Career Readiness

Syllabus

Course Essential Questions

  • What essential employability skills are necessary in today’s workforce?
  • How does one match their interests and personality to a job or career?
  • What approach to marketing oneself is most effective?
  • What steps should one take to prepare for the workforce and/or career?

Course Learning Objectives

  • Examine and discuss employability skills necessary for today’s global workforce.
  • Identify personal values and skills; match them with a potential career path.
  • Compose written communications and update social network branding essential for job searches.
  • Design a career action plan.

Unit 1: You Meet the Workforce (Weeks 1-4)

Unit Level Essential Questions

  • Why should my personality, values, and preferences match career options?
  • How does a growth mindset help meet career goals?
  • What skills and work objectives are noticeable to employers?
  • Why is a professional presentation important on social media accounts?

Week 1: Welcome to Your Future

Weekly Learning Objectives

  • Meet your classmates and teacher.
  • Assess your present knowledge of workforce skills.
  • Identify careers you might be interested in pursuing.
  • Describe yourself.

Week 2: Personalities, Presentation, and Possibilities

Weekly Learning Objectives

  • Examine your interests and how they relate to career paths.
  • Identify personal traits and work preferences.
  • Discuss the importance of professional presentation.
  • Compare work preferences with potential career options.

Week 3: Mindset Matters

Weekly Learning Objectives

  • Distinguish the difference between a fixed and growth mindset.
  • Construct your S.M.A.R.T. goal in workforce planning.
  • Analyze where you put forth your best self.
  • Create your resume objectives and identify job skills.
  • Explore jobs/careers of interest.

Week 4: Building Social Capital

Weekly Learning Objectives

  • Relate what your social media accounts say about you.
  • Discover ways employers use social media in the hiring process.
  • Analyze ways to leverage your social media accounts to boost job opportunities.
  • Create your resume objectives, and skills.
  • Illustrate your experiences and how they relate to a selected career path.

Unit 2: Communication and Networking Essentials (Weeks 5-8)

Unit Level Essential Questions

  • What is the difference between personal and professional correspondence?
  • How do personal qualities equate to strengths in the workforce?
  • What steps should I take to make an informed decision while seeking jobs and/or careers?
  • How do I create and identify connections and use my network to assist with career planning?

Week 5: Clear and Courteous Writing Skills

Weekly Learning Objectives

  • Differentiate between personal and professional writing.
  • Investigate how to contact the appropriate personnel for employment.
  • Develop a cover letter.
  • Formulate steps necessary in applying for a job.

Week 6: Nervous is Normal in Public Speaking

Weekly Learning Objectives

  • Identify characteristics of engaging in professional conversations.
  • Deliver a speech that describes your skills.
  • Relate how personal qualities equate to strengths in the workforce.
  • Explore training and education for jobs/careers of interest.
  • Create the final draft of your resume.

Week 7: Inquiries and Interviews

Weekly Learning Objectives

  • Associate the need to explore job/career choices through inquiries.
  • Conduct an informational interview to expand your career network.
  • Analyze how prepared you are for an interview.
  • Explore employer eligibility criteria and employer benefits.

Week 8: Branding and Networking Essentials

Weekly Learning Objectives

  • Discover what a brand is and what you want your brand to say about you.
  • Examine brand synergy between you and prospective employers.
  • Illustrate your network and how it can assist in career development/job placement.
  • Create an inquiry letter to someone in your network.

Unit 3: Success in the Workforce (Weeks 9-12)

Unit Level Essential Questions

  • How does time management and organizational skills relate to career/job choices?
  • Why is it important to advocate for yourself and others?
  • What is effective communication when working as a team?
  • Why is it important to know how to manage conflict "styles"?
  • How is diversity beneficial to the workforce?

Week 9: Self Organization and Time Management

Weekly Learning Objectives

  • Relate that time management is how you manage yourself and your use of time.
  • Choose effective systems to help stay organized.
  • Evaluate how organization and time management relate to your career choices.
  • Analyze technical writing and what makes it effective.

Week 10: Initiative and Advocacy in Action

Weekly Learning Objectives

  • Associate initiative with meeting goals.
  • Define advocacy and the benefits of advocating for yourself and others.
  • Construct a simple technical guide.
  • Develop a career plan.

Week 11: Managing Conflict Styles

Weekly Learning Objectives

  • Examine effects of positive professional behavior in productivity.
  • Illustrate and discuss conflict management styles.
  • Prepare solutions to common conflicts.
  • Collaborate with your team and merge technical guides into one.

Week 12: Workplace Culture and Diversity

Weekly Learning Objectives

  • Associate workplace culture and corporate mission.
  • Discuss how diversity in the workplace is beneficial.
  • Research diversity and demographics related to your career choice.
  • Share technical guides and critique effectiveness.

Unit 4: Let’s Upskill (Weeks 13-15)

Unit Level Essential Questions

  • Why is it important to upskill and re-skill in the workforce?
  • What is a career portfolio and how does that benefit my job search?
  • How do I negotiate advancement at work?
  • What have I learned about my workforce skills and my career goals?

Week 13: The Talent Gap and Building Your Network

Weekly Learning Objectives

  • Develop a social media account to build your network.
  • Analyze your current skills and compare them to workforce goals.
  • Recognize the power of gratitude.
  • Create a career portfolio.

Week 14: Negotiations and Promotions

Weekly Learning Objectives

  • Associate the qualities and characteristics that help people advance at work.
  • Extend your knowledge of negotiation.
  • Examine when the time is right for a promotion.
  • Complete your career portfolio.

Week 15: What’s Your After?

Weekly Learning Objectives

  • Discuss what’s next on your path to career readiness.
  • Assess and modify your professional S.M.A.R.T. goal.
  • Create and share a career vision board.
  • Evaluate your employability and career knowledge and skills