As the youth may come from the backgrounds that do not have an inherent value for time, as it is valued in the workplace, it is important to highlight why time management is important and how it will assist the participants in their everyday lives. The facilitator should link time management with the concept of responsibility, in order to show that only the participant is in charge of their time, and the decisions they make surrounding it. This involves not only time at work, but also time at home. The participants should recognise that they have the right to personal time, including setting their own priorities.
Saying no to a request is often difficult, especially if the request comes from someone in a position of authority or respect. The facilitator should approach the subject of saying no, by first acknowledging that it is all right to say no to a request if there is no time to fulfil it. Offering an alternative time is a good way to approach requests that cannot be filled, meaning that the request will be filled but at a more appropriate time. Learning to say no is an important component of time management as it ensures that people do not become overwhelmed and burdened, by prioritising how they will spend their time.
How the participants choose to spend their time will decide how efficient they are, and how well they manage their responsibilities. As they will soon be getting jobs, they must learn how to manage their time in such a way that their work is not compromised. The facilitator should talk about the benefits of having a diary/calendar that is used regularly, and should suggest to the participants that they begin using one now.
J A typical day
Materials: Markers and flip-chart paper
Objective: To provide an opportunity for participants to learn some time management strategies and apply them to their own life.
Steps:
*Explain to the participants that if they do not organise the time they have in each day, then they will not be able to get everything that is important, done. They will be confused and overwhelmed, feelings that are not pleasant to feel, and which can be avoided.
*Explain that if they do not organise their time, then they will make mistakes that will negatively affect their work.
*Have the participants make a list of all of the different things they will have to do in one day (it may be easiest to have the participants think about their current responsibilities in a typical day at present, and then add the new things that they will be doing in a typical day once they start working). Make sure participants include everything they normally do in a day, including eating meals, talking with friends, going to movies etc.
*Explain that there are two things to think about when deciding what to do and when:
·Identify which things are the most important
·Identify which of these important things can only be done at a specific time (appointments, shopping, paying bills)
*Bring the participants together and write down all of the different things that have been listed, on a piece of flip-chart paper, marking which ones are important and which ones need to be done at a specific time.
*Create an imaginary schedule for a working day, using some of the examples that have been written down. Use the participants’ input to create the schedule, and explore different ways of organising one’s time.
Work readiness module enables students to understand about work culture and cope with problems arising at work place This is the final and crucial stage of the skilling program. It is like fine tuning with skills that are required to cope in any work setting. It also helps them to balance personal and professional life. Apart from technical training, students are trained in resume preparation, workplace expectations, dressing and grooming and mock interview sessions etc. through this they gain enough confidence to join the work force.
Why “Work Readiness”?
·To understand the Entry Level Job Scenario and analysis
·To understand the corporate world expectations
·To understand the Quality and Ethics at the work place
·How to handle typical and difficult work place responsibilities
·How to prepare your resume and attend the interviews
·To get a placement and sustainability in the corporate world
The following steps should be facilitated to the students to make them work ready:
ØDressing and grooming
ØWorkplace expectations
ØPortfolio
ØResume preparation
ØMock interview sessions
Dressing and Grooming
Dressing is important to getting any job. Generally people are judged by the clothes they wear. It not only gives a good first impression to the employer, but also boosts the self confidence of the person.If the LABS students are aiming at jobs in the new economy they have to be accepted by the employers.
Grooming gives a distinct personality to the person. It improves the self esteem and the confidence of a person.Grooming includes personal hygiene, way of walking and talking, basic etiquettes (polite social behaviour).
DOs
At the time of attending an interview:
ÖWear light coloured plain shirt with dark trousers and tie. Tuck in the shirts.
ÖSmart and clean dresses with small prints may be worn.
ÖAlways wear ironed clothes.
ÖClean hair with no oil.
ÖHair should be properly combed and trimmed
ÖBoys should have a clean shave.
ÖWear neatly polished shoes with clean socks (compulsory for boys).
ÖWear presentable foot wear.
ÖNails have to be trimmed.
ÖUse mouth fresheners to avoid bad odour.
ÖAvoid exaggeratedgestures
DON’Ts
At the time of attending an interview:
×Don’t wear flowers in your hair.
×Don’t wear heavy jewellery.
×Don’t have heavy makeup.
×Don’t wear shabby and untidy dresses.
×Don’t chew beetle nuts and Pan masalas.
×Don’t use strong perfumes.
×Don’t wear sunglasses.
×Don’t fold your shirt sleeves.
×Don’t argue but reason.
Portfolio
A career portfolio is a portable means of storing, tracking and presenting samples or artifacts which demonstrate skills and abilities. Individuals can use portfolios to show others what they have accomplished, learned or produced. The portfolio offers a framework for individuals to guide and capture all aspects of their career development, including self-assessment, goal-setting, skills identification, career and educational transition, getting and keeping work, and lifelong professional development. As an ongoing, developmental process, the career portfolio provides documentation of the past and offers a guide to the future.
In a nut shell every portfolio should bring out the competencies and the learning of every student during the LABS training program. It should include Assignments, Surveys, Field Visits, Projects, Assessment records, Learning Curve etc,.
Examples:
A writing portfolio could include writing samples demonstrating growth in critical thinking, interdisciplinary thinking, an unsatisfying piece, and a favorite piece selected by the student.It might also include a student’s reflection describing his or her experience as a writer.
Resume Preparation
The resume is important because it is usually the first impression you give to a potential employer.If your resume is not good, you won’t have the opportunity to move on to the interview phase where you can show off your skills and personality first hand.The resume, than, must highlight your skills and experience and make the person doing the hiring say, “I want to meet this person.”
A sample pattern of a resume’ is given below.
Name
Address, Contact Phone Number, email ID
Career Objective
Educational Qualification
Technical Qualification
Field Assignments
Project Details
Job related Experience
Work Experience
Strengths
Hobbies
Personal Profile:
Father’s Name:
D.O.B:
Place of Birth:
Languages Known
References
Portfolio
Note to the Facilitators:
Please do not spoon feed!!
Please work on the resume’ through an activity.There is a tendency for students to adopt a standard format for writing their resume’, But this should be discouraged and the students should create their own unique and interesting resume’.
Interview: Preparation
Once the resumes have been delivered to the companies, it is important to think about the next step in acquiring a job.This is the interview phase.While the resume is the first opportunity to give an impression to the hiring company, the interview is usually the first chance to leave a face-to-face impression.It is important to prepare because, as the saying goes, “You never get a second chance to make a first impression.”
The first thing to consider in preparing for an interview is your appearance.Hold a discussion with the group about the different types of clothing and what are appropriate to wear to a job interview.You can talk about why certain clothes are not appropriate and where the youth might be able to find clothing to use if they have an interview to go to.
Activity #1: How do you dress for an interview?
1)Divide the group into pairs.
2)One of the youths will be preparing to attend an interview, while the other will be giving feedback about his/her appearance.
3)The two youth will stand facing each other.
4)The youth preparing for the interview will be given the following list of questions and will ask each to his partner in turn:
·Is my hair clean and well combed?
·If necessary, have I shaved?
·Have I brushed my teeth?
·Am I clean?
·Do I smell badly or am I wearing strong perfume?
·Are my hands clean?My fingernails?
·Are my clothes clean?
·Do my clothes have any holes to repair or buttons to replace?
·Are my clothes wrinkled?
·Are my clothes appropriate for a job interview?
·Am I wearing inappropriate jewellery or too much jewellery?
·Are my shoes clean and shined and free of holes?
The facilitator needs to ensure that the youth are honest in this activity, but that they are not insulting.
Once this exercise is complete, the facilitator should let the youth know that these are the questions they ask before every interview.The questions can be asked to a friend or family member, or the youth should stand in front of a mirror and ask the questions to him/her self.
Review with the youth what they learned in this activity.
Activity #2: How can you arrive on time for an interview?
1)Prepare for this activity by finding 3 or 4 businesses where youth generally like to work.Write down the addresses since the participants will need to figure out how to get to these places if they were to have a job interview there.
2)Ask the participants to form groups of 2 or 3 people and give each group a piece of paper and markers.
3)Explain to the group that they will be pretending to have a job interview at a business and they will have to figure out how to get there.They will need to figure out where they are going, how they will get there and how much time it will take for them to arrive – before going to the interview.
4)Give one name of a business and its address to each group.
5)Explain that each group must write down how they will get to this address at least 10 minutes before their interview time, which is the next day.
6)Afterwards, ask the group to present their directions.You can discuss with the groups how they made their decisions using questions like the following:
·How did you know where the business was located?
·What time did you have to arrive there?
·How much time will it take to get there?How will you go – by bus, taxi, walking?
·If you are taking the bus, which buses do you need to take?
·How much does the bus cost?How much money do you need for the trip in total?
·Are there different ways to get there?Which ones take more time?Are faster?Are more direct?
·If you need help along the way, who do you ask?
Ensure that the youth are aware of the importance of planning their route, ensuring they arrive on time for their interview and that they plan ahead for problems that could possibly arise.
It is important to remember that dress and hygiene are not the only two characteristics that send a message to the interviewer.Body language is also very important.Start this exercise with a discussion of how the youth felt before their mock interviews the previous day.It is expected that youth will mention that they felt anxious or nervous because of the stress of the interview.Explain that these feelings will often translate into their body language, so they don’t leave the best possible impression.
Activity #3: How can you improve your confidence and reduce your stress before a job interview?
1)Choose a volunteer from the group.
2)This volunteer will be playing the part of someone being called for an interview, while the facilitator plays the interviewer.
3)The volunteer will then be asked to leave the room and to return when called, for his interview.This will include entering the room, greeting the interviewer and sitting in the interview chair.
4)The remainder of the group is to watch the volunteer’s body language.Once the exercise is complete, initiate a discussion as to what the volunteer did well and what can be improved upon.
5)Repeat this exercise with two or three more volunteers.
A large part of confidence is demonstrated through posture.Ask the group members to stand as they would normally stand.Then ask them to begin focusing on each part of their body in order to improve their posture.
·Begin with your feet: Are they separated a little with your weight distributed evenly between them?
·Push your big toes down towards the floor in order to bring your weight forward.
·Bend your knees slightly.
·Keep tension in your legs.
·Hold your stomach in.
·Lift your ribcage slightly.
·Imagine you have a steel bar running down the length of your spine.
·Drop your shoulders and hold them back.
·Relax your hands and hang them to the side.
·Lift your head so it your eyes are looking directly forward.
·Imagine your head is touching the ceiling.
Explain to the group that this is how you stand so people see how confident you look.If they remember these steps when they are in a stressful situation, it will help them feel more confident.
Interview: Practice
While it is great to understand the theory of how to act during an interview, there is no better learning experience than actually participating in interviews.As a result, it is important that each student be provided the opportunity to sit through a number of practice, or mock, interview sessions.This process will be designed to resemble an interview in the outside world as much as possible.To ensure this, the following steps will be taken:
a)Interview rooms will be provided separate from the other students.
b)Interviewers will not be LABS staff, but rather professionals from industry.
c)The students will be asked to provide a resume and dress as they would for an actual interview.
To prepare for the interviews, the facilitator should run through a list of “Commonly Asked Interview Questions” with the students the day before the interviews begin.While this list will give the students some idea of the questions that could be asked, remind them that the list is not inclusive and that the interviewers will be developing the questions all on their own.So, be prepared for anything.
Since interviewers have different styles, it is key that the students sit with at least three different professionals over the two-day period.Once the interviews are complete, it is important that the professionals sit with the students and explain what was done well and what needs to be worked on.This will provide an opportunity for the students to ask questions of the interviewers as well, to clear up any doubts and to increase their confidence as they enter into real life interviews shortly.
Workplace Expectations
There are many situations that arise in the workplace that will be unfamiliar to you.This is simply due to lack of experience and is a natural part of beginning the work process.But, it is also important to prepare for what will be expected of you are work and possible problems that may arise.To ensure that we are helping with accurate situations, some of the scenarios will be similar to actual events that have occurred with LABS graduates over the previous batches.
Activity #1: How do you handle difficult situations at work?
1)Divide the group into pairs.
2)Each pair will be asked to present a role play based on one of the following scenarios:
·Two weeks after starting a new job, your family is insisting that you return to the village with them because your Grandmother is ill.If you choose to go, that would mean that you would miss four days of work, and you might be fired.If you choose not to go, your family will be upset.Show all the different ways you could handle this situation as well as the consequences of making each choice.Which is the best choice for you?
·After completing the LABS training, you found a job immediately with a good company.You committed to work there for 6 months, but after 3 months, you are offered a very good job with another company for a larger salary.Show the possible ways you could handle this situation and the consequences of each choice.Which is the best choice for you?
·Your boss asks you to deliver a package to one of your clients.After dropping it off, you run into some of your friends and they ask you to go for a movie.You really want to see the movie and you know your boss is expecting you to be gone for a while anyway.Show all the different ways you could handle this situation as well as the consequences of making each choice.Which is the best choice for you?
·You have been hired as a scanner at a large company.On your first day there, your boss tells you that you are responsible for making and distributing tea for the rest of the staff.You don’t feel that this should be part of your job.Show the possible ways you could handle this situation and the consequences of each choice.Which is the best choice for you?
·One month after finishing your course at LABS, you still don’t have a job.Finally, you are offered a position at a small company for Rs1200/- per month.Some of your classmates have similar jobs in larger companies and are paid Rs2000/- .Show all the different ways you could handle this situation as well as the consequences of making each choice.Which is the best choice for you?
3)After each of these role plays, the facilitator should initiate discussion with the remainder of the group to see if they can think of other ways to deal with the situation and explore which way they feel is best.Areas to focus on include communication with family, friends, LABS and employers, respect, thinking of long-term consequences of behaviour rather than short-term and setting priorities.
