Employability & Professionalism

Have you ever looked at a matchmaking site? People post personal information about themselves in the hopes that they will meet someone and form a romantic connection. If you look at these personal ads, you will notice the people who post them try to make themselves look their best. They focus on the most positive and attractive aspects of their personality, their interests, and even their appearance.

This attention to positive aspects makes sense. If they are lucky, someone will be interested in their profile and ask them out on a date. When it comes to finding a job, your career portfolio—including your cover letter and resume—acts sort of like a personal ad. It is a way for employers to assess quickly how attractive you are to them in terms of your qualities as a potential employee. Do you have the skills, experience, and education employers need? A portfolio that demonstrates you have what it takes is more likely to interest employers, perhaps enough to ask you to interview. Is your portfolio ready to share? Do you have what it takes to find your career match?

This resource provides instruction for users to:

• Describe the components of an effective cover letter
• Identify the elements of a career portfolio
• Describe the components of an effective job application
• Describe the purpose of different types of resumes

Can you name five things you can do to really shine in an interview? What about five things you should not do? On top of knowing what you should and shouldn't do, you need to know the sorts of answers employers want to hear when they interview job candidates. The bottom line is you must be sure you can demonstrate you have what it takes, not just through what you say, but by what you do in an interview.

Whether you have never had a job interview or gone through dozens (or more!), you can always find ways to improve your interviewing skills. Improvement starts with focusing on the verbal and nonverbal ways you communicate to employers what you have to offer. An interview doesn't end once you leave the company's door, though. How you follow up after the interview can also help determine whether you're the person offered the position. How ready are you to put your interviewing skills to the test?

This resource provides instruction for users to:

• Describe how nonverbal communication skills can affect an interview
• Describe how to answer interview questions effectively
• Describe best practices for following-up after an interview

Do you know exactly what you want to do in your career yet? Perhaps you just have a vague sense of what you want to do? At the beginning of a career search, many people have at least an inkling or general idea of what they want to do in their careers. For example, they might want to work in marketing, work in city planning, or make a living through drawing. Some people get a general idea of what they want to do through skills and interests assessments. Other people feel almost a calling to focus on one particular interest or skill. Regardless, taking your interests and skills and translating them into real, viable career paths can be a challenge, especially if you don't spend time getting to know the market.

Learning how big-picture external factors, such as the economy, the outlook for different occupations, and in-demand employer needs, affect the job market is key. Also, remember to explore the many different career paths open to you, using a number of helpful strategies to do so. Are you ready to take a look at the career market around you? Are you ready to find your career match? Don't waste any more time finding the right career for you.

This resource provides instruction for users to:

• Explain marketplace factors that may affect your career path
• Describe possible career options
• Determine a career match through best practice strategies

At 35, Rhett realizes he has spent his whole life trying to avoid admitting the truth: his true passion is to become a florist. Instead of realizing his dream when he was younger, Rhett followed the path his parents first laid out for him. He went to school to get his MBA and took over the family's custom upholstery business. However, Rhett never truly felt happy with his career. He did spend all his spare time gardening in his backyard though and even joined the local garden club. He was good at it, too. People raved about his roses and the floral arrangements he created. As he drove to work each day, he dreamed of a different life—one in which he owned his own floral shop.

It's unfortunate when people ignore their true interests and spends their lives doing something they don't want to do. Yet many people do just that. Some feel they have no choice or are afraid to pursue their passions. Some feel stuck in a job they don't love because it pays the bills or they need health insurance. Others don't spend the time to figure out what it is they really want to do. Nobody wants to end up like Rhett though, dreaming of a different life every day. Taking the time to explore what kind of life you want to have, what values you want to live by, what interests and skills you want to pursue, and what makes you, you, is a vital step in avoiding a life like Rhett's. So let's consider internal factors that affect your happiness in your career.

This resource provides instruction for users to:

• Determine your personal definition of career success
• Explain key personal factors that may affect your career path
• Describe elements of a personal brand

It's the day you've been waiting for: You've received a job offer. Your career search is over. Well, not quite yet. Although receiving a job offer is certainly reason to celebrate, there are still steps to take on your career search path. For one, it's important you understand and evaluate the components of the job offer to be sure it's the right match for you. And depending on the circumstances, you may also want to negotiate your compensation package. Finally, to behave as a true professional, it's important to manage your career over the long term, not just when it's getting started.

This resource provides instruction for users to:

• Analyze elements of a job offer
• Explain the process for negotiating a job offer
• Analyze strategies for managing career growth

Have you ever heard of the game "Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon"? The game is based on the notion that everyone on Earth is connected to each other through only six or fewer acquaintances. So, for example, you could choose anyone on Earth (such as actor Kevin Bacon) and, working through six people, be connected to that person. So what does a game about Kevin Bacon have to do with your career search? Take Sandy, who wants to find a job as a dental hygienist. She looks through online job postings and even interviews for a couple job openings, but someone else always ends up getting the job. She feels discouraged after a few months of trying to get her dream job. What if Sandy had told her friends, former coworkers, and everyone else she knows about her desire to work as a dental hygienist?

While your career likely won't depend on being connected to Kevin Bacon, it will most assuredly depend on being connected to others in a professional network. Understanding why networking is so important and knowing how to build and use a professional network are vital parts of career search success. Wouldn't your job search, and Sandy's, be easier if a friend of a friend knew someone looking to hire a worker just like you?

This resource provides instruction for users to:

• Describe ways in which a network can help you achieve career search success
• Describe ways to develop a professional network while you are in school
• Recommend best practices for using a network

What would you do if you were told you had 86,400 hours of time to spend doing something? That's the number of hours of your life you will spend working if you average 40 hours a week, 48 weeks a year (allotting 4 weeks for holidays, illness, and vacations), for 45 years (say from age 22 to 67). So how would you like to spend those 86,400 hours: doing a job just to pay the bills or pursuing a career you really enjoy? Truly engaging in a career search—examining your interests and skills, knowing what positions match these interests and skills, preparing yourself to be the winning candidate, and so on—is a vital step to ensuring you spend those 86,400 hours doing something you really enjoy rather than just working to pay the bills.

Developing a positive career search mindset will also help your search. All the preparation in the world can be undermined by a pessimistic, apathetic attitude. So approaching the career search process with a sense of personal responsibility, confidence, optimism, dedication, resilience, and professionalism is key to success. The good news is you can do plenty now, no matter where you are in your career search, to prepare yourself. Who wants to spend 86,400 hours doing something they don't love?

This resource provides instruction for users to:

• Describe the career search process
• Explain the attitudes related to career search success
• Explain actions that enhance a career search

Have you ever shown up to class unprepared? Perhaps you didn't make time to read your assignments or forgot your materials at home. In those situations, you most likely sat in your seat hoping the instructor didn't call on you to answer a question. Take Logan, who comes to classes unprepared a few times a semester. Though he isn't the best student, he gets by and makes just passing grades. Since this method still allows him to pass classes, Logan figures he doesn't always need to prepare ahead of time for other aspects of his life, such as job interviews. After all, Logan knows he is good at talking to new people and thinks he is a smart guy. However, after his first real interview, Logan realizes he missed the mark in quite a few areas.

You may be able to attend a class or two unprepared, but in job interviews, coming prepared is essential. You need to know what type of interview you will have, what questions the interviewer may ask, and how you will respond. Also, figure out what questions you want to ask the interviewer during the interview. Are you prepared with regard to all these aspects?

This resource provides instruction for users to:

• Contrast different types of interviews
• Evaluate different techniques of interview preparation
• Describe useful information sources for interview preparation

Andrew has spent his time in college working hard to get good grades in his classes and enjoying the social aspects of college life. However, he has never had a job—not even a part-time position outside of his chosen field, such as in food service or retail. With graduation looming, Andrew applies for countless jobs, but his lack of real work experience leaves him with zero job offers and a defeated attitude. Have you ever been told you aren't qualified for a job because you lack experience? At the same time, were all your attempts to get experience unsuccessful? This cycle can be extremely frustrating. How do you get experience when you don't have any and nobody is willing to let you gain it?

While you are in school, you might not be able to land a job doing exactly what you want to do. However, you still have many ways you can develop your skills and gain meaningful experiences to prepare you for a career. Are you prepared? Do you have a plan in place to become prepared? Answering yes to these questions may mean the difference between receiving the call for an interview and hearing once again that you just don't have enough experience.

This resource provides instruction for users to:

• Describe ways in which you can develop transferable skills
• Describe ways in which you can gain necessary career-related experience
• Develop career search goals

The time has come to really launch your career—to find a position doing something that truly interests you. Are you ready for it? You can answer "Yes" to that question if:

1. You know at least five different ways to find positions related to the career in which you are interested in (not just job search sites).
2. You know what information you must have collected to apply for a job, and you have that information documented in one place
3. You know what it takes to have a healthy mindset that will guarantee your job search success.

So are you prepared? Do you know how to locate positions and ready yourself?

This resource provides instruction for users to:

• Describe the methods of locating potential positions relevant to your career path
• Explain information pertinent to completing a job application
• Describe best practices for ensuring job-search success