Today we’ll:
1) Set up the laptops and connect to the wireless network.
2) Talk about possible clients for the Recommendation Report project.
Clients you’ve suggested:
- College of Arts and Sciences Office
- Communications Department
- Financial Aid Office
- Admissions Office
- One of the course programs at Niagara (WRT 100, HIST 199, ENG 100, etc)
- Wegmans
- Aspen Dental Offices (Chain of Offices)
- Taheri & Todoro, PC
Any other suggestions?
Please e-mail your top three choices out of those choices as well as any other suggestions that you might have to the instructor.
3) Talk about how skills and interests that you have can match up with possible jobs.
Last Wednesday, we looked at how occupational handbooks describe different types of jobs and the tasks and skills involved. You were asked to look at the descriptions for some job types that might interest you. In general, did your perceptions of the tasks and skills for your job types match up with the descriptions of the job types in the handbook?
4) Discuss how job ads present and describe jobs and the ways they use language.
Of course, occupational handbooks describe the ideal (Platonic) of a job. In the real world, jobs are often described quite differently… In order to determine whether a job would be a good fit for you and what an employer is looking for, you need to learn the language of job ads.
Guidelines for Analyzing a Job Advertisement
You can use these guidelines to help you analyze job ads that you find online and in other places as well as when you write your Job Ad analysis for Monday.
- Note key terms and keywords in description; define key terms, especially ones that you don’t know
- Identify and define requirements, experience and necessary skills
- Identify and define optional skills, experience and proficiencies
- Note how to apply for the job and who to contact
- Determine if you are qualified for the job and describe how and why you are qualified (with examples).
- Compare this job ad with others like it – how are they similar? How are they different?
Common Parts of Job Advertisements
- Description: Describes position and duties, length of employment (full time, part time, seasonal, temporary, permanent, temp-to-perm, freelance) usually gives job title, often includes benefits and salary information
What this means to you: Is this a job that you feel qualified to take? Is this a job that would meet your needs?
- Requirements (also Minimum Requirements, Skills): What an applicant must demonstrate at a bare minimum to get the job. Often includes educational levels that must have been achieved and specific skill sets that applicant must demonstrate.
What this means to you: Your resume and cover letter must show the employer that you have these skills and provide evidence.
- Optional Skills (or “A Plus” or “Not Required”): Skills that they would like an applicant to have but which are not required to qualify an applicant for a job.
What this means to you: If you have any of these optional skills, you should highlight them in your cover letter.
- How to Apply: Who to contact and what materials to send.
What this means to you: Pay careful attention to these guidelines and follow them exactly.
Key Terms Used in Job Advertisements
Sometimes jobs describe their required tasks and skills in detail; other times, you need to derive what an employer is looking for from a job description or a general list of skills.
How would you define these terms as they apply to jobs in general and jobs in your field?
- Education/Certification
- Experience/Work History (what counts as experience? Not just paid job experience. Should you apply for jobs where you don’t have the minimum amount of experience?)
- Skills/Proficiencies (“command of” “knowledge of” “proficiency in”)
- (Oral and written) communication
- Leadership
- Management
- Problem-solving
- Computer
- Language
- Atmosphere/Work Environment (”fast paced,” “challenging,” “deadline oriented,” “under pressure”)
How do you find out more about what a company might be looking for or determine what they mean when they use a broad term such as “skills”?
- Look at similar ads from other companies
- Research the company online
- Look that type of job up in an occupational handbook or Web site and compare the description
- Network: see if you know anyone who works for the company or holds a similar job elsewhere
- Contact the company (but you want to be careful and be polite)
How would you demonstrate these skills and qualifications to an employer?
Advice from “Deciphering the Language of Job Ads“:
If the skill offers an official certification, are you certified? If so, list it on your resume. If not, you may want to rethink applying.
If the skill does not offer a certification, would you feel comfortable using the skill on a daily basis? Could someone ask you to perform a relatively simple task using that skill?
When you’re not sure what to say, just be honest. If you speak conversational Spanish, then put “Conversational Spanish” on your resume, not “Fluent Spanish.”
Also: When have you used these skills in the past? Are there projects or documents that demonstrate your skills in these areas? Make a list.
5) Conduct an analysis of some sample job advertisements for the same position. Discuss the analysis as a class.
In your job ad analysis for Monday, I’d like you to examine two ads for jobs that you could have and use the guidelines and the terms that we’ve just talked about to describe their job and their ideal candidate. You should also talk about how you know that you’d be qualified for the job and how you can demonstrate that. You should quote the ad or provide links.
6) Work on searching for jobs that you could use in your analysis and for which you could apply.
Job Finding Resources
These resources are also available in the sidebar under the heading “Job Search Resources.”
General Resources
Field-Specific Resources
Assignments for Next Class
1. First Draft of Job Ad Analysis Due (by email to instructor as a Word Document)
2. Read pp. 243-255 in textbook.
3. Locate a sample resume for a job in your field and bring a copy to class.