Teaching Job Skills in the Classroom

Regardless of what a student's plans are after high school, he or she needs to be able to fill out job applications, write a resume, and write business letters. There is, however, no class in high school that prepares students for these important writing tasks. English teachers, therefore, have taken up this important responsibility.

If your students have not thought about their future, this is a good project. Students should do the following as part of the project:

1. Use a website to locate a job. Refer students to Careerbuilder or Monster and let them find a job that interests them.
2. Research the education needed to attain that position. In some cases, students may need to look at a college bulletin or a college catalog to discover exactly what courses they need to take.
3. Write a resume that details their education as well as their work experience.
4. Write a cover letter to the potential employer, stating their qualifications and that they are applying for the position.
5. Write a resume that includes personal information, a statement of purpose, work experience, and education.
6. Students should then be given a mock interview by their teacher.
7. As an alternative, teachers can develop a list of twenty questions in place of the interview.
8. Write a thank-you letter.

Although this assignment seems elementary, you would be surprised how many students fail to explore their futures. Many students do not even think about what line of work they are going to do after they graduate, and they certainly do not consider the preparation they must undertake to be qualified for a particular job.

This assignment puts the wheels in motion and makes students think about the future. More importantly, students will learn from this experience and take what they learned and use it when they do apply for a job in real life.