Within workforce development, a student’s journey can start in many ways. This include being recruited by the school to start a training program or being a client of a community-based organization, or employment services provider who then refers the student to the training organization. Looking at the student as a whole means looking at the needs of the student pre, during and post training. A student journey with their workforce development providers should not end with the student’s employment, but within a high functioning ecosystem, the student would still receive support during those first weeks in the job.
Please note that while I use the word student quite a bit, you can interchangeably use the word client. I have always referred to workforce development as an ecosystem of various organizations that all play a role in the success of their client/student/customer. This specific topic will apply to a training organization, a community-based organization that helps clients find employment, or a workforce board that prepares students for the job search.
Today we are talking about career skills and the importance of embedding them during training. Searching for a career, with or without training, can be frustrating and troublesome. Topics like how to compete with other people, how to search for jobs when there are a wide array of job titles the student may be unaware of, how to prepare for a virtual or in person interview, and how to decide between job offers.
There are five key items that I think students should be taught during or after the training. This can be something covered by the training agency, or a partner community organization.
- Creation of an effective resume. The main issue: job applicants using the cookie cutter method: building one resume and using it repeatedly, without any changes based on job requirements. The key to an effective resume is to tailor it to a job. A few examples of errors in a resume:
- The Objective area. It is common now to use a career summary or professional profile instead. The employer knows what job you are applying for, so use this space to expand and/or highlight your skills.
- The description of the tasks under a job. Writing tasks that are not related to the job you are applying for is not necessary. i.e. for a Nursing Aide job you will not need to use a cash register, so adding a task that talks about knowing how to use one can be either replaced with another transferable skill, or can be eliminated completely. For a Medical Secretary job, you could possibly be using a cash register, or at least handling money. Listing that skill is transferable and appropriate.
- If the student has been doing the same tasks at different companies, a functional resume may be better suited for this student.
- Creation of an effective cover letter.
- Cover letters can be forgotten when job searching, and they are another way to expand on your skills and the why you should be selected for an interview.
- How to search for employment. While it may look easy, employment search can be complicated. A wide array of job titles can cause a student to miss jobs that they are qualified for, and a limited social network, can further limit their chances.
- An example of this happened to me a while back. I am always searching for jobs, to see the types of titles used, and compile lists of titles, jobs, and places to refer students too. There was a particular one which was listed under the company’s name. Until you read the posting, you would not know what the job was about. This kept this company off my searches, because I did not realize the jobs they posted were ones my students could do. When I learned about it and read the description, I started adding it to my list.
- Preparing for your interview. A very important skill that needs to be practiced over and over to perfect it. And in this new virtual world, preparing to interview via videoconference is a must.
- What are job benefits and the roles they play when considering a job. i.e. The student now has two job offers. Job A offers a higher salary, but zero or minimal job benefits. Job B has a lower salary, although still within the student’ salary range, but offers a wide array of benefits, including medical and 401K. Does the student know what a 401K is? What employer-matching in a 401K is? What are the tax rates and how this will affect their take home pay if they are in a higher bracket? Even other topics, less associated with benefits, but that should be considered as such, like free parking? i.e. in a downtown job, parking is more than likely upwards of $200 per month.
Sending a student out into the workplace with only the hard skills to do the job, but not the soft skills to maintain it, the career skills to find it and basic workplace skills to keep it is not beneficial to a high-functioning workforce development ecosystem. Is like providing half the story. Clients need to have the skills necessary to find, do and maintain the job. Our job with the student is successful if we can effect change on the upward economic and social mobility of that student.
I am not saying we must do it all, but through the right partnerships, these deliverables can be achieved. Play to your own strength but leverage those strengths others within your ecosystem can offer.
Words from our blogger
Workforce Warrior is an education blog, created by a workforce development professional with 20+ years in all areas of workforce development and college programming, including admissions, advising, career services and program development. The goal of Workforce Warrior is to pass on the knowledge collected over the years to fellow workforce and college professionals.
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