English for Career Development
Welcome to English for Career Development, a course created by the University of Pennsylvania (upenn), and funded by the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, Office of English Language Programs.
https://www.coursera.org/learn/careerdevelopment
This course is designed for non-native English speakers who are interested in advancing their careers in the global marketplace. In this course, you will learn about the job search, application, and interview process in the United States, while comparing and contrasting the same process in your home country.
This course is designed for high beginner to low intermediate English language learners.
- Unit 1: Entering the Job Market
- Unit 2: Resumes
- Unit 3: Writing a Cover Letter
- Unit 4: Networking
- Unit 5: Interviewing for a Job
Unit 1: Entering the Job Market
Average U.S. worker today holds 10 different jobs before age 40? For younger workers just beginning their career that number is between 12 and 15 jobs.
In the United States a person will send a resume and cover letter to formally apply for a job. A resume is a written document of one's employment, education, and skills.
The cover letter is a formal letter addressed to the employer to introduce the job seeker, show qualifications, and ask for an interview.
- An occupation is a person's work as a way to earn money.
- A career is an occupation or a profession that requires special training and continues over a long period of time.
- Employment is a general term for the activity that people do to make money.
- To apply for a job is to formally ask for employment, usually in writing.
- To interview for a job is to answer question in a formal meeting.
- To be hired for a job, is to be given a job and then paid for the work.
- To work is to do an activity related to one's occupation.
- A job seeker is someone who is looking for a job.
- After a person applies for a job they become a candidate or an applicant which is a person who might get the job.
- An employer is the person making the decision to give the applicant a job.
- When a candidate is hired and begins working, he is then called an employee. Employee is a more formal word for worker.
A resume is a written document of work experience, education, and skills. Resumes are usually only one or two pages long. And give a short but detailed description of your past job duties and experiences. Reverse chronological order. In other words, list your most recent job first, the one before that next, and so on into the past.
Resume guide: the basic elements
When describing experience, many job seekers use a bullet list of three to five lines. There is no punctuation at the end because these are not complete sentences. read the resume looking for mistakes in grammar, spelling, punctuation, and capitalization. There are two common types of resume used nowadays, functional and chronological.
Haven’t had a lot of (or any) work experience?
Action verbs:
Functional or Chronological Resume? Which is for You?
Unit 3: Cover letter
A written cover letter shows the applicant's personal style, explains the applicant's qualifications for the job and formally asks for an interview.
- The first part is the heading which includes the writer's address and contact information, the date and the reader's name and address
- The second part is the salutation.(always begins with the word dear)
- The third part is the three body paragraphs, opening paragraph, middle paragraph and closing paragraph. The first paragraph of a cover letter must include a statement of application applying for job, the specific title of the job opening, and your source of information. In paragraph two in the body of the cover letter, you will summarize two or three examples from your education, experience, and interests to show a future employer how you are qualified for the job.
- And the fourth is the closing which includes a complimentary close, a signature and a typed name. The complimentary close that is used most often is sincerely followed by a comma.
https://www.coursera.org/learn/careerdevelopment/supplement/tJf7f/advanced-parts-of-the-cover-letter
8 Common Cover Letter Mistakes to Avoid
Death of the Cover Letter
Hi Mary, or Hi Mr. Smith to Dear Mr. Smith, Dear Ms. Smith, Dear Sir or Madam
Bye or Take care or Goodbye to Sincerely or Yours sincerely
I'm, you're (contractions ) to I am, you are
Dear Ms. Smith, I was very interested to read your advertisement for the position of receptionist in the Seattle Herald dated May 6th 2011. I would like to be considered for this job.
Unit 4: Networking
Networking During the Job Search
Networking doesn't happen overnight
Small talks vs. elevator speech
Networking elevator speech is a short description of skills and career goals.
Because the average amount of time in an elevator is about 45 seconds.A good elevator speech includes your name and current job, what you are looking for, something from a past experience, and a short description of your best job skill.
Speakers who use effective stress, pausing and intonation are often easier to understand and show confidence.
When we talk about stress, we mean words that are longer and louder. Stressed words are usually important keywords that you want the listener to hear clearly.Pauses are the short silence between words.You should also notice that the pause follows the words with the most stress.
Intonation is the rising or falling of a sound. Intonation is used to show that you're asking a question or ending a statement. Rising intonation usually signals that the speaker isn't finished speaking or signals a yes or no question. Falling intonation is used to signal the end of a statement or a wh question that begins with who, what, when, where or how. Intonation is important because it shows your level of confidence. If Amanda has too much rising intonation she would sound like she's asking too many questions or that she's not sure of herself. On the other hand, too much falling intonation can make her sound like she's impatient or unfriendly.
Job seekers who use stress, pausing and intonation effectively appear more competent and are more likely to be successful in their networking.
Sample answer
Hello, I’m Amanda Smith and I have been in sales for about five years. I’m currently looking for a sales position in the auto industry. One of the things I like most about sales is meeting and talking with new customers all the time. I’m really good at listening to customers and I am able to understand what they really want.
My name is Robyn Turner and I've been an English language instructor for over 15 years. I taught English in many different programs in Japan, Bulgaria, and New York. I'm looking to work with other instructors to help build online courses. I've really enjoyed working with international students because I learned so much about different people, places, and cultures. One of my best skills is being flexible and willing to try new things.
Hello, I'm Amanda Smith and I have been in sales for about five years.I'm currently looking for a sales position in the auto industry.One of the thing I like most about sales is meeting is talking with new customers all the time.I'm really good at listening to customers and I'm able to understand what they really want.Do you know if Toyota is hiring any new salespeople in this area?
My name is Robyn Turner and I've been an English language instructor for over 15 years. I taught English in many different programs in Japan, Bulgaria, and New York. I'm looking to work with other instructors to help build online courses. I've really enjoyed working with international students because I learned so much about different people, places, and cultures. One of my best skills is being flexible and willing to try new things.
Write a networking elevator speech introducing yourself
Hello, I’m Sharon and I have homeschooled my child for more than ten years. I’m currently looking for a teacher or tutor job in math or computer area. My child's PSAT is 1470, only 50 away from full score, 1520. I hope I could help more students
One tool that helps to build a career is temporary employment, such as internships and co-ops. Co-op is short for Cooperative Education and is an academic program meant to complement the student's education, according to the Cooperative Education & Internship Association.
Internships are often short-term positions with a company or organization while a co-op is meant to be longer term. They both let students test their knowledge and abilities in the real world and help them consider if the work or company is a good fit for them.
What's Your Passion? Internships Can Help Focus Career Path
Unit 5: Interview
A direct question vs. an indirect question
A direct question is why are you a good fit for this job, or why do you want to work for this company.
Answer: I believe I'm a good fit for this company because I have the necessary skills and experience to fit right in and help the company grow.
It's called an indirect question because the question doesn't begin with a w-word, like what, where, when, why, who, and how, which direct questions often use.
- tell me a little bit about yourself.
- I wonder if you could tell me about a time when you faced a challenge and you overcame that challenge.
- I'd like to know what type of skills you have that make you qualified for this job.
Do you have any questions for me? Or do you have any questions of your own?
Answer: what opportunities are there for professional development in this company? Or what is the next step in the interview process?
We're going to look at some more do's and don'ts of an interview.
>> Michael, you just told me about your biggest strength, what would you say is your biggest weakness?
>>>>>> That's a good question. Let me think, probably I take criticism a little too personal. But, this is something I'm really working on and trying not to let criticism I've see it as being personal but more professional thing. Am I making sense here?
>>>>>> That's a good question. Let me think, probably I take criticism a little too personal. But, this is something I'm really working on and trying not to let criticism I've see it as being personal but more professional thing. Am I making sense here?
>> Yes, absolutely. And so, why do you want to work for this company?
>>>>>> Well, I really like the set of products that this company has developed and I think with my own experience in the set of skills that I've developed that I can really contribute and help this company grow.
>> Okay, so where do you see yourself in three years?
>>>>>> If I'm understanding you correctly, you're asking me where do I see myself in three years time. Is that right?
>> Yes, that's correct.
>>>>>> Well, probably in the same role or maybe in a more senior position. Maybe growing into a position with more responsibility, maybe managing a team.
>> Okay, great, I have asked you a few questions. Do you have any questions for me?
>>>>>> Yeah, sure do. Are there any opportunities for professional development in this position?
>> Great question. We do have a budget for training and a lot of our employees use that money to take courses. But we also offer in-house professional development a few times a year.
>>>>>>That sounds like a wonderful opportunity. Great, I can't wait to start.
>> All right, well we have a few more candidates to interview but then we will be getting back to you very soon.
>>>>>>Okay, wonderful, thank you.
I wonder if you could tell me about a time when you faced a challenge and what you did to overcome that challenge?
>>>>>>Well, after my husband and I moved to California and our children started school there, I decided that I wanted to get my master's degree in English, lots of reading and papers to write. As you can imagine, this was a real challenge, taking care of my children, taking classes, and working in my husband's business. But I'm a very determined person and luckily my family was very supportive of me, so I could take classes in the evenings and on weekends. Of course I didn't sleep very much for about three years, and sometimes I missed spending time on the weekends with my family but I kept going. My family was so proud, and I was proud when I finally got my master's degree.
Seven Ways to Advance Your Career With Social Media
https://www.coursera.org/learn/careerdevelopment/supplement/3i2En/advanced-seven-ways-to-advance-your-career-with-social-media
- Add bling to LinkedIn. Your LinkedIn profile can support embedded files. This means that you can upload PowerPoint, Excel and Word files under a job in your "Experience" section.
- Complete your Facebook bio.
- Try a Twitter chat.
- Join or host a live stream event.
- Share thoughts on Instagram.
- Tell your story on Snapchat.
- Understand why these may or may not work. The sole purpose of trying any of these tricks is to get on the radar of a person inside a specific company. You'll win points for creativity and ingenuity if you tailor your message to your ideal employer. And because these platforms were designed for individual use, not marketing big brands, you don't need to obsess over how slick your campaign is. Focus on your message instead. Is it clear, engaging, humorous, appropriate or at least grammatically correct?
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