Planning a Career

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Planning a Career

• Adult Family Living
• Unit 1

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Personality

• Any business in which you meet the public
  requires good communication skills and a
  knowledge of human psychology, especially in
  sales.

• Enthusiasm - excitement about the
  product/service.
• Decisiveness - ability to make all decisions
• Determination - able to accomplish objectives
• Ethical Open - be honest, dependable,
  trustworthy, truthful, and fair
• Willingness to Risk risk losing personal
  investment, time and other career
  opportunities

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Experience

• Unless the business is large enough to employ
  specialists, the small-business person must be
  skilled in many areas, including

• Finance - understand the income and outflow of
  money
• Management - manage time wisely
• Marketing - develop a business plan, prepare
  promotional materials, and sell self as well as
  product/service
• Accounting - keep business records
• Business law - understand county, state, and
  federal laws

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• MONEY
• Money is a key ingredient to starting-up and
  growing a business. Studies show that most
  businesses earn no profit the first six months
  and two out of three are closed within three
  years. Sufficient capital and income are major
  concerns for the entrepreneur.

• HARD WORK
• Determination to succeed and a willingness to
  sacrifice will be needed if a new business is to
  thrive. Unless the entrepreneur has abundant
  capital, he or she will have long work hours, no
  vacations, and total responsibility for the
  success of the business.

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Occupational Clusters

• An occupational cluster is a group of many jobs
  that have something in common and require similar
  skills and abilities. Each cluster is divided
  into smaller units, or categories. This
  arrangement helps you in choosing among more that
  35,000 job titles in the USA.
• Several cluster arrangements exist. The Federal
  Bureau of Labor Statistics used the OOH (The
  Occupational Outlook Handbook), and the U.S.
  Department on Labor Employment and Training
  Administration used the DOT (The Dictionary of
  Occupational Titles)

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The following are OOH clusters and a few jobs
within each

• Construction Trades/Related Work Brick/Stone
  Mason, Carpet Installer, Electrician.
• Farm, Fishing Work Agricultural Scientist, Fish
  Game Warden, Fishing Boat Captain.
• Installation/Maintenance Work Diesel Mechanic,
  Heat/AC Mechanic.
• Management/Business/Financial Operations City
  Manager, Court Clerk, Lawyer, Real Estate
  Manager.
• Officer Administrative Supply Bank Teller,
  Bill Collector, Secretaries.
• Production Baker, Welder, Machinist
• Sales/Related Work Advertising Agent, Model,
  Retail Salesperson.
• Service Occupations Fitness Trainer, Hair
  Stylist, Waiter/Waitress.
• Transportation Air Traffic Controller, Pilot,
  Truck Driver.

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Planning a Career

• Planning a career has several steps, the first
  being self-assessment. You must know yourself in
  order to choose a job in which you will be happy.
  This requires you to examine the following

• Personality - What do you enjoy working
  withpeople, ideas, animals? Where do you enjoy
  working indoors or outside? How do you accept
  authority, and what kind of work schedule do you
  like?
• Interests - One hint to your future interests is
  your past. What have you been interested in? Look
  at your achievements in what areas have you
  succeeded?

Continued
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• Abilities/aptitudes What can you do? What can
  you do easily?
• Skills - What have you learned to do? Think of
  the things you can do, including skills
  associated with activities and sports.
• Education - What have you learned so far? In what
  ways do you learn most efficiently? What training
  are you willing to get in order to achieve your
  career goal?
• Values - What lifestyle do you want for yourself?
  What do you consider honorable work? What do you
  want your work to stand for? What family
  pressures are/can influence your career choice?

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These factors influence your job satisfaction and
career success

• Good Work Ethics - giving 100 of your effort
  everyday.
• Positive attitude - being cheerful and
  cooperative and getting along with co-workers.
• Professionalism - staying up-to-date in your
  skills and appearing your best as you represent
  your company.
• Personal job satisfaction - feeling challenged
  and rewarded.

• Physical mental health - feeling good
  physically and mentally.
• Literate - having strong communication skills.
• Technical knowledge - being able to solve
  problems related to job.
• Flexibility - having variety and freedom.
• Employee benefits - having vacations, insurance,
  and retirement plans.

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WORDS YOU SHOULD KNOW Portfolio Collection of
materials used to represent your
accomplishmentsResume Personal data sheet
Portfolios should meet standard requirements

• Must be typed
• Must be in a binder, notebook, folder, or
  carrying case
• Must have divider pages for sections
• Must be written with correct spelling grammar
• Must contain information about the applicant
• Must contain work that typifies applicants
  ability skill

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• Portfolios should have no more than 25 pages

• Cover sheet with name and address
• Job Specification Sheet with the name of the
  applicant, the job title, and a short job
  description
• Business Communication
• Cover letter
• Resume
• Two letters of recommendation
• One from school official, counselor, or
  instructor
• One from former employer or community
  representative
• Understanding of Job
• School-based learning summary of school
  activities
• Work-based learning summary employment, job
  shadowing, internships, apprenticeship, community
  service
• Examples of special skills, talents, and/or
  abilities related to the job

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INTERVIEWING

• The intent of the interview is to share
  information. In order to make the most favorable
  impression, both the interviewer and the
  interviewee have to be prepared. The employer,
  most likely, is experienced in evaluating people
  on appearance, nonverbal language, and paper
  credentials. But, this is the interviewees
  first time to apply for this job, so preparation
  must be done.

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Before The Interview

• Research the company to learn as much as you can
  about the job, the salary range, the company
  expectations.
• Brainstorm questions that might be asked and
  write out answers. Avoid answering Yes or No add
  a comment that will clarify you or reveal
  information.
• Prepare a few questions to ask. Avoid asking
  about benefits, vacations or breaks.
• Visit the interview site before the interview so
  youll know how much travel time you need, where
  to park and how to enter interview office.
• Have your portfolio ready to present if one is
  requested. Your portfolio should be neat, legible
  and complete, like all other paperwork. Flawed
  paperwork is a sign that you are careless and
  sloppy.
• Be well groomed. Avoid wearing trendy clothing,
  clanking jewelry, and too much make-up. Remember
  that people form their opinion of you in the
  first ten seconds, and you never get a second
  chance to make a first impression.
• Go alone and arrive 10 minutes early.

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During The Interview

• Do not chew gum, smoke, or fidget.
• Relax be yourself be confident, cheerful, and
  cooperative.
• Use open body languageeye contact, uncrossed
  arms, and pleasant facial expressions.
• Be courteous. Use your best manners, including
  saying, Thank you, when you are asked to sit.
• Do not say unkind things about anyone, including
  former employers.
• Stress your abilities and accomplishments.
• Answer questions as openly and honestly as you
  can. You can question salary after the job has
  been offered to you.

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After The Interview

• Thank the interviewer for his or her time, smile,
  and shake hands.
• Thank the secretary and ask for a business card
  if you do not have the companys mailing address.
• Send a thank-you letter within 24 hours of the
  interview.

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Losing a Job

• Sometimes people lose jobs before they get them
  some who do get hired lose their jobs quickly
  others lose their jobs for nothing they did or
  did not do. The reasons people lost jobs vary
  from things they can control, such as work
  habits, to things they cannot, such as budget
  cutbacks.

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Reasons People Lose Jobs

• Personal Reasons

• Economic Reasons

• Drug and alcohol use
• Poor attitude
• Lack of technical skills
• Lack of human relation skills

• Downturn in supply and demand for product or
  service
• Decision to change profit structure, such as
  outsourcing jobs and restructuring management
• Technological advances, such as increased
  automation or increased longevity of consumable
  product

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Actions to take after losing a job

• Relax, regain your composure, and develop a
  positive attitude. This may be an opportunity to
  do something you always dreamed of doing but felt
  to restricted to try.
• Be open to the possibility of retraining.
• Review and update your resume and portfolio.
• Begin a job search. Use all resources you have.
• File a claim for unemployment insurance. This
  gives you some income for a few months if you
  have been fired from your job, but not if you
  have voluntarily quit.
• Maintain a positive relationship with former
  employer when possible.
• Maintain work skills and abilities through
  continuing education, practicing skills, or
  volunteering.
• Rethink job possibilities.

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Words You Should Know

• Grant Financial aid that is not paid back
• Loan Borrowed money that must be repaid with
  interest
• Work-Study Work in return for money to help
  pay for school

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Once a career has been identified, the next step
is to develop a plan to become qualified for it!

• Determine the costs. School and training
  institutions have estimates of cost which include
  tuition, fees, books and supplies, living
  expenses, transportation, and personal expenses.
• Determine your assets. Add the savings you have,
  the income from assets you can sell, and any help
  you will have from family. Subtract this from the
  cost to calculate how much you will need.
• Find additional funding. Apply early for
  financial assistance, meet all paperwork
  requirement, and make yourself known to loan
  offices and job-placement personnel at your
  school. Be certain to seek out other sources.
  Does your school PTA or clubs give scholarships?
  Do companies have college-work agreements?

Continued
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1. Live on a budget. Once you get the loan, you
   need to make it last. Dont blow it on
   consumables that do not contribute to your
   education. Regardless of how carefully you
   figured the costs, inflation and incidentals will
   increase the cost. So, put yourself on a budget
   and live on it.
2. Repay as promised. Failing to repay a student
   loan as promised will jeopardize your credit
   rating. To remain creditworthy, it is imperative
   that you fulfill your part of the contract.

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• Because so much of our life is spent working, a
  rewarding job is one of the most important
  factors in our happiness. Have a career that
  fulfills you personally and financially does not
  happen automatically. It requires planning and
  preparation. This unit will help you establish
  career goals as you prepare for the future.

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The End
Developed by Haley McLeran Tishomingo High
School