- How To Write A Resume:
- People are always complaining that high schoolers don’t have jobs. Well, it could be because our resumes suck, as googling “resume templates” isn’t the best. Also, workplaces tend to like something else either than having N/A written under “Work Experience,” because we were never taught to not do that–much less what actually goes on one. Some people apparently were taught how to write a resume in other places, but in Florida, not at all. So just remember, if you’re one of the lucky ones applying for a job against a young adult from Florida, you probably have a better resume (and a better chance).
- Curriculum Vitae:
- As an upcoming apparel management student, applying for online jobs, I saw “CV” and my mind immediately hit “??????” So after asking my dear friend Google, I found out that it meant curriculum vitae–then I had to Google the definition of that. After finding out what it was, I thought; “Wow, what a fancy way of saying portfolio!” Now we just need to learn how to actually make one for our own career paths, so kids, keep every research paper, speech and essay handy. You may be lucky enough to need it for your future CV!
- What To Wear:
- Of course, the future FIDM student writing about clothes. Yeah, but if I had a dollar for every time I saw a high school girl in a short t-shirt dress from Forever 21 or a guy in a colorful t-shirt button down with colored khaki shorts, I would have enough money to not just pay all my FIDM tuition but also, buy a Malibu beach house. While I may be exaggerating quite a bit, it happens. Professionally speaking, if you want to get the job, dress for the job. I know, this may seem obvious, but so does basic biology, which is also a high school graduation requirement. So maybe a career skills class that talks about this thing would prevent people like me from writing about it.
- How To Speak:
- This may also seem obvious, but it isn't really. Likewise to the way some high school students tent to write, the way they talk, attempting to use big words they don’t understand to sound more “professional.” It’s fatal, but due to rubrics requiring advancement of vocabulary, students use dictionary.com or Google to switch lesser words with bigger and brighter ones. Then this becomes a chronic habit in professional situations and can make the applicant sound, well, ignorant and stupid.
- What You Need (To Apply):
- In addition to a resume, you typically need a cover letter, sometimes a recommendation and other documents to apply. Also, there’s a pretty good chance you’ll need to know your social security number and have an email that isn’t “pokemon5ever@msn.com” or is at least a bit more professional sounding.
If we were taught these things in high school, we would have a much more prepared and professional workforce. These skills and classes with this curriculum would push high schoolers to pick an actual career path rather than just taking six AP classes, just because. Knowing how to apply for a job is common sense. However, knowing and professionally/readily applying for a jobs are two different things.
