a proposed job search class

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Running Head: JOB SEEKER
21st Century Job Seeker
Tiffany A Simmons
Strayer University
May 1, 2011

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Job seekers want solutions to their jobless dilemma. On the most basic level, they want
to know how to find a job. In this changing economy, the job search process has changed. No
longer does one crank out resumes and send them to any potential employer. The search process
has become more strategic, more intentional. Add to that the pervading influence of technology.
Many job seekers today are at a disadvantage if they are not technologically competent, as many
companies and organizations have taken to the Internet to advertise and accept applications for
openings. Additionally, job seekers are disadvantaged if they are not proficient (or at least
marginally competent) at Microsoft Office products (Word, Excel, etc.). To improve job
seekers’ skills and abilities for finding that elusive opportunity, a course in job searching is
necessary.
The course, entitled 21st Century Job Search, will focus on the techniques and
technologies job seekers will need to know in order to be successful. The goal for this course is
to obtain gainful employment. The learning objectives for this course are as follows: job
seekers will know how to prepare a professional resume and cover letter, utilize social media in
the job search, and improve interviewing skills. However, as predictable as these learning
objectives look and sound, they will offer the learners the opportunity to use their experiences
and perspectives to direct the coursework.
The constructivist learning theory, the most current educational theory in use, states that
“learning is a search for meaning. Therefore, learning must start with the issues around which
students are actively trying to construct meaning” (Askew, 2011). With regard to the job search,
learners want to know why they do not have a job, how they can get a job, and what they can do
to improve their job search skills. This course seeks to help in addressing those issues and assist
the learner in securing employment that matches up with their skill and ability levels. To that

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end, the course will be designed in a way that helps the learner come to terms with their current
situation and what they can do to change it, rather than a list of how-to’s.
The style of instruction for this course will be interactive. The pedagogical model will be
more project-based, where the participants are actually being asked to complete a series of
projects to demonstrate their mastery of learning outcomes. Utilizing graphic organizers, videos,
word processing software, social media tools, online job boards, and simulation, learners will
gain the experience needed to search for and obtain employment. The graphic organizers will
assist the learner in assessing his or her own skills, abilities, and talents, in preparation for
constructing the resume, analyzing his or her own feelings about the job market and what skills
employers are looking for, and constructing a summary of skills and qualifications for the
resume. Videos and slide presentations will be used to help learners understand interview
etiquette, social media usage, and proper resume formats, and how to use them to enhance one’s
effectiveness in searching for employment. Word processing software is useful for preparing
professional-looking resumes and cover letters, and students will work in groups to prepare their
documents for critique and analysis to assure that they represent the candidate well.
Additionally, because social media is such a pervasive influence, learners will use it to look for
jobs. They will create a LinkedIn account to post their resumes, find connections, and request
recommendations. Along with utilizing social media to find a job, they will learn how to
maintain a positive online image, with the reminder that potential employers are able to access
profiles. Students will also learn how to respond to job openings on online job boards, using
their word-processed resume and cover letters. All of this preparation will require job seekers to
have a working email address; therefore, the first lesson in the course is assisting those who do
not have email in getting a working email address to use for responding to potential employers.

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The aim is to get the learner more acclimated to new job search methods as well as increasing
their technological competence. As for assessment procedures, a grading rubric will assess the
learner’s interviewing techniques, as well as the quality of the resume and cover letter. Before
the learners are allowed to mock interview, they will complete at least three practice runs.
Additionally, the learner will get an opportunity to self-assess at the beginning, middle, and end
of the course.
The rationale for this style of teaching is to support the constructivist approach and is
consistent with how adults learn. This learner was previously employed in a non-profit
institution that provided a job search curriculum. Although the curriculum provided the learners
an opportunity to create a resume and a cover letter, and to search for openings, it was focused
more on cognitive and behavioral approaches. The instructors for the course fed information,
such as what a job was, what a resume and a cover letter were, and how to search the newspaper
for openings-a bunch of how-to’s. The learner was not the focus of the instruction; the instructor
and the material were. The only assessment was of the learner’s ability to complete the
interview. Most of the time, the interviews were not as professionally done as what would be
expected, and there was no stated consequence for learners having failed to complete a proper
interview. As a result, many of the learners did not successfully complete the course and were
not able to find employment. This course will not focus on how-to’s; it will focus on the learner
and what he or she brings to the table, and making it work for the job search. Learners will
immediately compile their job search documents and practice how to search for a job.
As was stated before, the job search has become more strategic and more intentional.
This course will help the learner devise a strategy in job searching and an intention. To that end,
everything the learner will do will guide him or her toward gainful employment. The exhaustive

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list of how-to’s will, at the very least, bore the learner and, at the most, lead to unproductive
results. The course objectives and the learning outcomes will assure a more successful result-
gainful employment.

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References
Askew, J. (2011). Educational Theories. Retrieved from
http://crescentok.com/staff/jaskew/isr/education/theories.htm.