Teacher's Guide

Practice Interviews

Have students complete "Want to Ace Your Interview?" for a variety of jobs from the newspaper. Divide the students into groups of two. Give each group a list of possible interview questions. One student acts as the interviewer and conducts a practice interview using the list of interview questions. The student being interviewed writes his or her responses on a sheet of paper. Students then switch roles. As a group, discuss the various answers given for each interview question. Examine good answers and areas where answers could be improved. Refer to Interview Secrets.

Estimating College Costs vs. Future Earnings

Have students choose three careers: 1) one of their wildest dreams; 2) their most likely career choice; and 3) one that requires no education beyond high school. Have them determine the educational expenses associated with the first two careers. Determine how long it would take the student to earn $100,000 based on average wages for the three chosen careers, taking into account the cost of education that must first be subtracted from earnings. Refer to Wyoming's Highest Paying Jobs by Education Level.

Have students pick a job and compare wages across the counties, states and nation using Wyoming’s and other states’ Labor Market Information websites. Students can also research wages and individual companies in Wyoming and surrounding states. Refer to Occupational Employment Statistics on our website.

Have the students interview professionals working in the fields of their interests. Have them prepare questions before the interview and write a report of their findings to present to the class. Refer to page 28.

Help the students arrange a job shadowing experience. Before the student goes to the job site, have the student research the career and prepare five questions to be asked while job shadowing. The students should write a report about what was good about the job, what was bad about it, and whether they still want to pursue the job as a career. Refer to Strategies to Gain Experience.

Use the budget exercise in Money: How much will you need?. Help the students realize how much money is required to live the lifestyle they expect to have in the future.

On the Table, students can see the jobs with the fastest projected growth. Discuss what factors influence the growth (or decline) of certain occupations, including the difference between net growth and percentage growth.

Take students on a field trip to your local Employment Center to show students what services are available. By contacting the office in your area, teachers can customize the visit to include such activities as registering students, tours of the office, programs on resume writing and mock interviews. Refer to Look What Your Local Employment Center Has to Offer.

Have students complete the Skills Checklist to give them an idea of their strengths. Use the information to write a usable resume and cover letter. Students can follow the examples of Resumes or check out one of the many websites dedicated to resume writing.

Have students develop their own network of potential job contacts. List family, family friends, etc. and how they might be able to help the student find a job. This list can also be used for information interviews and as candidates for job shadowing. Refer to Networking - The Secret to Your Success.

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