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| Consumer Ed - Portfolio Assignment1) Portfolio Assignment
Students will submit the following as evidence they understand format
and content requirements for using attached documents in conducting a
job search:
1. Resume -
2. Cover Letter
3. Letter of Inquiry
4. Networking Letter
5. Thank You Letter
6. Reference Letter (this item is optional and may serve as an additional extra credit item.
Always keep in mind the proper format and layout that's required.
Microsoft Word has numerous templates that enable you to forego the
page layout and design applications. In other words they are already
done for you. Questions about how to access this data is available for
the asking.
Due date for entire portfolio assignment is Tuesday, October 17, 2006. All work received after that time will incur late penalty, generally in the form of points deducted.
2) Complete the following "Job Application"
for inclusion in your portfolio. This assignment will be in two parts,
each designed to chart your progress by comparing the
initial form versus the final version at the conclusion of this unit.
Application is available here:
http://www.quintcareers.com/employment_application.pdf
3) Extra Credit - Please provide responses: This is the Extra Credit portion of your portfolio assignment.
Completion is strongly encouraged to the extent you are targeting a
grade of “A”. Use the textbook as your reference source, or conduct
independent investigation based on alternative source which you
identified and selected.
16 Questions
1. Good friends count on each other for lots of things. What do YOUR friends count on YOU for?
2. What do you do for your parents or guardians to help them out when you have time?
3. What DIFFICULTIES or barriers have you overcome to get where you are now?
4. What COURAGEOUS things have you done that you feel good about?
5. What GOOD QUALITIES did you inherit from your family?
6. IF one of your friends at school were to BRAG about you, what would they say?
7. IF YOU felt totally comfortable bragging about yourself, what would YOU brag about? What are you most PROUD of?
8. What PRAISE or acknowledgment have you gotten from your teachers?
9. If you suddenly had to move far away (like, if your folks got a job
in a di1ferent part of the country) what would your friends or teachers
or neighbors MISS most about you? How would their lives be more
difficult, less fun, or less interesting if you weren't there?
10. Name about SIX QUALITIES or characteristics of OTHER people that you most respect or admire.
11. Which of those qualities you named above are also true about YOU?
For each of those qualities, tell what you DO that gives people the
impression that you have that quality.
12. Think of a PROBLEM that came up that had other people stumped, but
that YOU were able to do something about, to improve the situation.
What did YOU do? What does that say about your abilities?
13. Which subjects are you best at in school? Why do you like those courses?
14. What do you KNOW so wel1-or DO so wel1 that you could teach it to
others? What's the main TIP you'd tell people about how to do that
fabulously?
15. What CREATIVE things have you done that you feel good about?
16. Describe something you DESIGNED, CREATED, built, made, or fixed up,
that gave you a strong sense of satisfaction. Tell why you felt so good
about it.
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Optional Assignment # 1
Student is to identify a local business firm which they might like to
work. Student will then interview the person in charge of managing and
or hiring at the facility, either in person or on the telephone.
Goal is to find out about the types of jobs the business offers, the
training each job requires, and the personal qualities the business
looks for when interviewing potential employees.
Student will write a brief report about the interview. Assignment must be type written and constitute a minimum of 350 words.
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Optional Assignment # 2
Personal Career Plan - Personal Journal Exercise
Taking a look into your future. It’s the day of your
retirement party. As you look back on your career, what are you most
proud of? What will you say to the friends and coworkers who have
gathered to celebrate with you? What do you hope to hear them say about
you and your work?
Write a journal entry about your feelings and ideas.
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Optional assignment # 3
Jobs and Careers - Provide brief response to the following questions.
1. Is work something people do simply to earn money, or is it something much more?
2. Is a job the same thing as a career? Explain the differences, if any.
3. Based on the help-wanted ads in your local newspaper, discuss which types of jobs have the most openings.
4. Your lifestyle is the way you use your time, energy, and
resources. The work you do affects other parts of your life. What kind
of lifestyle do you want in the future? What things are
important to you? Make a list of how you’d like to spend
your time energy and resources.
5. Why do people work? Why do your family members work? Why do your friends work?
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Optional Assignment # 4
Journal: Describe a task or job that you did recently, one that gave
you a feeling of accomplishment. Write a brief entry (minimum 250
words) describing the task and how you felt after accomplishing it.
What else could you do that might give you that feeling again? Finding
self-fulfillment has lasting effects. You feel good about yourself and
about what you do.
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5) Complete Employment Application
http://www.quintcareers.com/employment_application.pdf
Student Career Services Website
Review and other resources:
Nice topic offerings. Extensive use of examples and commentary about seeker experiences.
http://www.career.vt.edu/JOBSEARC/coversamples.htm
CareerKids.com
Offers an easy way to put together a resume. Simply follow the
directions on the Site and watch how your skills and interests can turn
into a valuable resume.
note: You don't have to fill in every space if you don't want to.
Also Note: None of the information you enter will be saved
on our server. If you want a copy of your resume, you will need to
print it out. All information is erased when you reload or quit your
browser.
URL: http://www.careerkids.com/resume2.html
Sample Resumes/Cover letters (jump right into)
Letters of inquiry:
http://www.careerservices.neu.edu/letters_inquiry_students.html
http://jobsearch.about.com/od/sampleresumes/a/sampleresumes.htm
The Jobs Toolbox (excellent resource, comprehensive)
URL: http://www.thejobbox.com/tjb/index.cfm?page=resource&id=8&CFID=152708&CFTOKEN=79738979
JobStar
URL: http://jobstar.org/hidden/index.php
Skokie Public Library: excellent site on teen employment
URL: http://www.skokie.lib.il.us/s_teens/tn_jobs/index.html
URL: http://teens4hire.org/
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| Friday Library AssignmentAll Classes:
Follow instructions for setting up your "dot Mac" account (This is Part I)
Then, scroll down to your particular
section of the page (Freshman Advisory or Consumer Ed), and follow the
instructions indicated (Part II).
Remember, if you plan to submit any comment to this site, you must sign-up as a member of xanga. Signing up is not mandatory.
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| Freshman Advisory Part II -Library 9/29/06Freshman Advisory Assignment:
You are to recommend a film to the class. Movie must cover a theme that
we have been working on. Best selection will be shown in class. Here
are my favorites:
1. Roll Bounce
2. Whale Rider
3. Akeelah and the Bee
4. Annie Be Real
5. Requiem for a Dream
6. Gridiron Gang
7. My Family (Mi Familia)
You can do a Google search on the movie of your choice. Explain why you
think the class should see the film. What lesson does the film teach?
Explain your reasoning.
example: (from Yahoo Movies)
Movie Review
This lovely fable of a movie is
set in the Maori community of New Zealand. According to legend, the
Maori came to settle on the land when their great leader Paikea led
them by riding on a whale.
Ever since, the Maori have been led
by the descendants of that leader. The movie begins with the birth of
twins, the latest in that line. But the boy twin and his mother die.
Over the objection of the current leader, Koro, the girl twin is named
Paikaea. Her heartbroken father leaves New Zealand, and Pai is left to
be raised by her grandparents.
Koro loves Pai deeply, but he is
still bitter about not having a male heir. When she is 12 , Koro
assembles the local boys to begin to train them in the traditions of
their culture and test them to see which has the courage, skill,
wisdom, and leadership. It is clear to her grandmother, to us, and to
Pai herself that she has all of those qualities, but Koro cannot allow
himself to consider a girl as their leader.
Pai's perceptiveness and quiet
persistence are always evident, but when she finally speaks from her
heart, standing on stage in a school production, wearing traditional
garb, she is purely luminous.
Parents should know that the movie
has some tense family confrontations. The death of a mother and baby in
childbirth is very sad. A character is injured, but ultimately
recovers. There is brief strong language. Characters drink and smoke
and there is a and a brief drug reference. A character refers to an
out-of-wedlock pregnancy. The movie presents a minority culture with
great dignity and respect, and the theme of equality is exceptionally
well handled.
Families who see this movie should
talk about the traditions of their own cultures. How do we decide which
traditions to hold on to and which to change to adapt to changing times?
I like this film because it skillfully shows that, no matter what the
gender, if the qualities are there any one should be allowed to lead...
male or female. This is a very powerful story and it is told with deep
feeling and sincerety. This movie was nominated for an Academy Award.
Sources for finding movie reviews: (search engines)
http://movies.yahoo.com/
http://www.imdb.com/Top/
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| Consumer ED - Library Assignment Part IIConsumer Ed Assignment
Upon joining our class Website, go to the site and
read the project about Career Portfolios. This is what you must
do and submit prior to Tuesday, October 17, 2006.
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Meanwhile, here's an important article:
Sorry, no one's reading that resume you sent
Computers now doing most of the weeding out
By Loretta Grantham
Cox News Service
Published September 27, 2006
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Baffled because you nailed the qualifications
for a job and never heard a word? Peeved because you blew an entire
weekend polishing your resume? Here's the likely truth: No one ever saw
it.
"The first thing that job seekers have to get over is that it's not
personal," says Gerry Crispin, a recruiting technology expert. "The
chance when you apply for a job that someone actually sees your resume
is probably less than 5 percent."
Less than a decade ago, job applicants obsessed over whether to craft
their curriculum vitae on white or ivory paper and which font would
project authority without pretense. Then there was the question of
whether to play fast and loose and let it spill onto a second page.
The idea was to impress someone in a suit at a desk.
Now, you must "impress" a computer programmed to eliminate you.
And while the goal is to lighten the load on humans in human resources,
executive recruiter Susan Smith says today's hiring hoops frustrate
firms as much as applicants.
"The Internet is wonderful, but it's this giant blob of information
that corporate recruiters have to deal with. The whole process has
become overwhelming.
"They have to weed through e-mails and attachments and online resumes and paper resumes and job boards on the Web.
"There are too many people applying for too many jobs in too many ways."
That being said, networking (as in talking to folks, not linking computer systems) is the best strategy for boosting your rank.
Inside help
"Never, ever apply without first getting someone in the company to
refer you," says Crispin, who analyzes how businesses recruit online.
"One out of every three hires has been referred by an employee.
"If you don't know someone in the company, stand outside the door at 5
o'clock and accost people as they come out," he says, only half joking.
"We live in a networked world, and if you haven't heard of MySpace or
an alumni directory or a professional association, then you've
obviously been living in a cave. And there's not a big market for cave
men."
At most large companies, resumes land in a database after being
received via e-mail; through the firm's Web site; from an Internet job
board, or, in the case of a paper resume, after being scanned.
Hiring managers set up a search request to sniff out keywords, such as
those used in the job description, along with other identifying
factors. For example, the desired accounting candidate must be a
Vanderbilt grad with a grade-point average above 3.5 who now lives in
ZIP code 27858.
So although you may be the brightest CPA in your firm and your mom's
favorite child, your resume will plummet to the bottom of the virtual
pile if you're not a dead-on match -- or close to it. And, in most
instances, you'll never know why.
Kathryn Troutman has made a career out of coaching applicants through
Resumix, a keyword database used by the federal government and other
businesses, such as Florida Power and Light, which employs 10,000 in
Florida.
"I work with people who've submitted resumes but aren't getting
referred to hiring managers," says Troutman, who runs The Resume Place
in Baltimore and wrote The Federal Resume Guidebook.
Top skills
"I analyze the target announcement and look for the top five to seven
skills: adviser, briefing manager, project manager, PowerPoint
developer and so forth.
"Then I look at the resume. I make a game out of it, actually. If the
resume doesn't hit the top skills, the applicant basically missed the
point because they didn't read the announcement close enough. I teach
people how to integrate the skills into their resume so it will come up
in the system."
FPL has received 12,000 resumes this year. Deciphering the deluge by hand would be impractical, not to mention expensive.
"We try to send everybody who is applying to the Web," says spokesman
Jim Davison. "We want people to apply to specific jobs and not blindly
shoot a resume here. Once recruiters receive the ranked resumes from
Resumix, they make the decision whether the manager who's hiring will
get a certain resume and possibly meet that person. This may involve
one or more phone interviews beforehand."
But Michael Goodboe, vice president of human resources at Wackenhut,
isn't sold on recruiting technology, opting instead to have his staff
review each submission.
Not so sure
"I'm not so sure the software will do what I want it to do," he says.
"Plus, we're a federal government contractor, so we have to follow
rules that severely impact how we process resumes from Internet
applicants."
Wackenhut employs 40,000 across the country and is the largest provider of security guards at U.S. nuclear plants.
"In my business, we marvel at technology. But it has created a frustrating administrative burden on the hiring end."
A computer's inability to gauge X factors, such as drive and
enthusiasm, is why some businesses say they're seeing a plunge in
resume submissions. Applicants are fed up.
"They tell me they'd rather just come to a job fair or try to drop by
human resources for a face-to-face meeting," says a hiring manager in
West Palm Beach. "They feel sending in a resume is a huge waste of time"
Staffing strategist Gerry Crispin of CareerXroads in Kendall Park, N.J., agrees that the process has become very impersonal.
"Very few companies treat prospective employees with any degree of
respect," he says. "Technology doesn't replace the responsibility of
the recruiter to manage the relationship with job candidates. Among the
best 100 companies, only about two-thirds even acknowledge that they've
received a resume. They most likely never knew you existed."
The heaviest-weighted factor when a computer sorts resumes is employee
referral, Crispin says. If you click that this is how you heard about
the opening -- as opposed to through HotJobs or Jobster, for instance
-- a box will pop up asking you the person's name. Otherwise, include
this detail in your cover letter.
Be sure, however, that this person can actually vouch for you.
"At the end of the day, if an employee is being asked who they'd like
as a colleague, they're going to recommend somebody who they know will
do a good job," he says. "It's not about race, gender or age because
corporations are still getting the diversity they want through
referrals. It's about building relationships."
That said, use your resume to knock on the door of your dream job. But take someone to lunch to get invited inside.
Copyright © 2006, Chicago Tribune
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| ALL CLASSES - LIBRARY ASSIGNMENT 9/29/06ALL CLASSES - HERE IS PART I of YOUR ASSIGNMENT
Today you will set up a what's called a "dot Mac" account (.Mac).
In doing so, you will join a private Website that is set up just for
our class. Go to this address:
https://www.mac.com/WebObjects/Signup.woa/wa/trial?aff=consumer&cty=US
Fill out the page, but be sure to select a user ID and password you
will remember. In the past many students lost valuable time because
they couldn't remember their ID name or password.
1. Once you have set up your account you must email me with a request to join.
2. Message you send me can just say, "Hook me up" or
Sign me in" to Freshman Advisory or Consumer Ed,
whichever case applies.
3. Upon receipt of your message, I will send a return mail confirming your membership in our group.
The Sign-Up page should look like the following. Be sure to fill in all the blanks as indicated:
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