Resumes can be used for a variety of reasons, but most often these are used to secure
new employment. A typical resume contains a 5summary6 of relevant job experience
and education, as its French origin implies. The resume is usually one of the first items,
along with a cover letter and sometimes an application for employment, which a
potential employer sees regarding the job seeker and is typically used to screen
applicants, often followed by an interview. The curriculum vitae (CV) used for academic
purposes is more akin to the resume 3 a shorter, summary version of one8s education
and experience 3 than to the longer and more detailed CV that is expected in academic
circle.
LESSON 4: Developing Job Interview Skills

By the end of this lesson, you should be able to:

1. Learn how to develop job interview skills

Develop your interview skills

Its natural to feel nervous at an interview. The best way to alleviate your anxiety and
come across as confident and knowledgeable is to prepare ahead of time and practice
and practice, practice.

Some basic questions to ask yourself before preparing for an interview:

1. What are the most commonly asked interview questions?

2. Do I know the difference between behavioral interview questions and situational
interview questions and can I effectively answer either type of questions?
3. How much information is too much and how much is too little?
4. Is it okay to use example from unpaid experience. If I’ve never had a paid job
before?
5. What should I wear?

What kind of impression do you give in an interview?

If you want to know what you look line while you’re answering interview questions
(you’d be surprised at how often you say “um” or fidget with your hair or hands) practice
in front of the mirror or with somebody who will give you honest and constructive
feedback; a friend, roommate, family member, or a Job Search Advisor at the Career
Centre who can conduct a videotaped interview practice session with you and provide
feedback to strengthen your interview skills.

Resources to help you strengthen your interview skills

Polishing your interview skills workshop:

This career center workshop will help you approach your next interview with
increased confidence by putting your interview skills to the test in fun, fact-paced
environment alongside your peers.

Making a Great First impression in your interview and Beyond workshop:

This career center workshop will help you make a positive impression and
increase your confidence when interacting with others to get the job you want.

Career Cyber Guide

Basic Interview Skills:

Google the great video by SUNNY ROCKLAND COMMUNITY COLLEGE

gives an overview of the interview process, including tips on what you should
do… and not do.
Getting feedback when you didn’t get the job:

Google the MONSTER CAREER COACH explains how to find out what the
employer thought of you so you can use that feedback to improve your next
interview.

JOB ADVANCEMENT STRATEGIES

Advancement, they cannot afford to take anything for granted. Performing well
and bringing value is tantamount to success! However, you can be great at your job and
never advance to the next level if you don’t make a conscious effort to plan for career
growth. Those who decide to seek job advancement must leave nothing to chance.

To advance yourself to the next level, create a clear and concise roadmap that
guides you through the process. Here are some specific strategies you will want to adopt
in order to succeed:

1. Create your personal brand – creating a brand that is in high demand is one of
the most powerful things you cand do to fuel career advancement. Once you
established the skills and characteristics that make you unique, employers will be
more likely to pursue you. To develop and implement a personal branding, you
must first assess your strengths, preferences and differentiators.
2. Convey your Value – once you have a thorough picture of the image you wish to
convey with your personal brand, you must continue to refine the brand and
establish it as a common theme in all of your communications.
3. Update Your Career Documents – smart executives recognize the part of
positioning their brand includes creating outstanding career documents. A strong
linked in profile and the development of a professional biography can add value,
and help with job advancement. It is no longer enough to have a basic resume.
Your resume must be polished and focused to reflect your brand image. It should
include targeted and impactful wording that illustrates your most impressive
accomplishments. May executives are opting to include a multimedia Visual CV/
Digital Resume as part of their repertoire.
ACTIVITY 1: (to be submitted during the Final Exam)

1. From the posting of Job Vacancies from the internet, write an application
letter with the following attachment:
a. Printed screen shot of posted job vacancies from the internet
b. Application Letter
c. Resume with printed 2X2 picture

ACTIVITY 2: (to be submitted starting today until June 8 as deadline) – VIDEO

MAKING

2. Select a partner and demonstrate an interview skill from the lesson through
a 5- minute video presentation to be sent on our GC. On the video
presentation include your name and block/section for my reference.

PREPARED BY:

MA. GEMMA G. ESPINEDA, MBA

College Instructor