Homemakers, older workers, farmers and selfemployed individuals entering or re-entering the job market today have the opportunity to engage in a productive, rewarding job search. Success in re-entering the job market or changing jobs comes down to two things: (1) developing the right attitudes about your abilities, and (2) organizing an effective job search. The key to success is preparation. Preparation means more than writing down your name, address and education. Preparation means learning to recognize past experiences, talents, skills, abilities and volunteer work that can help “sell” you in today’s labor market. Life experiences will be your most valuable resource to turn into tangible assets. It means translating “life skills,” then becoming a confident, potential employee. Maturity and life experiences are pluses many employers are looking for

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University of Tennessee, Knoxville: Trace

University of Tennessee, KnoxvilleTrace: Tennessee Research and CreativeExchangeFinancial Management UT Extension Publications6-1995SP461B Finding Work - Career Change - Build aFuture on Your PastThe University of Tennessee Agricultural Extension ServiceFollow this and additional works at: http://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_agexfinmanThe publications in this collection represent the historical publishing record of the UT Agricultural Experiment Station and do not necessarily reflectcurrent scientific knowledge or recommendations. Current information about UT Ag Research can be found at the UT Ag Research website.This Finding Employment is brought to you for free and open access by the UT Extension Publications at Trace: Tennessee Research and CreativeExchange. It has been accepted for inclusion in Financial Management by an authorized administrator of Trace: Tennessee Research and CreativeExchange. For more information, please contact trace@utk.edu.Recommended Citation"SP461B Finding Work - Career Change - Build a Future on Your Past," The University of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service,SP461B-10M-6/95 E12-2015-00-300-95, http://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_agexfinman/7THE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEEAGRICULTURAL EXTENSION SERVICESP 461-BCareer Change: Build A FutureOn Your Past/Record important experiencesin school, at home, in prior jobsand as a volunteer within thecommunity./Include valuable experiencesfrom your youth and adult life.Now you are more aware ofyour talents, skills, likes and dislikes.This information will be useful as youdetermine the type of work youwould enjoy most.MatchingExperiences toJobsWhether you are a homemaker,farmer or self-employed in someother occupation, you have per-formed a number of jobs that aretypically related to specific careers.Record these activities and matchyour experiences with those skillsneeded in various careers.Experiences Paid Work1. Paying bills 1. Bookkeeper or accounting clerk2. Fixing broken equipment 2. Mechanic, small engine repair,maintenance engineer3. Answering the phone 3. Receptionist4. Planning and managing a budget 4. Budget analyst or financialsupervisor5. Overseeing farm laborers 5. Supervisor of workers orhuman resource manager6. Redecorated three rooms 6. Furniture salesperson, painteror wallpaper hanger7. Cleaning the house 7. Housekeeping technician8. Community theater ticket sales 8. Retail salesperson or salesmanager9. Built a cattle barn 9. Construction workeror carpenter10. Park beautification committee 10. Public relations, landscaper, orchairperson greenhouse workerHomemakers, older work-ers, farmers and self-employed individualsentering or re-entering the job markettoday have the opportunity to engagein a productive, rewarding jobsearch. Success in re-entering thejob market or changing jobs comesdown to two things: (1) developingthe right attitudes about your abili-ties, and (2) organizing an effectivejob search. The key to success ispreparation. Preparation meansmore than writing down your name,address and education. Preparationmeans learning to recognize pastexperiences, talents, skills, abilitiesand volunteer work that can help“sell” you in today’s labor market. Lifeexperiences will be your mostvaluable resource to turn into tan-gible assets. It means translating “lifeskills,” then becoming a confident,potential employee. Maturity and lifeexperiences are pluses manyemployers are looking for.Write a BriefAutobiography/List all the places you havebeen and things you have done./Recall how you have used yourspare time. Note which activi-ties, as well as past jobs, youenjoyed and which ones youdisliked.Skills Work-Related Ability MarketableTerminology1. Record farm income Knowledge of accounting Maintained financialand expenses  basics; math knowledge records for farmbusiness; budgetedfarm business funds.2. See that farm work is Provide directions and Coordinateddone by children and guidance scheduling of farmfarm hands workers ORsupervised farmworkers.3. Redecorated three Creative, action-oriented, Developed amulti-stage rooms in artistic, industrious plan by:the house home decorating (1) analyzing thephysical elements inthe rooms;(2) considering the lifestyles of familymembers;(3) evaluating howresources currentlyavailable can best beutilized; and(4) determiningdecorating costs withina pre-determinedbudget.4. Planned, prepared Adapting recipes; food Supervised staff,and served meals for preparation skills coordinated activitieslarge groups of 20 church volun-teers in preparation ofand serving banquetmeals for large groups.Efforts resulted ingross income of$18,000.5. Teenage youth leader Planning and teaching; Planned and pre-in church providing leadership sented educationalmaterials to a teenageyouth group for threeconsecutive years.Provided leadership to15 teenagers for acommunity projectassisting homeboundelderly citizens./Divide a sheet of paper in half.On the left side, list everythingyou do during the week. Includeall tasks, responsibilities,hobbies or volunteer communitywork you assume. Label this list“Experiences.”/Then on the right half of thepaper, list what these activitieswould be called if you had tohire someone to do the task.Label this list “Paid Work.”These examples will give you astart in identifying potentialcareers./ By recording your “jobs” in thismanner, you can get a fairlygood picture of the types of jobsyou might find as potential paidemployment. Be sure to includeevery activity you can think ofthat you do./Once your list is complete,review it carefully and deter-mine which jobs you do the bestand like the most. These are thejobs to highlight when you beginyour job search. Thinkingthrough your valuable workskills can help you begin a jobsearch with confidence.Marketing YourExperiencesThrough the years, you havedeveloped a variety of skills whichcould pay great dividends in today’sjob market. Your challenge is toidentify these skills and relate themto job skills employers are lookingfor. To identify your skills and to placethem in marketable employmentterminology, follow these three basicsteps:/Develop a list of your skills.Begin by dividing a sheet ofpaper in thirds. Label the leftthird of the paper “Skills.” List allactivities you have done or arecurrently doing. Include workTHE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEEAGRICULTURAL EXTENSION SERVICEAbility.” List all the skills neededto accomplish each activity thatyou listed on the left./On the right third of the paper,label this list “Marketable Terminol-done as a farmer, homemaker,in self-employment or as avolunteer in the community./On the middle third of paper,label this list “Work-Relatedogy.” Use words from Figure 1 belowthat imply the development of usefulskills that describe activities per-formed in particular jobs.As you identify your skills, youCommunicationSkillsCreateDevelopDirectEditEnlistInfluenceInterpretLeadManipulateMergeMotivateNegotiateObtainReadReasonRecruitSellSpeakWriteManagementSkillsAdministerAnalyzeAssignCoordinateDelegateDetermineDevelopEvaluateExecuteFacilitateIntegrateMaintainOrganizePlanPrioritizeRecommendReviewScheduleSuperviseFinancial SkillsAccountAdministerAllocateAnalyzeAuditBudgetCalculateCompileDevelopKeep BooksManagePlanPrepareRecordResearchSolveResearch SkillsAnalyzeClarifyCollectCritiqueDefineDiagnoseEvaluateExamineExtrapolateInspectIntegrateInterpretInterviewInvestigateOrganizeRecognize ProblemsReviewSurveySynthesizeDetail SkillsArrangeClassifyCollectCompareCompileComputeDispatchExecuteFileInspectMemorizeOrganizeProcessReconcileRespondRetrieveScheduleSystematizeTabulateTeaching SkillsAdaptAdviseClarifyCoachCommunicateCoordinateDevelopEncourageExplainFacilitateGuideInfluenceInformInitiateInstructOrganizePersuadePlanStimulateCreative SkillsCreateDesignDevelopDirectDiscriminateGenerateInnovateIntegrateImaginePaintPerceivePerformPlanShapeSynthesizeVisualizeWriteManual SkillsAssembleBindControlCutDrillDriveFeedGrindHandleLiftManipulateMoveOperateSet-UpTendHelping PeopleSkillsAdjustAdviseAttendCareCooperateEmpathizeGuideLeadListenPerceiveReferRelateRenderSuperviseUnderstandJob Skills ListCertain words can be used to describe activities performed in particular jobs. These verbs imply the develop-ment of useful skills that can be transferred to other jobs. It is a good idea to use verbs like these in the correct tenseand in descriptive phrases when filling out employment applications, writing your resume or during the interview. Theseverbs describe your qualifications to employers in job description terminology relevant for the job you are seeking.Check all the skills in this list that are related to your past work experiences and use them whenever appropriate. Youmay wish to expand the list as you think of other skills.Figure 1 contains a list of descriptive words.Select key words and phrases appropriate tothe career field at which you are aiming.THE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEEAGRICULTURAL EXTENSION SERVICEwill see how you can use your pastexperiences when you write yourresume and during an interview. Yoursummary of relevant self-employ-ment experiences, marketable skills,education and volunteer serviceshould be written in terms of theprospective employer’s needs. Theresume should relate your skills andaccomplishments to the require-ments of the job offered by theemployer. Employers may notrespond favorably if you state thatyou have been a homemaker orfarmer for 15 years. Instead, say “Asa self-employed worker for the past15 years, I had a variety of jobs,worked under pressure and mademany important decisions; now I amready to start a new career in thepaid labor force.” Such a positiveresponse exhibits self confidence, acharacteristic which most employersdesire in employees.Be creative as you initiallyenter, re-enter the job market orchange careers. Plan your strategyusing all the skills and abilities youhave developed through the years asan unpaid or self-employed individualand/or community volunteer.Plan Your MovesCarefullyYou may be able to increasejob possibilities if you receive trainingin a specific field. It may be that youcan update or acquire new skills bytaking some short courses at an areatechnical college or adult nightclasses.Financial assistance is avail-able for dislocated farmers, womenwho wish to return to school andpeople affected by manufacturingand business closings. Telephone orstop in the financial aid office or thecareer planning center at the collegenearest you. They can tell you whatfunds you are eligible for, as well aswhat courses and training areavailable. Advisers can help youdecide what training best suits yourneeds. There is a good chance thatyou can get financial help for retrain-ing.As you move ahead in yoursearch for a job, it is important to putyour best foot forward when youbegin the interviewing process. Toinsure success in your job search,follow the steps listed below:4  Complete a personal inventory ofyour experiences, abilities, skills,strengths, education and previousjobs held.4  Explore types of jobs available inyour area and match your skills tothose of greatest interest to you.4  Develop a resume or personaldata sheet. Refer to SP 461-C,Preparing a Resume for resumewriting guidelines. Be explicit,accurate and complete. Have allnecessary information readilyavailable to tell your story.4  Gain skills in completing anapplication form and preparing lettersof application.4  Develop skills on how to interviewfor a job. See SP 461-F, The JobInterview for job interviewing tech-niques.4  Learn how to follow up a jobinterview.4  Gain skills in how to be a success-ful employee from SP 461-H, Surviv-ing A New Job. Be alert to ways youcan cultivate your abilities and skillsto blend in with employee/employerrelationships.4  Contact your local Extension officefor materials to aid you in developingskills to complete the seven stepslisted above. Your local library, aswell as the local Job Service office ofthe Tennessee Department ofEmployment Security, has materialsand information to assist you in yourjob search.References:Army Community ServiceDivision, U.S. Army Community andFamily Support Center. Merchandis-ing Your Volunteer Service For JobCredit, 1986.Ekstrom, Ruth B. ProjectHAVE Skills Women’s Workbook,Princeton, New Jersey: EducationalTesting Service, 1981.Molgaard, Virginia. Landing aJob: Strategies for Farm Wives.Iowa Cooperative Extension Service,Iowa State University, December1985.South Carolina EmploymentSecurity Commission, Labor MarketInformation. South Carolina JobSearch Assistance Guide, Colum-bia, South Carolina, 1986.Martin, Gail M. “From Home-making to Moneymaking.” Reprintfrom Occupational Outlook Quar-terly, United States Department ofLabor, 1978.Prepared by Glennis M. Couchman andJoyce H. Christenbury, Extension FamilyResource Management Specialists.Clemson University Cooperative Exten-sion Service.Adapted for use in Tennessee by: EttaMae Westbrook, Professor and Leader,Family Economics; Martha Keel, Associ-ate Professor and Leader, Housing andDesign; Bridgett Smith, AssociateProfessor, Clothing; Celvia Dixon,Associate Professor, Family Economics;and Alan Barefield, Assistant Professor,Agricultural Economics and ResourceDevelopment.A State Partner in the Cooperative Extension SystemThe Agricultural Extension Service offers its programs to all eligible persons regardless of race, color, national origin, sex or disability and is an EqualOpportunity Employer.COOPERATIVE EXTENSION WORK IN AGRICULTURE AND HOME ECONOMICS The University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and county governments cooperating in furtherance of Acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914. Agricultural Extension Service Billy G. Hicks, DeanSP461B-10M-6/95           E12-2015-00-300-95

SP461B Finding Work - Career Change - Build a Future on Your Past

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SP461B Finding Work - Career Change - Build a Future on Your Past

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