OVEC & KY-SPIN Pre-ETS Conference Welcome & KY-SPIN Present’s Session 1 Prep For Interview

Dennis: Welcome everyone today two of the second conference, Time to Adult. Sponsored by the Ohio Valley Education Cooperative, in partnership with Kentucky SPIN. And you’ll learn a little more about Kentucky SPIN in just a minute, but I wanted to go through the agenda with you.

[00:00:22] All teachers and classroom coordinators, you were sent all the links, earlier this week or last week, to the sessions. And if you’re here, you were successful with this first link. We’ll start at 9:30 with this, with session one called Preparing for the Interview, which will be led by Kellie Smith of Kentucky SPIN. At 10;15, we’ll have a break. Then we’ll start up again at 10:30 with session two, Presenting your Best Self led by Stella Beard, also with Kentucky SPIN.

[00:00:55] We’ll go to 11:15 and we’ll have the kind of your lunch or snack bag break, for those districts who wanted to do that with students. 11:45, please come back to that Cody Clark zoom link, which is a different link from these sessions. And Cody Clark will give a magic show. And then he’ll present the keynote address, Revealing the Secrets Behind the Essential Skills and we saw this on Wednesday and we think you guys are in for a treat, so we hope you’ll join us.

[00:01:30] 12:45 we’ll begin session three called, Got the Job, Now What? And that’ll be led by Michaela Evans of Kentucky SPIN. And then an important part. And again, you will use the link that you’re using now to get back to that session after Cody’s session.

[00:01:47] A really important part for us is that you complete, have your students complete the evaluation form that I sent you when I sent you these links, it was on. If you would print out, photocopy, hard copies, distributed to each of your students have them complete them, and if you would just scan back and email them to my attention, that would be great. Because we use that to report to our funder, which is the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation and also to make tweets and corrections and improvements for when we do this again.

[00:02:19] So thank you everyone for being here, we love having you. This is an exciting time, and I’m going to hand it over to Rhonda, who I think is going to give a little bit of some housekeeping about using tech, using this tech and all that stuff, Rhonda.

[00:02:37] Rhonda: Yes, thank you so much. And we’re so excited to be here with y’all today and it is tie-dye Friday, so it is going to be a good day.

[00:02:45] I don’t know about you all, but I was very excited that it was Friday, but just to tell you a little bit about, please let us know if there’s anything that we can help you with throughout this. If you’re having any technical issues, please use the chat or the question box. We’re monitoring that throughout and we will do our best to help you and get it resolved as soon as possible.

[00:03:12] Also top please use the chat. As we’re talking about different things throughout, and I loved on Wednesday, we got a lot of input, if there’s questions that you have throughout, but also not just questions, your input, because what’s going to make this even better is all of us, with our experiences, sharing ideas. And so what we’ll do is I’ll be monitoring throughout and I’ll be chiming in, I’ll keep an eye on your questions. And we just want to have a great day with you all.

[00:03:48] I just wanted to tell you a little bit about Kentucky SPIN, it’s Kentucky Special Parent Involvement Network. And we are all persons with disabilities and or family members, parents, helping one another. And our key goal is to help one another so that we can all have the most successful life possible. Cause I know there are great things in store for you all and it’s just the beginning.

[00:04:16] And any way that we can help with it. We have, we do trainings throughout the state, like this, but then also, and when we were able to travel and be in person, but hopefully we’ll all be back to that before too long. But we’re here not only to provide training, but individual help stepping through stuff.

[00:04:35] So, our goal is to help youth and adults with disabilities and their families. We have a lot of which you’ll hear later on, on our website, you can access it anytime. Different videos and not just for families and for you all, but for your teachers. Anyway, and any help that we can do because we know the more we work together, the better that everything is going to be for everybody.

[00:05:05] And so just let us know if there’s anything that you all need and if we’re not the right person, we’ll try to find who is. And really just know that that we are here and we know that you all have nothing but bright futures ahead of you.

[00:05:22] Just to tell you a little bit about myself. I am one of five kids, my twin sister, Robin had a severe learning disability, as an adult was diagnosed bipolar. She’s our special angel in heaven now. And then my middle brother, the only red head of the group, he is a fiery red head. And the ladies will tell you on here, he sure is, he keeps us hopping. Grant just happens to use a wheelchair and has cerebral palsy. And then my youngest brother, in the twins, my mom had two sets, is, Ryan has ADHD.

[00:06:01] All of them are smarter than I could wish to be and have their own unique experiences from the seen to the unseen disability. And I will tell you, I am OCD. And I always tell everybody that my mom, I haven’t been officially diagnosed, but mom will tell you, we don’t need a doctor to tell us that, Rhonda.

[00:06:24] So, we all have great strengths. And as we’re kind of stepping through this today, think of your strengths. Because I don’t know about y’all, but I use my strengths to help with areas that maybe I need to improve on or need a little bit of help. And everybody’s no different. And we all have unique things, whether there’s a label for it or not, right. We all have areas, and we can use those strengths, because It may be OCD, that also means I’m detail-oriented. So putting the spin on it, which you’re going to hear a little more later today with the great women here with Kentucky SPIN.

[00:07:07] But please let us know how we can help. I’m so grateful to be with y’all and Michaela is going to kick this off. We’ve got a treat for you. We’ve got several videos in each session we’re going to be showing. But let me take Ian, which I know y’all are just going to love, he couldn’t be with us here in person, but he created some videos for us and Michaela’s going to go ahead and share that and start that video to get us kicked off before Kellie starts. So thank you all so much and I hope you enjoy.

[00:07:41] Ian: What’s up guys. Hey. Hey, you. Top five things coming for session one about the interview. Let’s go.

[00:07:52] {Be careful: Companies check your social media }

[00:07:57] Time to take a look at his Facebook account. [Scrolls through Facebook feed]

[00:08:02] {Research the company }

[00:08:04] Ian please come here.

[00:08:16] I can’t. I literally have a ton of research I’m doing right now. Like this is like pages and pages of research. [Two pages, research as the title. Page one says McDonals. Page two says  Burger Place.]

[00:08:33] {Update resume}

[00:08:33] [Word document with two pages. To Do as the title of page one. Bullet one says, Update Resume. Page two says Resume as the title of the page. Bullet one says, Worked at the mall and stuff.]

[00:08:34] {Dress for success: appearance and good hygiene}

[00:08:41] I’m ready for my interview. [Wears tank with loosely tied tie and sideways ball cap.]

[00:09:04] This. This is the information we have on the new candidate. Here, right there.

[00:09:09] Okay. I’ll get right on it.

[00:09:12] Hey guys, it’s Ian with Kentucky SPIN, I hope that video was funny and you got some entertainment out of it. But there are some serious things that come with some of the things you’re getting ready to learn in this session. And I just want to go over them and emphasize them really quickly.

[00:09:25] So one, we did the joke about the social media check-in, but in all seriousness, companies do check your social media. So make sure you keep it looking professional and sleek. You don’t want anything on there that can prevent you from being hired or considered for a position.

[00:09:40] Number two, researching the company is really important. So you want to make sure that you do at least minimum research to get like little factoids, so that gives you a leg up on competition.

[00:09:51] Number three. It is important to keep your resume current and keep updating that as much as you need to, to make sure that you’re representing yourself the best way that you can in your interview.

[00:10:01] Number four is dress for success. Dress for the job that you want, not that the job that your maybe even necessarily apply for, or the job that you have. So make sure to give your best presentation of yourself. And do the best you can to pull that off for your interview.

[00:10:19] Number five, it’s really important to think about what employers are looking for when it comes to employees, which would be you, considering you get hired. So think about, you know, things like being an all the time and just a little things to give you a leg up and to really help you to be ready to fulfill the role that they need to fill in their company.

[00:10:38] So, lastly guys, one thing I want to make sure that I say kind of a disclaimer at the end of the video before the end, I want to say that the clips in the beginning that were funny were just to be entertaining and that’s it. That’s actually not the proper way to go about things, if that makes sense. So I want to make sure that I say that before this video ends, because I don’t want anyone to watch this and think that that’s the correct way to go about trying to get a job and things like that.

[00:11:08] Okay, guys, it’s Ian with Kentucky SPIN, I hope these tips have been helpful. I hope you enjoy your session until next time. See you.

[00:11:20] Kellie: Good morning, everyone. My name is Kellie Smith. I’m the Assistant Director at Kentucky SPIN. And I’m going to be presenting to you first thing this morning on Preparing for the Interview.

[00:11:33] Before I get started on that, I’ll tell you a little bit about myself. I am the mother of a 24-year old young man who has a traumatic brain injury. And things are different now than they were when he was in school.

[00:11:57] So I love to present to young people and people your age, because it kinda gives me an opportunity to look back and say, okay, so what are the things that we wish we had known when he was in high school? Or what can I tell these students now that is going to be useful to them, you know, five years from now.

[00:12:23] So, just know that I’m doing absolutely what I love to do. I believe I’m doing what I was meant to do and I know that you can do the same.

[00:12:34] So, I live just outside of Lexington in Nicholasville. And I have been with Kentucky SPIN for just over five years, I absolutely love it. And that kind of leads me into just delving a little bit more into who Kentucky SPIN is and kind of what we do.

[00:12:54] So I know Rhonda gave you a, you know, a really great overview. But some other things is that we are funded by the U.S. Department of Education. We are the parent training and information center for the state of Kentucky. So training and information, that’s a lot of stuff. [silence]

[00:13:22] I don’t know, Lee, I’m sorry. I don’t know if you understand, or if you can imagine, training and information right, because I didn’t really understand how much that involved until I was like in the midst of this job. And then I was like, Man training and information is just a huge wheelhouse and there’s a whole lot we can do.

[00:13:55] So it’s really a lot easier for us to say the things that we don’t do than the things that we can do.

[00:14:05] We do not give legal advice or represent families in any way. So what we do is we give you information and then together, you and your family can decide the best course of action for you.

[00:14:22] We serve families and youth with individuals of the ages birth through 26. But I don’t ever want that, your age, to keep you from contacting us. If you are more than 26-years old and do you need, you have any, then absolutely reach out to us and let us find a resource to help you. And that’s kind of what we do.

[00:14:52] Rhonda: I just wanted, I think we might have, I don’t know if your is video showing. I’m not seeing on my end.

[00:15:01] Kellie: I’m sorry.

[00:15:03] Rhonda: You no worries. I thought everybody would love to see your beautiful face.

[00:15:08] Kellie: Okay. Hang on. Let me find my controls…

[00:15:16] just a minute.

[00:15:21] There they are. Sorry guys. Hey!

[00:15:25] Rhonda: And I should have warned you all that, if I’m associated with it, there’s definitely going to be tech issues throughout the day. So we greatly appreciate everything.

[00:15:34] Kellie: Y’all that was totally me, Rhonda. So I’m sorry, everybody. So, yeah. Hey so we’re going to dive right in here. We’re going to talk about social media. And how employers check your social media.

[00:15:51] I know when my kids were applying for jobs, I would tell them, you know, these people are gonna look at your social media and they thought I was lying to them. But once they got in jobs, they realized, I wasn’t lying to them. They really do check your social media.

[00:16:08] So, social media has really worked its way into every part of our lives and has forever changed the way people communicate with one another. So we can reunite with our friends from when, even when we were little kids. If you had someone you were friends with and they moved away, you know, that provides an opportunity for you to talk to them.

[00:16:30] You can send messages to celebrities. I had mentioned once before to a group that Dr. Pepper  once tagged my daughter in something. And she was like over the moon, like that was a huge deal for her. You can also share photos, memes and videos to pretty much anywhere, at any time, you know, if you’re connected on social media.

[00:17:00] It’s also becoming the most common ways for employers to recruit new hires. So much so that Facebook actually has, you know, now their own little place to post jobs and to apply for jobs.

[00:17:18] My son just got a job at Walmart and the whole thing started and ended on Facebook. Like, you know, he went straight to the application process from Facebook, that’s where the job was listed.

[00:17:35] So this isn’t just, you know, your local grocery store posting something on their Facebook page. Corporations are using social media as a way to advertise their job openings and to recruit new employees.

[00:17:54] Be aware that nine out of 10 employers are going to look at your social media accounts prior to your interview. So we’re going to talk about, in just a little bit, researching the company and learning about the company that you’re interviewing at, but it’s a very important that you realize that just like you’re going to get to know them before your interview, they’re going to get to know you. They’re going to look at your social media, all different accounts and they’re, I mean, they’re going to look for you all over social media and they’re going to see, what is this person about? What do they do? How do they think, how do they talk?

[00:18:36] So one offensive post could completely scar your reputation and cost you a job with a potential employer. So and if your settings are private you know, you, you really are thinking that people aren’t going to see it, but just know that there are hackers. And if you put it online, somebody is going to be able to find it.

[00:19:01] So, you may think that you have the perfect social media profile and you may. You may not post anything offensive, you may dress appropriately. Everything that you post may be absolutely perfect. But what are the, you know, 50, hundred, 400, you know, 1,000 followers and friends that you have on those social media sites? What are they posting and what are they tagging you in?

[00:19:32] So it’s important to remember that when you go to your settings, you know, your view of social media, I’ll use Facebook as an example, when you go to Facebook and you look on your Facebook on your phone or on your computer or whatever, you don’t see what I would see if I went to your Facebook. If I went to your Facebook, I’m going to say all sorts of things. I’m going to say stuff that you posted, I’m going to see stuff that people tagged you in. Things that you’re involved in.

[00:20:05] So when you’re thinking about your social media and employers viewing your social media, be very, very conscious or conscientious of what other people maybe bringing in into your social media profile.

[00:20:24] And I mean, really, it just takes, you know, one friend that puts something negative on there and tags you in it that could really just rip any kind of opportunity away from you when you’re applying for a job.

[00:20:41] Rhonda: One of the things Kellie, I remember that was suggested on last, on our last session on Wednesday was, brought up that you can look at in your settings. And you have to approve before it actively tags you in it. But it will still have the likelihood that it would link to you, and, stuff that you post even, and I loved it, you know, talking about the settings, even though you think you might have it set to private, the most private, your friends can see that. And you don’t know who knows your friends or who may, cause it will show up. And if it’s somebody they also know, they will ask them about your accounts. So it always leads back, if it’s out there, it’s out there.

[00:21:34] Kellie: Yes. And just because maybe, maybe you don’t have your parents on social media. This is just a side note. Doesn’t mean that if you post things on social media, your parents aren’t going to see it because I promise you people talk, especially if you happen to live in a small town.

[00:21:55] You may think I don’t have anybody on there that I’m not friends with. Okay. So that’s great that you don’t have people on there that you’re not friends with, that doesn’t mean that people, that you’re not friends with, aren’t going to know what’s going on on your social media, even if they can’t access it because people like to talk.

[00:22:14] So, yes, I love that you have to, that there’s a setting where you can have it to where people have to ask your permission to tag you in things, but that’s not going to be fault proof.

[00:22:26] We can’t control everything. We can only control it to a certain extent. So not posting things that are going to cost you a job or potential problems with your employer, is always going to be your best bet.

[00:22:44] So when we’re talking about your social media content you want to stay away from drug and alcohol references. Don’t assume that because a person isn’t your age, that they don’t understand those references. You know, all of my children now are in their twenties and they think that they talk about things that I don’t understand, but I absolutely understand what they’re saying and I know what’s going on. So don’t just assume because some of us have a little age on us that we aren’t still sharp and don’t know what’s going on.

[00:23:24] Also stay away from profanity, because people are gonna think if you’re throwing profanity out all over the internet, you’re going to throw it out all over at your work. Even though that may not be the case, that’s what’s going to be assumed.

[00:23:39] And you’re going to want to stay away from inappropriate photos, such as revealing selfies or other photos or memes with a sexual content. And then check your background. If it’s a scene where you’re at a party, or if you got dirty underwear all over the floor, if your room looks like, you know, the inside of a dumpster, don’t post it.

[00:24:04] Something else that I can say is I couldn’t begin to count the times that I have seen on social media, someone posting a picture, a selfie of themselves, and they’re sitting on the toilet and think that you can’t see that, even though, you know, cause they’ve got a mirror in their bathroom and you can see them sitting on the toilet, but they don’t pay attention to the background in their picture, they’re just looking at their face. They’re not looking and seeing that everyone is going to say where they are and what they’re doing, and nobody wants to see that.

[00:24:38] So just stay away from those things on your social media accounts.

[00:24:45] So, but the good news is you can just as easily build a positive personal brand, that’s going to make you an appealing job candidate.

[00:24:54] So an employer is more likely to interview someone that has a fun and interesting profile rather than someone who maybe has the maximum privacy filters. And I understand that, you know, for certain purposes or for certain age groups, we want to have maximum privacy settings, but I mean, you’re at the age now where you’re thinking about getting a job, you’re not 10 years old.

[00:25:25] So you’re thinking about getting a job. You’re growing up and you’re becoming an adult. So you want this social media profile to depict or to show these people that are maybe going to offer you a job, this is who I am. This is what I’m about.

[00:25:43] So really just think about that. And if you have that positive social media profile, you’re going to be, you’re going to have like a leg up. You’re going to have an advantage over, you know, the people that you may be competing against for that job.

[00:26:03] Things to embrace on some social media websites. I’m sorry. Might be your last trip, If you, you know, if you travel. Your soccer team, if you have one or any other kind of sports team or group that you belong to. Any community involvement or volunteer work and you might not do any of those, but you, maybe you just spend time with your family. Or maybe you like to cook, or I know, you know, one young man who loves, loves, loves to take pictures. He’s a phenomenal photographer and so his social media profiles are filled with his beautiful pictures.

[00:26:50] Okay. So moving on to researching the company.

[00:26:56] So when you are preparing for a job interview, you are going to want to show the interviewer that you have really done your homework and looked at that company ahead of time. And so I don’t mean actual homework. I mean, you have kind of looked into, you know this company, how they got started, what they do, things like that. So this is your opportunity to go in there, and they’re going to realize that you know something about this company.

[00:27:30] So researching that employer is the best way to become a standout candidate because not everyone does that.  It’s a great tip, but not everyone does it. And it’s extremely important part of the hiring process is for you to know what you’re getting into. So by putting on your detective hat and investigating that employer, you’re going to learn details that is going to really just give you, better prepare you for that interview. And you’ll be able to answer the questions much better.

[00:28:07] So you might wonder when we’re talking about, you know, researching that company, what do I look for? What, you know, what do I research or what do I ask somebody to help me research? There are many different things you can learn about an employer.

[00:28:24] First and foremost, you should know what the company looks for in a qualified candidate. That’s going to allow you to position yourself as the best person for that job.

[00:28:39] Another way to do that, if you, you know, if you don’t go on their website or whatever, is to go visit, go visit that place of business. And I’ll talk more about that in just a little bit, but go in and see how people act. See how they interact with their customers. How do they dress, you know, different things like that. So really just get to know that business.

[00:29:03] And to discover the skills and experience that that business is looking for you might have to read between the lines a little bit, and that can be really hard to do sometimes. But lots of times when they post a job online, or, you know, whenever they have their help wanted sign, most of the time, these days, it will give you a job description. And sometimes it will even say the ideal candidate has this, you know, meets this criteria or has this, you know, these qualifications.

[00:29:37] So, if you don’t, if there’s a job where you don’t see that posted anywhere, but you get an interview when you get in that interview, say, so what are you looking for in a cashier? What are you looking for in a dishwasher? What are you looking for in a customer service representative? Whatever the case may be. You can ask the person who’s interviewing, what are you looking for so that you can make the best decision about, okay, so am I really the right candidate? Because that’s what you want.

[00:30:18] And don’t be afraid if you get into a job and you realize this isn’t for me, and this is just a side note, don’t be afraid to say, this isn’t for me. This isn’t working out. Because when you are, when you’re finding out, you know, what they’re looking for and you decide that I am what they’re looking for and they decide that you are what they’re looking for. The most important thing is that you’re happy and you’re fulfilled because that’s when you’re going to do your best work.

[00:30:56] Some number two, the key players of the organization. So the key players of the organization are the, can be employees who hold important positions in the company, such as managers, executives, directors. But those are not the only key players.

[00:31:21] I can honestly tell you I, okay, so I used to be a manager at McDonald’s and I can honestly tell you that the key players on my team, when I was a manager at McDonald’s, my lobby person she was the lady that cleaned our lobby and cleaned our bathrooms. Our dishwasher, because if we didn’t have clean dishes and clean trays we couldn’t serve customers. And our prep person. And so what our prep person did was she made salad and she made parfaits. And she also kept up with all the dates on the food products so that we would know if something was out of date.

[00:32:07] I absolutely, as a manager, could not do my job without those people. And so those are key players. And so by getting, how to get to know the key players, again go visit, go by there, become one of their regular customers. Those are how you’re really going to get to know, Hey, this person’s important. This person can help me.

[00:32:31] And I always, whenever people would apply for a job, if I knew that they were a regular customer, I would always ask my cashiers. So when this person comes in, how does he act? You know, what kind of people is he with? How does he treat you? Is he clean?

[00:32:52] Different things like that, and are really, really trusted the input my staff under me would give me, it was very, very important. So yes, I was a key player in making sure that things ran smoothly and that the day went like it was supposed to, and that everything worked well, but I couldn’t do that without those people. They are just as important, if not more important than any piece of management could ever be.

[00:33:29] So continuing with researching. Know if they have any recent events or anything in the news. You can usually find that on their social media profiles. In this day and time, you know, like I said earlier, this has now become a world of like social media, almost everyone has social media accounts. So you can keep up with some of the things that they’re doing and have going on or anything that has been, you know, big news lately on their social media accounts. And bring that up in the interview.

[00:34:07] I went recently, I started looking for a new car, so I went to several car lots and then I got two, one, and they had this big banner. And so X amount of dollars from every car sale goes to this charity. This is, you know,  that charity that it goes to is an organization where I volunteer and loved that they donated, this big, huge car lot was donating money to that cause, and it made me want to buy a car from them.

[00:34:46] And so that became a discussion topic for us. It was something we talked about while we were in the purchase, you know, in the purchasing process. And so just keep in mind that knowing what’s going on, knowing what they’re doing, even if it’s like hey, I see you have two for five Whoppers. That’s awesome. That’s something for you to talk about with them. And that’s so important when you’re in the interview.

[00:35:16] And then you’re holding a want to research their culture, their mission and their values. So you want to be able to say with confidence, so you want to know that you know that you know, that you are a good fit for that company and that they’re a good fit for you.

[00:35:35] And as you research that employer pay attention to the things that are written on their websites or on their social media pages regarding their values and mission. You can also learn a lot about that on their social media pages. But they’re going to tell you what their mission and values are.

[00:35:55] Again, another way to learn those things are to visit there. If you hate going to Walmart, you hate being in Walmart you probably don’t want to work at Walmart. So just really think about those things. And these are all things, and I know it’s a lot of information, but these are just all things that you can start to take into consideration.

[00:36:20] And you may not be able to do all this for your first interview. But if you can do one or two things, and then the next time you have an interview, if you don’t get that job, pick up one or two more things. So just know that you don’t have to do every single one of these things but think of it just kind of as like a piece of a puzzle.

[00:36:43] So, how can you use this information today? And you might get the job. You might not ever have to use anything else, but just know these are all what, these are things that are always going to be helpful to you.

[00:37:00] You need to know who they serve? What do they serve? And how do they serve it? So, as a potential employee, you’re going to have to have some kind of idea of the type of work you’d be doing once you’re hired.

[00:37:15] Lots of places will let you job shadow or someone you know, might let you shadow them. But it’s going to be important that you go to places and you look at all the different positions that they have and positions that, you know, people are working in and think to yourself, would I like to do that? Would I be happy with that? Is that something I really want to do?

[00:37:41] You also can usually find out the different types of positions that they have and a description of that position on their website. I highly recommend looking at their website if you can. Think about, and if you don’t know, go in and ask them, so what does this person do?

[00:38:06] When I was your age I didn’t really have an understanding of what, let’s say someone who cleans the lobby at McDonald’s, I didn’t realize how much work went into that job. I didn’t realize all the things that that person was responsible for. I would not want that job. It was a different type of responsibility than what I want.

[00:38:37] And I, you know, but the lady who had that job, she had worked, at that time, she had worked in that position for over 20 years. She loved it. She absolutely loved that position. She loved to talk to people. She loved to make sure that when they came in, everything was clean and that there wasn’t fingerprints on the doors. And that there wasn’t dust in the window seals. I mean, she really cared about the environment that these people were going to eat in. And she took great pride in her job. And that attention to detail really, really helped her.

[00:39:14] So just know that there are all kinds of different positions and with each different position comes all kinds of different responsibilities. So research those positions and what each position requires.

[00:39:30] Rhonda: Well, and one thing too, Kellie, I think that’s important is even if it might not be the position you are wanting right now, your employer is going to look at the pride that you take in the job that you do. And that is great potential for you to move up to the position that maybe you’re wanting to work towards. So it doesn’t matter who it is, that it’s when you show the pride in it, your employers are gonna see that. They’re gonna see happy customers.

[00:40:07] And regardless of the field that you’re in the more pride that you show in your job and that you want it to be, you know, the very best they’re going to notice that. Because sometimes these days that’s hard to find. People don’t want to, you know, sometimes they want to just give the bare minimum. A lot of people do, that’s going to set you apart, even doing like volunteer work, people see how much pride you have put in that it is going to help you to get the different jobs.

[00:40:45] Kellie: Absolutely. Absolutely. So just be sure that you are, you absolutely, when you get into a position that you did to the best of your ability, And that you take pride in your job. It is absolutely going to make all the difference in the world.

[00:41:05] So moving on to updating your resume. If you don’t have a resume, you need one. And let’s say you’ve never had a job, so you don’t even know what you would put on a resume. Just be creative. Paid employment is not the only example of working experience and skills. So let’s say maybe you mow the grass at home. That is a lot of skills, when you break that down, I mean, there are a lot of skills that I don’t have. So like when it comes to mowing the grass, there are lots of skills. Like, I don’t know about, you know, whether or not you mix two things together and where it goes and how to know how to troubleshoot, but

[00:41:50] those are all things. So let’s say you’re great at mowing grass that shows, that shows number one, physical strength. There are lots of other, you know, skills that you need to know to mow the grass again, you know, how do you know if you’re out of gas or if your lawnmowers tore up. So you can be creative and kind of dig out whatever responsibility that you have in that job, whether you’re getting paid or not, those can be applied to our other jobs.

[00:42:24] For instance, my kids never thought that they could use their experience in working in a clothing ministry to apply for retail positions. Until I really just went into it with them, yes, you absolutely can. You did this and you did that and they were able to apply all those things and get jobs in retail.

[00:42:51] So maybe, you know, there was one time I volunteered for a homeless shelter and in that homeless shelter, I served food and washed dishes a lot. So that was something that I absolutely could use. So when you’re going into those things, you know, be creative. If you love to cook at home, think about the skills that are needed to cook at home. And if you, if you need help, have someone help you figure out how to make that relevant to the job you’re applying for.

[00:43:28] So sometimes when you’re just getting started in the workforce, it’s hard to find things to fill up that sheet of paper, like I was just saying. So you can list any skills you have. If you weren’t sure what kind of skills you have talk to the people around you. Talk to your friends, talk to your teachers, talk to your parents. What skills do you have? What are my strengths? Lists personality traits that are gonna really look good for the job that you’re applying for.

[00:44:00] If you have received any academic awards, or if you received, let’s say a citizenship award in school, I don’t know if they still offer those or not, but if not, that’s a great, you know, acknowledgement because that speaks to your character. That tells people this is a good person who’s willing to help and go the extra mile.

[00:44:27] So any…

[00:44:29] Rhonda: sorry, Stella suggested to always keep your resume updated once you create it, which is so true. And I’ve been bad about this because things change all the time in your life. So you will continually be adding and taking away things and building on it. So know that you need to revisit that often and as you learn new things.

[00:44:55] Kellie: Absolutely. It’s very important that once you get it all done, that you keep it updated.

[00:45:02] So list any clubs or extracurricular activities or teams that you’re involved in, maybe you’re not involved on a sports team, but maybe you’re involved in Boy Scouts, or maybe you’re involved in something at your church. Be sure to list those things.

[00:45:22] And so again, this is just talking about using your volunteer experiences to help build those skills, which we already talked about.

[00:45:31] And then you also are going to need to include references. These are people who are going to talk to your interviewer about you.

[00:45:41] So some references could be coaches, your church members, family, friends, teachers. But they usually don’t want it to be a family member. So these are, like I said, people who are going to vouch for you and say, this is the type of person that this is.

[00:46:03] So the next thing is dress for success. Okay, so part of feeling confident in an interview is feeling good about yourself. If you feel good about your appearance, then you’re going to tend to give your confidence just a big boost. So make sure that you are clean. That your hair is brushed, that your teeth are brushed. That you’ve showered and you shaved, if need be.

[00:46:30] Don’t wear too much cologne or perfume. Sometimes people will remember you by your smell versus your skill. Also consider that lots of people are sensitive to certain colognes and perfumes, and you’re not going to know that ahead of time. So these are kind of areas where you’re gonna want to really think about where am I going and is it going to bother them?

[00:46:58] Wear appropriate business clothes, but if you don’t know what’s appropriate, tend to dress up a little bit, but we’re going to talk more about that in just a second.

[00:47:08] So and let me just insert this. If you do not have appropriate clothing or where you need clothes for your job, and you’re involved with VOC rehab, VOC rehab does have an allowance for individuals to get clothing if they need it for interviewing  and work. So just know there, there are also tons and tons of clothing ministries all across the state that are dedicated to helping people make sure that they have clothes to work.

[00:47:48] If you need help finding any of that or getting any of that information, please let us know. We can absolutely help you find those resources.

[00:47:58] And when I say brush your hair, brush your teeth, shower and shave and all those things just know that many adults need to be reminded of those things all the time. And if you, you know, kind of maybe stay away from perfume or cologne when you’re going to an interview, but maybe spray yourself down with some Febreeze or something before you walk in, after you get out of the car or whatever that way you feel, you know, you smell fresh, but it’s not that overpowering cologne and perfume smell.

[00:48:33] So some tips for dressing for success. You can wear button up shirts, really nice blouses, dress pants or khakis and dress shoes. Don’t wear short skirts. If you have to wear jeans try to wear black jeans if you can. Don’t wear shorts, don’t wear anything that is low cut or revealing. Making sure your clothes are not stained or wrinkled and do not wear flip-flops. Sandals are different. No flip-flops.

[00:49:12] So these are just some images of business casual. This is the best way to dress for an interview. So, you don’t have to wear a suit and tie, unless that’s just what you love to do. Business casual typically means no jeans, no tennis shoes and nothing that would be appropriate to wear like to the gym or out to a club if you’re, you know, going out.

[00:49:43] So just keep in mind, this is going to be pretty much, business casual is pretty much a no fail option when you’re getting dressed. These, you definitely don’t want to wear a tank top, or I know some people call them wife beaters. That would be completely inappropriate. You also wouldn’t want to wear clothes that are too revealing and you don’t want to wear, if you wear makeup, you don’t want to wear too much makeup.

[00:50:20] Okay, so take some time to prepare your interview outfit so you’re going to make the best first impression. First impressions are hard to overcome if you make a bad one.

[00:50:34] So well in advance, that means give yourself plenty of time to make sure that you have appropriate clothes. And that everything fits the way that it should.

[00:50:46] So I recommend picking out an interview outfit when you first apply for the job. Don’t wait until they call you and say, can you come for an interview at three o’clock today? Because then you have no time to prepare. So when you apply for that job, go ahead and pick out your outfit.

[00:51:07] Make sure that they’re ready beforehand so you don’t have to spend time getting them ready that day. And be sure to polish or clean your shoes the night before. Clean shoes are so important.

[00:51:27] So professionalism, what does that mean? Professionalism isn’t just one quality, it is a combination of things.

[00:51:41] So a professional employee arrives on time. Manages time, takes responsibility, works effectively. They have high work standards, they’re honest, and they have integrity. That means you know, integrity, who you are behind closed doors. So you want to be the same person behind closed doors that you are not behind closed doors.

[00:52:09] They also are clean and dress appropriately. And like communicate with everyone effectively to the best of their ability.

[00:52:25] So conducting themselves with responsibility, integrity, accountability, and excellence. So no matter what industry it is, from a customer service to an office job to construction, all jobs have these things in common. In order to succeed and move ahead, you are going to need to be professional.

[00:52:55] So some things that employers are looking for in their employees are a good attitude and being enthusiastic. Being honest and on time. Having good communication skills. Being reliable, they need to know they can count on you. Behaving appropriately, being willing to learn new things, as well as being professional.

[00:53:23] And so, I spoke a couple of times on communication, so why is that so important? Employers consistently rank good communication skills at the top of their list for potential employees.

[00:53:42] And during the job interview, employers are impressed by someone who can answer questions with more than one word answers such as yes or no, or, yeah, I don’t recommend ever saying yeah or naw. Say yes or no, but try to keep, you know, more than one word sentences.

[00:54:02] They also are impressed by someone who demonstrates that he or she is listening and they share information and ideas with the interviewer.

[00:54:13] And remember that non-verbal communication is also critical in the interview. So you don’t want to sit there with your arms crossed or with your eyebrows down. You don’t want to roll your eyes or seem uninteresting.

[00:54:30] And then the interview is your chance to show how you’re going to interact with supervisors, coworkers, the customers. And then how you resolve any conflicts. And we’ll be talking a lot more about that today.

[00:54:48] It’s also important to be enthusiastic. So you want to show that you’re excited about a job, but you don’t want to go crazy. So a positive and enthusiastic attitude is critical in your success.

[00:55:09] So when employers are looking at possible candidates, they not only look for skills and experience, but they also look for people who are enthusiastic, excited to do the job and ready to learn new things. They want to hire someone they will believe will complete all of the things that they’re supposed to do in an upbeat and happy, cooperative manner.

[00:55:38] So managers sometimes worry that someone without a positive attitude is not going to get along with their supervisors and coworkers and treat customers, and they might treat customers disrespectfully. But employees who are viewed as enthusiastic are known to provide good customer service, resolve conflict, and work well with others.

[00:56:05] So Michaela, we’re going to show you one more video before we wrap up this session.

[00:56:12] I thank you all for your attention. I hope you learned a couple of things that are going to help you out when you’re preparing for your interview.

[00:56:20] I’m going to stop sharing now.

[00:56:29] External video: Hi, I’m Stacy.

[00:56:33] I’m an employment specialist and I happen to have a disability. Preparing for an interview is hard work.

[00:56:50] And starts before you even apply.

[00:56:56] But I can help. Let’s start from the beginning.

[00:57:03] Ready?

[00:57:07] Here we go.

[00:57:09] Social media. What is your social media say about you?

[00:57:20] Does it line up with the atmosphere and character of the company?

[00:57:27] Why are you the best fit for this job? What about this company excites you?

[00:57:38] Resume. Every job seeker needs a resume.

[00:57:43] Be creative when writing your resume. Paid employment is not the only example of work experience. Use volunteer experience to build work skills.

[00:57:59] Getting ready for the interview.

[00:58:06] Dress appropriately, take a shower, brush your teeth and hair. Dress like a business professional.

[00:58:18] Refresh soft skills.

[00:58:22] Employers are looking for reliability, but also professionalism, honesty, good communication skills, a good attitude. Being on time and willingness to learn new things.

[00:58:48] Now, go get them.