Lesson 12

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Job Applications and Interviews

In this lesson, students hone their communication skills to learn how to express themselves clearly and professionally on applications and in interviews. After discussing the ins and outs of job applications, cover letters, resumes, interviews, and work permits, students practice reading job ads to identify jobs that could be a good fit. They compare a job application, a cover letter, and a resume and consider the unique purpose of each document. Finally, students use this information to create their own properly formatted resumes.

Make It Local  | This lesson includes time to walk students through the process of searching want ads on a job site. The lesson steps are written for the San Francisco Bay Area version of Craigslist. Replace this information with a walkthrough for a job site that is more useful for your students. An example want ad, job application, cover letter, and resume are provided in this lesson. All of these materials are about a hypothetical job and applicant in San Francisco. If you believe it will be more helpful to your students, revise these materials with information from your community. See Teacher Resource 12.3 and Student Resources 12.3 and 12.4 for more information. This lesson explains about the necessity of obtaining a work permit. Before teaching the lesson, determine how students can obtain a work permit in your community. Be prepared to share that information with students when appropriate.

Advance Preparation

–   Class Period 2 focuses on an interactive PowerPoint presentation. Prepare the notes you will use during this presentation using Teacher Resource 12.2, Interactive Presentation Notes and Instructions: Applications, Interviews, Cover Letters, and Work Permits (includes separate PowerPoint file).

–   Students will need access to computers with word processing software and, ideally, a printer, in Class Period 5.

This lesson is expected to take 6 class periods.

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Lesson Framework

Learning Objectives

Each student will:

–   Deduce the role of code-switching in presenting oneself in a college-going or career context

–   Describe the characteristics of effective cover letters and resumes

–   Summarize the purpose and components of applications and letters of reference

–   Demonstrate the ability to compose a resume

Academic Standards

–   Know important strategies for self-promotion in the hiring process, such as job applications, résumé writing, interviewing skills, and preparation of a portfolio (CTE Standards, 3.6)

–   Take pride in work and achievement (ASCA National Standards, A:A1.3)

–   Identify values, attitudes and beliefs (ASCA National Standards, PS:A1.2)

–   Maintain a career-planning portfolio (ASCA National Standards, C:B2.5)

21^st Century Skills  

This lesson focuses on the following 21^st century skills:

–   Academic competence: Students demonstrate academic skills and knowledge that allows them to graduate from high school (and meet a-g requirements) and be prepared for college or a career

–   Communication skills: Students demonstrate listening, speaking, reading, writing, presenting, and non-verbal communication that clearly demonstrates their skills and knowledge

Assessment

ASSESSMENT PRODUCT	MEANS OF ASSESSMENT
Resume (portfolio component)	Assessment Criteria: Resume (Teacher Resource 12.4)

–   Solid understanding of how to use knowledge of personal characteristics, values, and talents to shape postsecondary and career goals

–   Grasp of the steps necessary to make the journey from high school to college to career

–   Understanding of the importance of code-switching in a variety of social and professional situations

–   Ability to demonstrate effective communication skills

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Instructional Materials

Teacher Resources

–   Teacher Resource 12.1, Storyboard: Applying for a Job (separate PowerPoint file)

–   Teacher Resource 12.2, Interactive Presentation Notes and Instructions: Applications, Interviews, Cover Letters, and Work Permits (includes separate PowerPoint file)

–   Teacher Resource 12.3, Example: Pet Supply Store Job Ad

–   Teacher Resource 12.4, Assessment Criteria: Resume

–   Teacher Resource 12.5, Key Vocabulary: Job Applications and Interviews

–   Teacher Resource 12.6, Bibliography: Job Applications and Interviews

Student Resources

–   Student Resource 12.1, Reading: Applications, Interviews, Cover Letters, and Work Permits

–   Student Resource 12.2, Worksheet: Job Ad Terminology

–   Student Resource 12.3, Example: Job Application (separate Word file)

–   Student Resource 12.4, Example: Cover Letter and Resume

–   Student Resource 12.5, Worksheet: Preparing to Write a Resume

Equipment and Supplies

–   Whiteboard or blackboard

–   LCD projector and computer for PowerPoint presentations

–   Computers with word processing software

–   Printer (optional)

–   Computer screen connected to the Internet

–   Chart paper (optional)

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Lesson Steps

CLASS PERIOD 1

INSTRUCTION

–   Tell students that they are about to see how one student goes about applying for a job and being interviewed for that job. Their task, as they watch, is to keep the prompt on the board in mind as they view the presentation.

–   Have students view (or read) Teacher Resource 12.1, Storyboard: Applying for a Job.

–   Next, have students pair with a neighbor to discuss the prompt on the board.

–   Call on several students popcorn style to share their responses. Why do students think Lisa will or will not be hired for this job?

–   Tell students to get out their notebooks and to make two columns. The heading of one column is, “What Lisa Did Right.” The other column is titled, “Mistakes Lisa Made.”

–   Go through each slide again, asking students to identify specific things they think Lisa did right (for example, she had good stuff to say in her cover letter) and specific things they think she could have done better (for example, turned her phone off before she went into the interview). Use this as a way to begin to assess students’ familiarity with some basic concepts about applying for a job. Encourage students to write down key points of their discussion according to which column the comment fits in.

–   Keep in mind that if students are totally unfamiliar with the interview and application process, you may need to ask more probing questions to help them identify specifics. For example, if they don’t pick up on the good things Lisa says in her cover letter, you might ask: if you were the employer and you got a letter like this, would it make you more or less likely to hire this person? Don’t be too concerned that students pick up on every “right” and “wrong” move Lisa made, but try to help students recognize that she did some things very well, but in other cases, she did make mistakes.

–   Then ask students: what, if anything, would they do differently if they were interviewing for the position? This can be a good way to help students recognize that there are some “gray areas” when it comes to applying for a job. Maybe some of the girls in the class would feel more comfortable wearing a skirt to the interview instead of pants, for example. As long as the skirt is an appropriate length, that would be an acceptable choice—it’s just personal preference.

–   Conclude this activity by letting students know that in this lesson they will be learning about the process of applying for a job. Explain that many of these skills will also help them apply to college or apply to get an internship. They will learn about job applications, resumes and cover letters, and appropriate behavior during an interview.

–   You may assess students’ notebooks for credit/no credit.

 

DIFFERENTIATION The storyboard concept may be difficult to understand for some English learners. If you have a large number of students with limited English proficiency, consider having bilingual students/aides act out the storyboard in students’ primary language(s). That may also be an interesting teachable moment for students who do speak English: what can they deduce about the interview simply from body language, tone of voice, etc.?

 

CLASS PERIOD 2

INSTRUCTION

–   Tell students that they will now see a presentation about applying for a job, which may answer some of the questions the students discussed in the last class period.

–   Show the presentation (or have students read Student Resource 12.1). Use the suggestions in Teacher Resource 12.2, Interactive Presentation Notes and Instructions: Applications, Interviews, Cover Letters, and Work Permits, to stop at key points and conduct brief activities with the students. These will help students understand the content and help to keep them engaged with the material.

–   When the presentation is complete, explain that students will take the rest of this lesson to explore other elements of applying for a job—reading a want ad, filling out a job application, and writing a cover letter and resume—but students should always keep in mind that many of these same skills will be useful when students are applying to colleges or searching for scholarships or internships.

 

CLASS PERIOD 3

INSTRUCTION

Make It Local  | This lesson step is written for the San Francisco Bay Area version of Craigslist. Replace this information with a walkthrough for a job site that is more useful for your students.

–   Introduce this activity by asking students: if you wanted to get a job next summer, how would you look for one? Encourage students to share things they (or their friends or siblings) may have done in the past, as well as things they’ve learned about in this course or from other sources.

–   Explain that one of the most common ways to find a job nowadays is to search on the Internet. Explain a little bit about the website you are going to use for job hunting practice. For example: “Craigslist is an excellent site for local and part-time work in the San Francisco Bay Area. During this class period, we are going to look at what it’s like to hunt for a job on Craigslist.”

–   Distribute copies of Student Resource 12.2, Worksheet: Job Ad Terminology. Explain that job ads frequently use terms that students may not have heard before. When they see a new term during this exercise, they should write it down on their list. That way, by the end of this class period, they will have a list of terms they can refer back to when they are ready to hunt for a job.

–   Project the Craigslist Bay Area homepage ( http://www.sfbay.craigslist.org ). Ask students: if you’re looking for a job, where would you click on this page? Obviously, students will identify the “jobs” section, but push them for more specifics. Point out that there are two ways students could job hunt on Craigslist. They could select a specific type of job—for example, “food/bev/hosp” if they want to be a waiter/waitress—or they could simply go to the “part-time” listing at the bottom of the jobs section. Click on the part-time listing.

–   Now the screen should display all part-time jobs. Point out the tabs along the top of the page and explain that students can use these tabs to narrow down which part of the Bay Area they are searching. If necessary, explain what each location (East Bay, South Bay, etc.) refers to. Then click on the “San Francisco” tab to restrict your search to the City.

–   Next, guide students through the process of reading the job listings as they show up. Ask students to identify the date the ad was posted, the job title, the neighborhood, and the job category. For example: Sept 19—Sales Associate—(downtown/civic/van ness)—retail/wholesale. This is a good time to ask students to look over the information they can see and identify any new/unfamiliar terms. Many job titles may be unfamiliar to students and can be added to their lists—for example, barista, busser, administrative assistant, data entry person. Remind students to write down a definition for each term.

–   Then ask students: what jobs can you rule out just by looking at this information? Guide students to recognize that they should be able to rule out some jobs based on the job title. For example, if the job specifies driving or delivery and they can’t drive yet, that rules out that job. If the job specifies a skill set they do not have or haven’t done on a professional level (such as cooking or doing people’s hair or nails), they can rule out that job. They should also be able to rule out some jobs based on the neighborhood, since they should look for neighborhoods that they can easily reach.

–   Ask students to identify a potential job they might be able to apply for and click on it. Read through the ad as a class. Point out common elements of a job posting, such as responsibilities, requirements, schedule/number of hours, how to apply, etc. Guide students to where Craigslist commonly lists compensation (at the bottom of the page in the bullet points).

–   Have students scan the ad for any new terms and add the terms to their lists. Then review these terms as a class and have students complete the definition part of their worksheet. Teacher Resource 12.5 lists many common terms in job ads, particularly for typical first jobs or part-time jobs for high school students.

–   Once students are familiar with the terms, ask students: would you apply for this job? Why or why not? Guide students to recognize that different people will react differently to the same ad. Some people might be more interested in a certain type of job, or feel better qualified because of their previous experience. Some people may have more flexibility about when they can work or where they can work, based on transportation options or family and school obligations. If necessary, remind students that they can’t be too picky when it comes to a first job. For most people, a first job commonly pays minimum wage and may not be the most fun or exciting thing out there. It’s unrealistic for students to expect to be doing a lot of complex work or making a lot of money right away. Any job will give students valuable experience and help them develop skills that can serve them later in life. However, students can always try to find a job that is a pretty good fit. For example, if they are shy and quiet, waiting tables in a noisy restaurant may not be a good fit for them. They might be happier doing data entry into a computer or working someplace like a bookstore that will probably be less hectic.

–   Hit the back button to return to the list of jobs and select another one. Repeat the process of identifying common elements of the job ad, defining new terms, and discussing whether or not students might apply for this job.

–   Ideally, students should be exposed to at least three to four different job ads during this class period. At least one of those ads is something that is probably not a good fit for students, and at least one ad is a potentially good fit. Students should become aware that an ad that looks good on the surface (has an appropriate job title, etc.) may still be a bad fit for other reasons.

–   As the class period comes to an end, point out that students have probably seen common requests in the “how to apply” section of these ads—for example, filling out an application, sending a cover letter and/or resume, or providing references. Explain that in the next class period students will take a look at examples of some of these common job hunting materials.

 

DIFFERENTIATION It may be difficult for students with limited English to follow this activity. To make it easier, consider demonstrating the use of the job website for a specific “example student.” Create a description of that student in advance, including where the student lives, what kind of job he/she might want, and what skills he/she has. Then, rather than asking students to talk about their own qualifications, use the example student. This can make the process of job hunting a little clearer and more concrete for English learners. If you have a large number of English learners, consider adapting Student Resource 12.2 so that students can add more information, such as writing each term in their primary language or drawing a picture of each term to help them remember. These additional options may increase vocabulary comprehension for English learners. You may wish to provide a written “guide to job hunting on [website name]” that covers this same content, but in your students’ primary language(s). Alternately, you may wish to have a bilingual aide teach this lesson in students’ primary language(s) first, then have English learners join the class as a whole to complete this lesson step. This activity is an excellent opportunity to reinforce the value of being bilingual. If possible, point out ads that specify the need to be fluent in more than one language. Also let students know that that is a skill they can list on their resume and mention in the interview. However, remind students that they need to really be fluent in both languages—claiming they are bilingual if they can only say “hello” in another language is inappropriate and can get them in trouble with their new boss.

 

CLASS PERIOD 4

INSTRUCTION

–   Divide the class into groups of four or five and project (or distribute copies of) Teacher Resource 12.3, Example: Pet Supply Store Job Ad. Ask students to identify specific elements of the ad, as they did with the ads in the last class period—for example, what are the requirements for this job? How can someone apply? When was this job posted?

–   Once students are familiar with the ad, explain that they are going to take a look at what one high school student submitted when she applied for this job. Distribute copies of Student Resource 12.3, Example: Job Application (separate Word file). Explain that this is a copy of the application for this job, filled out by a local high school student. Ask students to review the application in their groups. As they look it over, they should discuss the following questions, which may be posted on the board or a sheet of chart paper:

What are the sections of the application?

Are there any parts of the application that you think are unique or specific to this job? Explain.

If you were going to fill out this application, what information would you need to look up or research?

–   Give students a few minutes to review the application. Then discuss the questions as a class. The sections of the application are clearly labeled (Applicant Information, Education, etc.). The “Knowledge and Skills” section is specific to this job because it asks for detailed information about the applicant’s pet knowledge. Many applications have a knowledge and skills section, but they wouldn’t necessarily ask about pets or pet knowledge. Student answers to the last question will vary, but it’s likely that students might need to look up their social security number, get permission to list people as references, or find addresses of schools or businesses.

–   Then distribute copies of Student Resource 12.4, Example: Cover Letter and Resume. In their groups, ask students to compare the three documents and answer the following questions, which may be posted on the board or a sheet of chart paper:

What information is repeated on all three documents?

How does each document present the information differently?

How do the cover letter and resume “match up” with the job ad? In other words, what does Hannah put in her cover letter and resume to show the employer that she’s a good fit for this job?

Based on looking at these three documents, what can you say in a cover letter that you can’t say in a resume or application?

–   Give students a few minutes to review the documents and discuss the questions in their groups. Then open it up for a class discussion.

Guide students to recognize that all three documents include some basic information—Hannah’s name and address, the specific job she is applying for, and some general details about her (for example, where she goes to school and her experience with pets).

However, each document presents the information differently. The cover letter provides the information in paragraph format, which also gives a potential employer the chance to see how Hannah expresses herself. The application presents the information as a list, organized in the way the employer wants to see it—so if the employer wants to compare Hannah’s application to another application, it’s set up the same way. The resume also provides information in a list format, but Hannah can organize in the way that makes the most sense to her, so she can show off the things she is proud of. For example, she lists her awards at the top of the resume, and she can also include other information, like the fact that she speaks multiple languages or the fact that she’s involved in extracurricular activities at school.

The job ad specifies someone who is reliable and hardworking, good with people and animals. Hannah’s cover letter and resume include details that help her demonstrate those qualities, like her award for perfect attendance, her involvement in volunteer and extracurricular activities, and her experience with pets.

The cover letter offers an opportunity to tell the employer a little bit about why Hannah wants this particular job. In this case, Hannah can explain that she is a customer of the store and what she thinks is good about the store.

Tell students that they will practice writing a resume in the next class period.

 

DIFFERENTIATION If you have a large number of students with limited English proficiency, consider providing them with pre-labeled versions of the examples that contain labels in their primary language(s). This can help them make better sense of the documents.

 

CLASS PERIOD 5

INSTRUCTION

–   Remind students that they are going to write a resume, but first they need to be more familiar with how a resume is set up.

–   Point out that the resume is divided into labeled sections (Education, Awards, etc.). Instruct students to work in their groups to describe each section of the resume—in other words, to write a short description of what goes in each section. You may wish to do the first section with them by having them label the Contact Information at the top of the resume. Point out that this section includes the applicant’s name, mailing address, phone number, and email address.

–   Give students time to describe each of the labeled sections. Then call on each group to share how they described one of the sections of the resume (Education, Awards, Work Experience, Extracurricular Activities, Skills, and References). Take time to clear up any misunderstandings about what information goes in each section.

–   Next, ask students to look at how the resume is formatted. Point out that the contact information is centered at the top of the page. The rest of the information is organized into sections and each section has a heading which is underlined.

–   Make sure students also recognize that some information, such as when Hannah won an award or when Hannah held a job or volunteer position, includes the approximate date. Ask students: why does the date matter? Help them to recognize that if you have a lot of details on your resume, the employer wants to see things in chronological order—that is, list the most recent stuff first. That’s how Hannah has listed her work experience. Also point out that when you took a class, won an award, or graduated from a school can be important. If Hannah got an award for perfect attendance when she was in fifth grade, that doesn’t say anything about how reliable she is now. If she won the award in ninth grade and she’s now in tenth grade means that the award is pretty recent, so she’s probably still very reliable.

 

STEP 6, ASSIGNMENT PREPARING TO WRITE A RESUME

25 minutes

INSTRUCTION

–   Explain to students that in the next class period they will be putting together their resumes. To help them figure out what they need to include, they are going to complete a worksheet.

–   Distribute copies of Student Resource 12.5. Explain that students should use this worksheet to help them think about things that would be appropriate to include on a resume, as well as a place for them to write down the phone numbers, email addresses, or other information that they might need to look up.

–   Ask students to fill in as much of the worksheet as they can during class. Answer any questions. Explain that they need to find any missing information for homework, because they will need the next class period to put that information into the correct format to finish their resumes.

 

DIFFERENTIATION This worksheet is long and may be particularly confusing for English learners. Consider allowing an additional class period to work through this part of the assignment with your students. If you have English learners completing this assignment for homework, consider sending home a note in students’ primary language(s) to help parents understand the assignment. Different cultures may have different job hunting practices; some parents may not like the idea of having their child “job hunt” at this age, while other families may prefer not to give out some of the information necessary for the resume. Sending home a note explaining the purpose of the activity may help parents understand the value of the assignment and may encourage them to help their student complete the worksheet.

 

CLASS PERIOD 6

INSTRUCTION

–   Assign each student to a computer. Ask students to get out Student Resource 12.5, which they should have completed for homework, as well as the example resume (Student Resource 12.4), which they can use to guide them about the format.

–   Invite students to share any questions or difficulties they had in completing Student Resource 12.5. Take time to clear up any misunderstandings. Then ask students to look over the assessment criteria at the end of Student Resource 12.5. Guide students to recognize that they are essentially going to be assessed on three things: providing accurate information, providing useful information (in other words, no employer will care if they love Lady Gaga or if they defeated the latest Call of Duty video game faster than all of their friends), and providing the information in the correct format. Answer any questions.

–   Then instruct students to use the time they have left to transfer their information from Student Resource 12.5 to an actual resume, which they can set up in Microsoft Word. Circulate through the classroom while students work, answering questions and helping students get the formatting correct.

–   When students complete their resume, have them print a copy to give to you. Alternately, explain how you will collect the assignment electronically (for example, have students email it to you or save it to a class folder on the network). Once the assignments are collected, assess them using Teacher Resource 12.4, Assessment Criteria: Resume. Also arrange for students to include a digital copy of their resume in their digital portfolios.

 

DIFFERENTIATION Formatting a resume may be confusing for English learners, who are attempting to gather the correct information and present it in grammatically correct English, as well as learning the formatting. If you have a large number of English learners, consider providing them with a template for the resume, so that they can focus on providing the right information and presenting it in correct English, rather than worrying so much about how to format it.

INSTRUCTION

–   Ask students to read over the questions posted on the board and respond briefly in their notebooks. Then invite volunteers to share their thoughts.

–   Guide students to recognize that sometimes an afterschool or summer job can help you figure out what you don’t want to do, and that can be a valuable step towards longer-term career goals. In other situations, a part-time job can introduce you to something that you didn’t know you liked or help you realize skills and talents that you did not know you had. In that way, any job can be valuable—it’s all about what you are able to learn about yourself while you do it.

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Extensions

Enrichment

–   To help students gain perspective on how a summer job can impact future career plans, ask students to interview three adults and ask them about their earliest jobs. Students need to pick three adults from different age groups or with different levels of education. For example, they might interview an older sibling who has graduated high school or college and is now working, a parent, and a grandparent. Alternately, they might interview somebody with a high school diploma, somebody who graduated from a community college or vocational school, and somebody with a college or graduate degree. The goal should be for students to recognize how different paths can be affected by a summer job. One person might get a summer job as a waitress and discover she hates it, while another person may really enjoy the job and be inspired to go to culinary school and open his own restaurant someday.

–   Have students practice filling out a college application, such as the Common Application (found online at https://www.commonapp.org/CommonApp/default.aspx ) Walk through the application section by section to make sure students understand the information required.

–   Have students watch “Job Interview Tips for Teens” at About.com ( http://video.about.com/jobsearch/Job-Interview-Tips-for-Teens.htm ) and then screen videos of successful and unsuccessful job interviews (a number of examples can be found online through a video search engine). Have students develop two skits: an example of a terrible interview and one that is highly successful.

–   Have students act as hiring teams and review resumes printed out from resume sites (e.g., Craigslist.org). Which candidates would they grant interviews and why?

Cross-Curricular Integration

–   English/Language Arts: Have students write cover letters or create resumes for their favorite fictional characters.

–   Social Studies: One window into another culture’s attitudes toward work is to find out how the job application process differs from our own. Tell students to pick a country in the world and research its job application etiquette. Do people write resumes? Do they have a different protocol for interviews than we do? Are there restrictions on the work hours and types of work that teens can do?

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Based on the Plan Ahead educational materials made available by Gap Inc. at www.whatsyourplana.com and developed in partnership with the Pearson Foundation. Such materials are copyright © 2010–2013 Gap Inc. and all rights are reserved. The Plan Ahead educational materials are provided “AS IS”; Gap Inc. and the Pearson Foundation are not responsible for any modifications made to such materials.

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