Weekly activities

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Contents

Pre-Course

Prepare for Class

  • Complete Mini-Bio
  • Review ALL ASSIGNMENTS & INSTRUCTIONS for course
  • Find Advertised Job Description - (Comment.gif: Save a copy, as you will need to submit it for the Resume and Cover Letter + Final Assignment)
    • Write three of your Achievements for this Job from your experience - pay attention to Job Requirements, Roles and Responsibilities, Who the Job Reports to (Individual / Team)
  • Create blog on LMS
  • Write one (1) Blog post + substantive replies (before next class)
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Tip: Share your knowledge on you classmates' posts as well, especially on those topics that you feel you have already mastered.


Post any other tips you have learned elsewhere on the discussion forums, along with a note asking for feedback from the community. Make sure to include the activity prompt/instructions, as well as you own comments, so your contribution can be as helpful as possible to other students.

Week 1 - Orientation + LinkedIn & Social Media in the Job Search

Topic Introduction

In Week 1, we will explore....

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Tip: People search for, and connect with each other on LinkedIN. It is very important to have an up to date, professional LinkedIn profile. Feel free to connect with me. https://www.linkedin.com/in/randyfisher/


Objectives

Upon successful completion of this unit, learners will be able to:

  • have an understanding of the structure and format of this course
  • set up a blog
  • engage in discussion with your peers - introducing yourself and explaining the value of social media for job search / employer research
  • create a professional LinkedIn profile - and name it properly
  • set up your LinkedIn account notifications, preferences and visibility - using your personal email address and phone number (for account recovery / retrieval)
  • connect with your peers on LinkedIn
  • complete the Email Sign Up Sheet - and include your LinkedIn Profile URL
  • complete the Mini-Bio

Multimedia, Readings

  • LinkedIn Tutorial - Link Required

Discussions (Blog)

Class Introductions

  • Introduce yourself (i.e., your full name, where you are from, what you art studying (major), why you've chosen your field of study, and HOW you believe LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and other social media can help you in your job search (200 words) and 2 substantive replies to your peers.
  • Introduce Yourself: Your Name, Major / Field of Study (and Transferable Skills) and the Types of Jobs / Companies you are looking to work for

Review & Assignment(s)

  • Complete Email Address / Phone Info & Bio via Google Drive Sign-up Sheet (to be provided)
  • Complete Mini-Bio + provide a photo
  • Find and keep handy / bring to class a job advertisement of interest to you
  • Create a LinkedIn Profile (use your Real Name)
    • Add the LinkedIn Profile URL to the Email Address Sign In Sheet
    • Set up preferences, notifications
    • Everyone in the class to connect with each other

Week 2: Using Digital / Social Media to Research Individuals & Employers

Objectives

Upon successful completion of this unit, learners will be able to:

  • know how to use strategies for researching employers
  • use the Internet and LinkedIn, as a job search, networking and visibility tool
  • identify methods for using other social media (Twitter) for sharing LinkedIn content
  • investigate organizations to understand their business, products, services, industry, growing / declining, issues / "Pain"
  • use best practices for incorporating your experience into a LinkedIn profile
  • identify the differences between updates, posts / articles
  • analyze success and areas for improvement (analytics)

Multimedia, Readings

  • Slides: Researching People & Organizations & Desired Job / Role
    • Job Role / Description
    • Organization
    • Hiring Manager / Decision-Maker
    • "The Business" - customers, markets, competitors, revenues, profitability, etc.
    • Pain, Problems, Challenges
    • Info Sources - Library, LinkedIn, Website,
    • Connect the Dots
  • Following on LinkedIN, Twitter
  • Process
  • Research a person of interest - introduce them, and learn as much as you can about them - name, career path, what they're interested in, where they work, etc.

It’s pretty simple, really: every single day, more and more of the world is coming online. As that trend continues, the internet is becoming the 1st choice of where to go to find things, whether that means the closest deli to our apartment, a quality used car, or someone to fill the position that just opened up at our company. If you want to make sure that companies can find you quickly and easily, it is vital that you create a social media presence for yourself and have your resume accessible online. But what does “digital resume” mean, exactly?

This reading explains how to utilize the different social media sites to promote yourself online and post your resume or CV. After you have finished reading, take 20 minutes to create a free LinkedIn account and update your profile there according to your most current resume.

In today's job search and recruitment market, employers are increasingly relying on LinkedIn to search for qualified job applicants. If you want to be noticed by job recruiters, it is critical that you have your profile and resume on LinkedIn. This article is a brief overview of why your resume and profile should be on LinkedIn, and what type of information you should include.

Discussions (Blog)

Research Individuals (Potential Employers) of Interest

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Tip: This blog post requires that you actually do research - and you can do this at the Library, on the company website, news releases, LinkedIN, etc. (You might consider doing an information interview to discover hard-to-find, insider information.


Questions to Ask / Find the Information You Need

  • What is the Job / Role? What are you going to do?
  • What is the Organization? What do they do? What industry are they in?
  • What is their Business?
    • Who are their customers, markets, competitors
    • Are they making money? Losing money?
    • Are they in a regulated industry (i.e., energy, utilities, transportation);
    • Are they unionized?
    • What Problems / Challenges are they facing ("Pain)
  • What Jobs are advertised? Who reports to whom?
  • Who is the Hiring Manager / Decision-Maker; Team Members - what are their career paths - what do they do, where have they worked before?

Review & Assignments

  • Write one (1) Blog post + substantive replies (before next class)

Week 3 - Job Search Tools (Part 1) - Resumes, Cover Letters & Transferable Skills

Objectives

Upon successful completion of this unit, learners will be able to:

  • explain the purpose of a professional resume and cover letter
  • identify and describe the components of a resume
  • incorporate background, skills and experiences (and transferable skills) in resume and cover letter writing
  • develop and/or update a professional resume (e-version) that highlights your skills and accomplishments
  • incorporate elements that make a resume appear attractive, well-organized, and amenable to both print and email distribution
  • use best practices for naming and saving one's resume.

Multimedia, Readings

Introduction to the Resume

In this unit, you will learn about the function of a professional resume. You will also learn about various formats for presenting a resume (a conventional or functional or skills-based or chronological resume, etc.) in today's job market. Finally, you will gather information about your own professional skills and accomplishments to help prepare your own resume in this course.

The Purpose of a Resume

An effective resume is: (1) A summary of your skills and achievements; (2) a persuasive argument that you are worth hiring; and (3) a reflection of your uniqueness and individuality.

This chapter describes several types of resumes and offers samples of each type. If for example, you are applying for an academic position, you might be asked for a Curriculum Vitae (CV) rather than a conventional resume. To learn more about the difference between a CV and a resume, study "The Graduate Student and Post-Graduate Resume" section and view the sample of each type of resume. You will also benefit from the provided list of specific action words (verbs) to describe your job experience.

Types of Resumes

This article contains detailed information about ensuring your resume and cover letter meet the formatting and style requirements for many federal government jobs. This workshop guide provides many examples of federal resumes and cover letters and other types of resumes in the workforce.

What is a CV?

This section explains two additional types of resumes to use in certain situations: (1) the functional resume; and (2) the Curriculum Vitae (CV). This section also provides examples of functional-based resumes.

The Importance of Transferable Skills

Whether you are new to the workforce or an industry sector or even, a higher level job, you may not have all of the experience required in the qualifications. That's why it is important to highlight your transferable skills. These include: problem-solving, critical-thinking, communications, decision-making and teamwork. The resource below, allows you to quickly identify your transferable skills and integrate them into your resume, cover letters, LinkedIn profiles - even job interviews!

Discussions (Blog)

Transferable Skills & Job / Sector Analysis

  • Identify and share your Top 3-5 Transferable Skills and analyze how they could be applied in different industries

Review & Assignments

Week 4 - Job Search Tools (Part 2) - Resume Customization, CAR Stories & Industry Keywords

You will examine ways to enhance your resume and cover letter and learn about techniques to make your application to each job as competitive as possible. You will harness effective action verbs (i.e., active tense), keywords, transferable skills, and positioning (a formatting strategy for promoting your professional identity) to strengthen the language and organization of your resume. You also will learn how to edit and review your resume and cover letter to ensure high quality. Finally, you will learn how to tailor your application materials toward a specific job and avoid pitfalls when finalizing your resume and cover letter for print, email and online distribution.

Objectives

  • research relevant and appropriate action words and keywords for your desired job, position / title and industry
  • explain the purpose of CAR Stories
  • explain the purpose of a Portfolio; and describe various documents, materials and websites that one might include in a portfolio
  • discuss the importance of effective action words and keywords for a resume and cover letter
  • incorporate your resume into a LinkedIn profile

Multimedia, Readings

Now that you have an understanding of the function of a professional resume, you can focus on the key components of a resume in greater detail.

In this unit, you will study the content, categories and keywords often included on a resume. You will learn how you can arrange these components based on the information and accomplishments you want to emphasize to a potential employer. You will consider which categories you would like to include on your own resume, and then you will draft your resume by listing your major accomplishments, professional skills, and other pertinent information in an organized manner.

In addition, you will draft a cover letter to accompany your resume. Finally, you will explore some common design elements frequently used on a resume and learn about simple techniques for effectively formatting and styling a resume. (Electronic versions have specific requirements - we will use electronic versions in this course.) By doing so, you will lay the groundwork for polishing your resume, using it online and creating your LinkedIn profile.

Resumes

Read this article to get a better understanding of the type of information to help identify yourself on your resume and inform your reader of the specific purpose of your job search. Headers and objectives are essential because they help organize the resume; are consistent with other resumes; and is the information that the reader will see first.

This article provides guidance (and examples) on how to present your educational experiences in a resume. Some employers require that you possess a certain level of education in order to be considered for a job. When you customize your resume for a specific job, make sure that your experience matches the required qualifications - and doesn't leave any doubt in your reader's mind about your level of education.

This article describes how to describe your work experience on the resume - arguably the most important component. Most employers will look to this section to see if you have the skills and experience you need to be able to do the job. Your work experience should highlight the types of experiences (and accomplishments) that directly align with the type of job you are applying for.

This article will help you to understand how to highlight any specific accomplishments or skills that you possess to enhance your chances of getting hired and performing well on the job.

Resume writing is both an art and a skill. One small mistake in your resume - gives the wrong impression - and can sometimes eliminate you from consideration for a position. Here is an article that will outline 10 common mistakes to avoid on your resume.

Many times you will need to make adjustments to your resume to account for gaps in you employment and jobs where you were employed for only a short time. This reading will show you how to cover your bases when this happens.

Read this article and take 20 minutes to apply these tips to your own resume and cover letter when you have finished.

Read this article and follow its advice the next time you prepare a resume. Think about how you can incorporate the Transferable Skills you identified earlier in the course. What other suggestions have you heard for writing better resumes?

Cover Letters (OPTIONAL)

This section describes the importance of including a cover letter with your resume. This reading will help you determine what type of information you should put in a cover letter. It will also help you assess your strengths and weaknesses and how you can match your cover letter to the job description.

Creating an audience-friendly cover letter is very important. This reading offers sample of cover letters and guidance on how to personalize your own cover letter.

Read the three (3) sample cover letters in this resource. Consider how well they apply (or not) to your circumstances. If not, what would you change / do differently?

Discussions (blog)

CAR Stories & Keywords

  • Share 3 CAR Stories - and Industry Keywords and explain your rationale

Review & Assignments

Week 5: Positioning Yourself & Targeting Your Job Search

You will examine ways to position yourself and target your job search to employers and discover new opportunities. You will harness effective keywords (i.e., pertaining to the job role, organization and industry sector. ). You will learn how to to position and market yourself so that you are in alignment with the job requirements, and a fit for the organizational culture and industry sector demands.

Objectives

Upon successful completion of this unit, learners will be able to:

  • discuss the importance of industry-specific language and keywords for a resume and cover letter
  • incorporate employer research to help differentiate you from the competition and reach employers
  • identify and/or estimate the type of organizational culture
  • select CAR Stories and experience - aligned to industry sector / employer
  • identify methods and rationale for distributing a resume via email and social media
  • identify elements to avoid when finalizing and distributing a resume and cover letter

Multimedia, Readings

This article gives an overview of how to market yourself broadly, a process of which a well-crafted resume and cover letter are just two parts. This reading gives a preview of the process of putting your resume out there and approaching the next steps of the job search.

This article shows you how to identify and target specific industries and jobs in your job search. When deciding to apply for a job, its best to identify the industry, the position, and the geographic location in which you want to work.

Discussion (blogs)

Topic TBD

Review & Assignments

(Comment.gif: Recommendation - Continuously tweak and update Your LinkedIn Profile based on its appearance in searches and overall performance. Make sure to upload a photo, and use your personal email address. Populate it with your resume information)

Week 6: The Big Picture: Integrating All of the Parts

Objectives

  • Job Listings
  • Identify and connect with people of interest.
  • Networking
  • Learn about THEIR Career path.
    • Job Description, Roles & Responsibilities
  • Researching Employers (Organizations, Hiring Managers, Decision-Makers)


Multimedia, Readings

Organizational Culture

What is a Portfolio?

Portfolios are a collection of documents and materials (for print and the web) that allow people to show actual examples of their work and skills as a way to indicate they will be able to perform well at the position they seek. Portfolios are more detailed than a resume and can be presented in different formats. I highly effective way is to have links (URLs) to specific projects and examples of your accomplishments. Read this short description of what a portfolio is and who uses them.

Digital Projects / Portfolio

  • Any digital project / work that you do, may be used in your portfolio. This can be very impressive to employers.
  • Be sure to capture and organize all relevant documents, materials and links - (i.e., URLs, videos, tweets, screenshots, etc.)
  • A good practice is to organize them in a Google Doc - and make sure you share it with your personal and Rutgers email addresses.
  • This can serve as part of your portfolio for this course (and other digital projects) that will be impressive to employers and can showcase what you've done.

Examples of Strong Capstone Websites

  • Here are some examples of strong Capstone websites (the students from Rutgers School of Communications and Information have agreed to share them).

Discussion (blogs)

Topic TBD

Review & Assignments

  • Resume?
  • Completed LinkedIn Profile, Twitter (HootSuite)
  • Action Paper

Week 7: Build Your Digital Brand & Add Value

Objectives

Upon successful completion of this unit, learners will be able to:

  • decide which digital / social media tool(s) will be most effective to build your brand and raise your profile
  • structure an effective job search campaign
  • strategically align job search
  • optimize your visibility, brand and profile
  • analyze the effectiveness of traditional and digital media

Multimedia, Readings

  • Blogging, Research, Analysis
  • Marketing Campaign
  • Evaluation Report
  • Webcasts / webinars, Screencasts, Videos
  • Public Speaking / Networking
  • Twitter, Instagram & other Social Media

Discussion (blogs)

Course Learnings & Takeaways

  1. What did I learn? How has this affected my understanding of the job search process and using digital tools / LinkedIn?
  2. What will I do differently? How Will I Handle Challenging Situations? How will I demonstrate this learning (i.e., experiment, put it into practice?)
  3. What are the Top 3 Actions that I will take to learn more / achieve my SMART goals?
    1. See explanation of SMART Goals(Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Realistic and Time-based).

Review & Assignments

  • Final Paper incorporating social media

Follow Prof. Fisher on Social Media

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