South Carolina ETV

South Carolina ETV
1101 George Rogers Boulevard
Columbia, SC 29201-4761
Phone: 803-737-3545

Entry-Level Job Interviewing (Grade 11-12)

Master Teacher

Kathryn Goerig

Time Allotment

Two or three 90-minute blocks

Overview

Upon graduation, teens are no longer protected from the "real world" and must face fierce competition either at college or in securing an entry-level job. Interviews to secure fast food and other service work are not a true example of the interviewing skill required to land an entry-level position.

Through this lesson, using video and the Internet, students will have a better understanding of the expectations of an employer during an entry-level interview.

They will also discover important information to remember when preparing for and during an entry-level position interview. Finally, students will critique a video interview.

Subject Matter

Vocational Career Preparation

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to:

Discover specific information to remember when preparing for an interview;
Identify the most important factors to keep in mind during an interview;
Critique a video of a person being interviewed;
Prepare extended answers to five commonly asked questions during an interview;
Prepare appropriate questions to ask during an interview;
Create a presentation explaining "How to Prepare for an Interview or Factors to Keep in Mind During an Interview."

South Carolina Standards

Visit SC Standards Web site

English

C2 The student will use listening skills to comprehend and analyze information received in both formal and informal situations.

Research Goals: The student will access and use information from a variety appropriately selected sources to extend his or her knowledge.

E1, E2, E3 & E4: Demonstrate the ability to use note-taking strategies to record facts and opinions from sources.

C3: The student will comprehend and analyze information he or she receives from nonprint sources (media).

E4-W4.2 Demonstrate the ability to use keyboarding skills to produce texts

Business Computer Applications 1 & 2 (Technology)

Plan a (storyboard) presentation.

Identify components of a presentation program (layout views, slide, toolbars, and dialog box).

Use presentation software to create projects incorporating effective use of graphics, fonts, preset animation and transitions.

Media Components

Dahlstrom & Company, Inc.
155 Wilson Street
Holliston, MA 01746-1433
800-222-0009
www.dahlstromco.com

Job Hunting Handbook &

*Power Point Presentation

(Power Point CD is sent with an order for the handbook at no cost.)

Video

This videotape may be purchased from:

Cambridge Career Products
P.O. Box 2153
Charleston, WV 25328
800-468-4227
*Four Stages of Interviewing (video)

Web Sites

Applying For A Job

This Web site contains 54 pages of information about everything one needs to know about job hunting.

Time Structure of a Typical Interview

This Web page breaks down into estimated amounts of time spent on specific parts an interview. It also contains important interview preparation information.

Materials

One for each student or save to the school Network system:

Job Interview Comparison (spreadsheet)
Prepared Answers & Questions for the Interview (word processor)
Multimedia Project Rubric (spreadsheet)
Storyboard for Power Point Handout

Equipment

TV and VCR
computers
MS Office Suite software

Prep for Teachers

Prior to teaching this lesson, bookmark the Web sites (listed) using Portaportal.com, a Web-based bookmarking utility that lets you store links to your favorite Web sites online.
Prepare the hands-on elements of the lesson and either copy one for each student or save them on the school Network:

1) Prepare spreadsheet "Job Interview Comparison."*

2) Prepare the "My Response Sheet."**

3) Save on system or print copy of "Multimedia Rubric."***

4) Storyboard Worksheet

*Note to Teacher: Part of this activity is to let students experience Excel and learn how data bases work. Return to the Lesson Plans index to download the Excel spreadsheet.

**If you'd like students to learn more about Word, save this page on your school Network and have them access it through the computer.

***This rubric can be downloaded directly from http://www.SASinSchool.com.

When using media, provide students with a Focus for Media Interaction, a specific task to complete and/or information to identify during or after viewing of video elements, Web sites or other multimedia elements.

Introductory Activity

Provide a Focus for Media Interaction by asking students: "How important is a job interview? What is an employer looking for during a job interview?" (A job interview is used to screen applicants. The interviewer is looking for someone who will put in an honest day's work and will show pride in his/her work, appearance and behavior. They want someone who will be honest and dependable.)

Step 1: Direct students to log on to Portaportal.com and key in kgoerig (user name) and creek (password). Then tell students to click the "Applying for a Job" link in the Job Finding Folder.

Step 2: Instruct the students to read the introduction and the Letter to Kerry. (first page and a half of the site)

Step 3: Tell the students to then open the Excel Spreadsheet "Job Interview Comparison" in the class folder on the school Network or distribute a copy to each student (Activity Sheet 1).

Step 4: Instruct the students to compare the qualities of Kerry vs the "Person Hired." Tell students to mark an "X" on the spreadsheet, if the quality was displayed during the interview by either candidate, in the proper column as indicated on the spreadsheet. (Do not fill in Column E/Miss Dilly at this time.)

Step 5: Check for comprehension. Ask students to reflect on the qualities that the employer was looking for during the interview with Kerry and the Person Hired.

(Note to Teacher: Discuss each quality listed on the spreadsheet and ask students to discuss their marked answers.)

Learning Activity #1

Step 1: Ask the students if they have ever been interviewed for a job. What questions were asked? How long did it last? What type of job was the student applying for? (Repeat anything shared by the students.) Then ask students if an interview for an entry-level job would be the same as an interview for a fast food job? (Discuss the formal vs informal setting of both jobs; the interviewer's skill; and how one would dress for each interview.)

Step 2: Ask the students to return to the desktop and select the class folder on the school Network. This time select the Powerpoint Presentation titled: Job Hunting (by Dahlstrom).

(Note to Teachers: If you don't have a copy of the Power Point presentation from Dahlstrom, move immediately to Step 4.)

Step 3: Have students view this slide show as a general overview lesson on job finding.

Step 4: After the students have finished viewing, have them open the file "Prepare Answers for an Interview" on the school Network in the class folder or distribute a copy to each student (Activity Sheet 2).

Step 5: Instruct students to construct extended answers to the five questions that are typically asked during an entry-level interview. Students may use any of the links in the Job Finding Folder found on the Portaportal.com site to discover more information about questions asked during interviews. Tell them to prepare three good questions to ask during an interview.

Step 6: Tell students to hand in Activity Sheet 2 when they have completed it.

Learning Activity #2

Step 1: Check for recall of the qualities listed on the spreadsheet completed in the Introductory Activity. What qualities did the person who was hired in the Introductory Activity display during the interview? (Appearance, Handshake, Eye Contact, Experience, Good Attitude, Researched Company, Poised & Smiled, Asked Questions, Answered Questions Completely, Alert)

Provide students with a Focus for Media Interaction by asking them to keep these qualities in mind as they observe the following interview:

Step 2: Insert: Four Stages of Interviewing into your VCR. START the tape at the frame with a long-haired, blond woman wearing pink and a man in a dark suit meet and shake hands and the man says, "Good morning, Miss Dilly."

PAUSE the tape when Miss Dilly says, "He sure is a cold bird!"

Step 3: Check for comprehension. Ask the students to evaluate Miss Dilly by opening a second time the file "Job Interview Comparison" spreadsheet used in the Introductory Activity. Ask the students to fill in "Column E" which is an evaluation of Miss Dilly from the video based upon their observations.

Step 4: Check for comprehension. What qualities did Miss Dilly display during the video interview? (Very few)

Culminating Activity

Step 1: Tell students that they will now begin a final project about job interviewing. Instruct the students to go to Portaportal.com and under Job Finding select "Multimedia Project Rubric Template" link (last one on this page).

Step 2: Explain to the students that this is the criteria upon which their Culminating Activity assignment will be graded. They may print out a copy if they wish.

Step 3: Instruct students to fill in the top portion with the following criteria: Topic-will be assigned in a minute. Project must include 5 cards or slides, must have 3 imported graphics and at least 1 original graphic, all slides will be animated and it should contain one video clip or audio clip. Students may work in teams of two. Oral presentation must include both team members contributing orally.

Step 4: Direct students to prepare a multimedia project (using Power Point as the base software) on the topic of either "the important factors to keep in mind during an interview" or "how to prepare for an interview."

Step 5: Distribute the hard copy of the two-page storyboard. Instruct students to complete this handout and secure your approval before moving information into a Power Point presentation.

Step 6: After storyboard is approved, students should move into the Power Point software and complete the assignment.

Step 7: Instruct students to print out one copy (select handouts option in print dialog box) of presentation.

Step 8: Instruct class to go back to Excel and open the evaluation rubric. This time the student(s) should complete the self-evaluation and print out one copy and hand in with presentation copy.

Assessment

The Rubric will be used for the Power Point presentation and the oral presentation that will follow.

Invite a human resource person or local business owner into the school to role-play individual interviews for an entry-level position. Videotape each and have the student view and prepare a self-evaluation afterwards.

Cross-Curricular Extensions

Technology: Have students create an evaluation form to be used during an interview. Use a spreadsheet or word processing program.

Language Arts: Have students write a five-paragraph report covering before, during and after items to consider when preparing for an interview.

Write a thank you, follow-up note that would be appropriate to send to a company after an interview.

Technology: Have students create a database, using the yellow pages, of possible career contacts. Include the company name, address, phone, business hours, directions (if included), and any other useful information.

Geography: Students could expand their above research to discover the availability of jobs in South Carolina and create a state map labeling the career projections.

Community Connections

0Send students out to survey local human resource personnel. After taking a survey ask each for a copy of the evaluation used during an interview. Assess if the evaluation contains new information not considered prior to this investigation.
Have students invite human resource personnel to the class to discuss their style of interviewing. Give extra-credit to those students that arrange all the details of a visit.

Student Materials

computers
software
pencil/paper
Activity Sheets