Teacher Lesson Plans - Job Application Skills
Introduction 1 (5 minutes)
Explain that today we will create an English resume and test it out in a job interview. Tell the students that the resume (or CV) is a brief (usually one-page) record or summary of your experience (that is, your personal background) and your qualifications for a job. The resume gets you the interview, not the job. As for employers, when you give them a resume, they look for an obvious and persuasive answer to this question: What can you do for us? They expect a resume:
- to look good (conservative and tasteful, on high-quality paper),
- to read easily (headings, typeface, spacing, and punctuation that provide clear signals), and
- to provide information the employer needs to make an interviewing decision.
Introduction 2 (15 minutes)
Some time needs to be spent explaining the different parts of a resume to the students. Write the main points on the board, and elicit information as much as possible.
Personal information
Provide only what is necessary: name, present address, permanent address, phone numbers, and email address (if any). Add your age, marital status, and condition of health only if you know they are relevant to the job you want.
Career Objective
Include a statement of your career goals. Don’t be too specific or too general.
Educational background
Include the date and institutions of your education after high school, in chronological order with most recent first. Also, list your academic major or areas of concentration.
Work Experience
Do this in chronological order with most recent first. Try not to leave gaps of time, be generous with the dates. Your job history should give an employer a sense of your experience, qualifications and dependability. You can also include positions held in university.
Special Skills
Include any ability or award received that makes you a suitable applicant (foreign language, ability to operate equipment, etc.). Mention any awards you received for outstanding performance. List dates and types of volunteer work. Also include personal interests and sports. The employer wants to see in this section that you are an independent person, a team player, and always makes good use of your time.
References
List them only if you are asked to, otherwise indicate that they will be available upon request. References can be previous employers, or prominent members of the community, never relatives. Always give the name, position and phone number.
Task 1 (30 minutes)
Ask them to write their resume, and circulate around the class helping when necessary.
Introduction 3 (15 minutes)
Explain about top 7 most popular interview questions, and then hand out the 3 job adverts. Tell the class that they will be interviewing for those positions, and that the interviewers will be asking some of the 7 questions and will refer to their resumes.
Task 2 (35 minutes)
Split the class into two halves, with an interviewer half and an interviewee half. To begin with, assign an equal number of interviewers to each job, and instruct that each interviewee should be interviewed for each position. Ask the interviewers to make notes on their best candidate. Then reverse the roles and repeat. Throughout the exercise the teacher should move around the class and listen to the interviews. Finally the teacher can give feedback to the class, plus draw attention to those that were praised by the interviewers.
DVD store clerk
Must be interested in films and be good at handling money and dealing with the public. Should have some experience setting up DVD equipment and should understand basic DVD players.
Office Assistant
We have a trainee position in a famous insurance company, with some possibility of promotion. You need to be keen, intelligent and outgoing, with a proven record of commitment and hard work.
Translator
Recent graduate wanted for a local translation firm. Work includes answering phones, making tea, and having some involvement in group translation projects. This is a temporary position for 6 months, with some possibility of renewing the contract.
7 most common questions usually asked in a job interview
- What Are Your Weaknesses?
- Why Do You Want to Work Here?
- What Are Your Goals?
- Why Did You Leave Your Previous Job?
- What Can You Do for Us That Other Candidates Can't?
- What Are Three Positive Things Your Last Boss Would Say About You?
- If You Were an Animal, Which One Would You Want to Be?
