Job Search Skills

Curriculum guideline

Effective Date:
Course
Discontinued
No
Course code
CAEP 0204
Descriptive
Job Search Skills
Department
Career and Employment Preparation
Faculty
Applied Community Studies
Credits
3.00
Start date
End term
Not Specified
PLAR
No
Semester length
15 weeks
Max class size
12
Course designation
None
Industry designation
None
Contact hours

Lecture: 3 hours/week

Method(s) of instruction
Lecture
Learning activities
  • Lecture
  • Lab
  • Role-plays
  • Audiovisual media
Course description
This course is designed to provide students who experience learning difficulties or barriers to education and employment with a comprehensive overview of job seeking strategies including interview skills. It covers the basic tenets of job search recognizing the different approaches to successfully applying to a job.
Course content
  1. Composing cover letters, resumes and thank-you letters
  2. Completing online and written job applications
  3. Participating in full job search process
  4. Identifying personal and community job search networks
  5. Preparing and responding to interview questions
  6. Grooming and hygiene
  7. Basic computer skills including formatting Word documents and emailing
  8. Rights and responsibilities around disclosing a disability 

 

Learning outcomes

Upon completion of this course, the successful student will be able to:

1.     Collect all related information to prepare a resume. 

2.     Identify their personal job search network. 

3.     Prepare and practice responses to communication skills for interviews. 

4.     Prepare for an interview. 

5.     Participate in role plays. 

6.     Present at job interviews in a professional manner. 

7.     Respond to interview questions by representing their strengths. 

8.     Ask relevant questions of potential employers.  

9.     Conduct a local job market analysis. 

10.   Identify and outline individual employment support and training needs. 

11.   Demonstrate effective goal-setting and time-management skills. 

12.   Demonstrate an understanding of the strategies needed to start and maintain a job search. 

13.   Develop appropriate job-targeting cover letters. 

14.   Develop effective job search techniques. 

15.   Identify the pros and cons of when and how to disclose one’s disability. 

16.   Access a computer for word processing. 

17.   Demonstrate a basic level of skill in using digital resources. 

18.   Access an email account, compose and reply to messages. 

19.   Understand and use safe internet protocols. 

20.   Construct resumes, cover letters and thank-you letters. 

21.   Upload resumes to submit a job application online. 

Means of assessment
Assessment will be in accordance with the Douglas College Evaluation Policy. An evaluation schedule is presented at the beginning of the course. This is a mastery-graded course.
 
Typical means of evaluation would include a combination of:
  • Final Interview
  • Assignments
  • Presentations
  • Demonstration of Skills
  • Final evaluation
Instructors may use a student’s record of attendance and/or level of active participation as part of the student’s graded performance. Expectations and grade calculations regarding class attendance and participation will be clearly defined in the instructor's course outline/syllabus.
Textbook materials

Relevant material will be provided in handout form throughout the course.

Prerequisites
Equivalencies

None