According to Kate Wendleton author of Targeting the Job You Want, today's worker is on a continuous job search ... Continual job search means continually being aware of market conditions both inside and outside of our present organizations, and continually learning what we have to offer- to both markets. This new job search paradigm makes it more important than ever that California’s Community College students have access to information and opportunities to help them develop effective job search strategies. By offering job search workshops, you will be providing students a competitive advantage and help them find the jobs that are right for them. To that end, we have outlined some resources, activities, and ideas to help you as you work to bring your students the best and most relevant information.
- To start you may want to review this Job Search Workshop presented in a Power Point format from Cumberland Regional College in Canada. They have a very clever introduction and some informative job quiz questions, near the end.
- Boston College also has a great model you may choose to follow. They have 10 job search strategies with additional links to more information. You could use their templates and ideas to build your unique workshop.
- Fast Company has an excellent article/interview with Richard Leider, author of Repacking Your Bags and the Power of Purpose. Leider has devised a simple formula that he believes includes the critical factors to consider when one is making a career choice: Talent+ Passion+ Environment X Vision.
- College Recruiter also has an article that students may want to review- Six Job Search Secrets They Never Tell You. This could be a good article to fold into a workshop packet.
- Finally, check some of the activities Palomar and Saddleback Community Colleges use in their career centers to help students with job research.
Richard Leider and other career coaches emphasize the importance of work environment in job selection. Many job candidates overlook work environment and most especially corporate culture. You may want to consider a second more sophisticated workshop dealing with this topic. A recent Wall Street Journal article asserts that ... Culture clash is one of the biggest reasons that new hires fail. Take a look at Portland Community College’s corporate culture checklist. This site will certainly give you the information needed to begin this task.
To grow with the world, know what you want and what you have to offer.