JOB PREPAREDNESS WORKSHOP

1. JOB PREPAREDNESS WORKSHOP February 27, 2012 Janan Frey, MA, LCSW-C Social Work p.r.n. 443-259-0504

2. OVERVIEW • Self assessment • Job search process- where would I like to work/identifying potential agencies /meeting key individuals • Elevator speech • Networking • Resources- on line/other • Information Interviewing

3. OVERVIEW (continued) • Documents • Cover letters • Resume • The interview • Preparation • Behavior • Questions- the interviewer’s/ yours • Negotiating details

4. Self Assessment- Finding Your Niche http://www.bu.edu/ssw/files/pdf/BUSSW_Career_Guide1.pdf Examine and prioritize significant elements that may result in your job satisfaction/dissatisfaction • Skills - what are my abilities? • Values- what will create quality of life for me in the workplace and in my profession? • Interests- what fields of practice/issues am I passionate about? • Inventory of Personality Traits-what are my traits? What traits would I like a supervisor to possess?

5. Self Assessment (continued) After prioritizing your skills, interests, and values, use this self assessment to • Direct your job search- screen potential employment opportunities with these key elements in mind • Develop questions for interviews • Prepare responses to potential questions interviewer may ask • Determine if position is good fit for you

6. Job Search • Elevator Speech • Networking • Informational Interviews • Internet Resources • Job Fairs

7. Write an Elevator Speech • “Clear, concise bit of communication that can be delivered in the time it takes folks to ride from the top to the bottom of a building in an elevator” • Useful in networking situations, informational interviews, career fairs • Job interviews- answer to “why should we hire you? and “Tell me about yourself” • Very short introduction of yourself ; use it when you are meeting a lot of people and spending little time with each

8. Elevator Speech “Dos” http://www.quintcareers.com/elevator_speech_dos-donts.html • Make your Elevator Speech sound effortless, conversational, and natural. • Make it memorable and sincere. Open a window to your personality. • Write and rewrite your speech to sharpen its focus and eliminate unnecessary words and awkward constructions. • Avoid an Elevator Speech that will leave the listener mentally asking "So what?" • Consider including a compelling "hook," an intriguing aspect that will engage the listener, prompt him or her to ask questions, and keep the conversation going.

9. Elevator Speech Dos • Practice your speech. Experts disagree about whether you should memorize it, but you should know your speech well enough so you express your key points without sounding as though the speech was memorized. Let it become an organic part of you. Many experts suggest practicing in front of mirrors and role-playing with friends. • Be warm, friendly, confident, and enthusiastic. A smile is often the best way to show friendliness and enthusiasm, while a strong, firm voice the best way to express confidence. • Take it slowly.

10. Elevator Speech Dos • Project your passion for what you do. • Maintain eye contact with your listener. • Be prepared to wrap up earlier than you were planning if you perceive that the listener is losing interest. • Develop different versions of your Elevator Speech for different situations and audiences.

11. Elevator Speech “Don'ts” • Don't rush through the speech, and do pause briefly between sentences. Breathe. • Don't ramble. Familiarizing yourself as much as possible with your speech will help keep you from getting off track. • Don't let your speech sound canned or stilted • Don't get bogged down with industry jargon or acronyms that your listener may not comprehend (especially if listener is not in the same field)

12. Elevator Speech for New Grad Can start with: “Hi, my name is ___________. I will be graduating/I just graduated from ____________________with a degree in _____________________. I'm looking to_____________________.”

13. Networking • Developing a list of contacts (people you have met through professional and social functions) then utilizing this list to help you find a position • This list can help you with job leads, offer advice and information about a particular company or industry and introduce you to others to help you expand your network • Networking is important- the majority of job openings are not advertised or publicly announced and are filled through word-of-mouth/networking • Stay connected

14. Who may be in the Network • Family • Friends • Neighbors • Co-workers (present and former) • Colleagues in your industry • Classmates • Alumni • Supervisors • Professors, Field Instructors

15. Informational Interviews • Talk with people who are working in the field with the purpose of gaining a better understanding of an occupation or industry • Builds network of contacts • Potentially could lead to employment opportunities

16. Informational Interviews continued • Be professional including dressing appropriately • Be prepared with specific questions but allow room for spontaneous discussion • Be ready to talk about yourself but do not dominate conversation, remember the purpose is to gain information and build network • Bring a copy of your resume • Take notes • Ask for referrals

17. Internet Resources • University of Maryland School of Social Work (UMB School of Social Work Employment Announcements, Current Employment Opportunities in Social Work) http://www.ssw.umaryland.edu/jobs • University of Maryland, Baltimore http://www.hr.umaryland.edu/careers/ • Linked In- join groups such as NASW, School Social Workers, etc. Connect with other individual social workers • Check out agency “pages” on FACEBOOK • If moving to another part of the country, check that area’s SW schools’ websites for job listings

18. RESUMES • Marketing tool • Summary of your experiences, skills, achievements, qualifications • “Most employers give a resume a fifteen- second review during the initial phase of the recruiting process” (Boston University School of Social Work “Social Work Career Guide”) • You need to present a resume that will catch the attention of the reader and highlight the qualities that make you a good candidate for the position

19. RESUMES – “DOS” • Length- keep it short 1-2 pages • You can tailor resume toward specific position, employer, or field of practice • Objective- not necessary (can use cover letter) . If you do put an objective- don’t make it too general • Suggest using bullets rather than paragraphs • Use phrases with action verbs - see list. Use present tense for present activities, past tense for past • Be sure to vary the verbs you use

21. RESUMES – “DOS” (continued) • Use classic font- Times New Roman, Arial, 10-12 pt • White or off white bond paper • .5- 1” margins all around • Use “bold” to highlight certain information • Use occupation/field of practice /professional terminology specific words • If possible, quantify achievements by using numbers/dollars/time (outcome measures- results oriented) • Give a clear picture of the skills you have practiced, populations served, and the issues you have dealt with

22. RESUMES – “DOS” (continued) • Emphasize transferrable skills – ex: experience with issues that likely exist in all settings (abuse, chemical dependency) and significant skill sets such as teamwork, critical thinking, leadership • Be consistent in formatting-underlining, bold type, fonts, upper case vs lower case • If your resume is 2 pages, put name and page number on second page • Always send a cover letter • Proof read, spell and grammar check, proof read again. Suggestion from one source- read it backwards • Have others proof read

23. RESUMES- “DONTS” • Don’t use first person singular case – “I” • Don’t include personal information • Don’t include a picture • Don’t list street addresses of former employers, schools- city/state OK

24. RESUMES- WHAT TO INCLUDE • Identification information – name, address, phone number, email address (make sure it is an appropriate email address) licensure • Objective/ summary/career profile -optional • Education: begin with this section if you are just graduating; use reverse chronological order • Name of college/university, city, state, • Concentration, degree, graduation date, dual degree • OK to list GPA • Honors/ awards

25. RESUMES- WHAT TO INCLUDE • Experience- reverse chronological order • Can be divided into categories- ex: Professional, Volunteer, Community Organization, Clinical Experience ,Internships • Include employer, city/state, job title, dates of employment (month/year or just year), description of accomplishments. Be sure to focus on accomplishments that are relevant to the job you are seeking. You don’t need to include everything you did at the setting. • New grad- generally list name of agency before title (MSW intern)

26. RESUMES-WHAT TO INCLUDE • Other possible sections • Skills- highlight specific skills and talents such as computer skills, foreign language fluency • Professional Affiliations – NASW, SSWLHC • Any papers and publications • Activities, areas of interest- community/campus activities, other interests to which you devote a lot of time.

27. RESOURCES FOR RESUME WRITING • Internet • Microsoft templates- be sure to remove template fields, formatting marks • University of Maryland SSW– Mrs. Almeta Sly-Thompson, SSW Writing Skills Instructor, at 410-706-6106 • Sample resumes http://www.columbia.edu/cu/ssw/careers/career%20guide%202010.pdf

28. COVER LETTERS • Always include cover letter with your resume (possible exception- career fairs) • Why: it is not just a summary of your resume, rather it is an opportunity to match your skills, background, interests to the needs of the employer . • Format- this is a business letter • Your address (or header) • Date • Recipient name and address • Follow salutation with colon

29. COVER LETTER (continued) • Try to address letter to person to whom position reports. If unable to get this information , address to relevant title. If you don’t have this information, you can use “To Whom it May Concern” or “Dear Sir/Madam” • Include salary requirements if asked to do by ad or posting

30. COVER LETTER (continued) • Should be 1 page document- sample cover letters http://www.columbia.edu/cu/ssw/careers/career%20guide%202010.pdf • Paragraph 1: reason for the letter, mention specific position or field of practice, and how you learned about position or agency • Paragraph 2 : you qualifications, why you are interested in position and why agency should be interested in you, highlight skills. THINK: how to differentiate yourself from other candidates. DON’T REPEAT RESUME VERBATIM • Paragraph 3: Specific request/follow up plan - interview, phone call, how you can be reached, any further information needed?

31. HOW TO SUBMIT RESUME • If responding to an ad that specifies manner of submission- follow that ; if several options are given use one that is best for you • If you use E mail- put cover letter in body of email, and then attach resume • Fax usually least reliable • Can follow fax or email transmission with mailed copy

32. Interviewing • Keep in mind, the main purpose of the interview is for the interviewer to gauge if you are a good fit for the position and for you to gauge if you are a good fit for the position • Good fit entails the job itself, the company/organization, the culture, co-workers, supervisor/employee relations, schedule, salary, benefits, etc…

33. Preparation • Research the company/organization • Understand the position that you are interviewing for • If possible, try to find a bio on the person or people who are interviewing you • Dress professionally (always)-even if you know agency is “casual” • Research potential interview questions, practice answering the questions • Why should I hire you- elevator speech • Why do you want this job • What are your strengths, what are your weaknesses • Practice summarizing your past job history and education

34. The Interview • Be early • Learn the name of your interviewer and greet him/her with a handshake • Be courteous to the receptionist • Use proper English, avoid slang at all cost • Be aware of your body language • Try to be as genuine as you can be • Ask questions about the position and the company/organization but try to not ask questions that are easily answered on the website • Try to avoid asking questions about the salary and benefits unless an offer is being made or there is an open door for you to do so • Be sure to thank the interviewer for his/her time and always follow up with a thank you note/email.

35. Tips • If the interviewer asks you to talk about yourself he/she is asking you about your professional experience not your personal life • Be concise and honest in your answers • Do not inflate or exaggerate your past work history or education • Be careful about being negative and making negative comments about past employers or past positions • Always keep it professional even if the interviewer diverts to his/her personal life, it is best for you to remain professional

36. Resources http://jobsearch.about.com/od/interviews/tp/jobinterviewtips.htm (interview tips) http://jobsearch.about.com/od/interviewquestionsanswers/a/interviewquest.htm (answering interview questions) http://www.hrworld.com/features/30-interview-questions-111507/ (questions that cannot be asked in an interview but reworded so that they can be asked)

37. YOU’VE GOT THE JOB OFFER- NOW NEGOTIATE • Salary is not everything- look at benefits as well; strong benefit package may balance lower salary • Research salary- ask peers, check ads, www.salary.com • Ask for salary higher than your bottom line so that there is room for negotiation • If salary offered is below your bottom line, highlight your value to the agency, be honest that you cannot live on the salary offered • Some agencies have no room to negotiate- know when that is the case

38. YOU’VE GOT THE JOB OFFER- NOW NEGOTIATE • Consider the benefits • Health insurance- negotiate for higher salary if no insurance offered. Expect to contribute to cost of insurance • Clinical Supervision- this is very important benefit (MD Regulations) • Continuing education- days/funds offered • Vacation, sick, personal time • Flexibility of agency • 401 K- does agency contribute • Consider job responsibilities- average caseload, on call responsibilities, type of services, is travel involved

39. ACCEPTING THE OFFER • When you reach an agreement, verbally confirm, also write a letter outlining terms as you understand- salary, benefits, job responsibilities. • Request agreement in writing from agency. CONGRATULATIONS- YOU HAVE GOTTEN A JOB! (Please contact Janan Frey at Social Work p.r.n. 443-259-0504 with any questions.)