On the QT: Hire Me

September 8, 2009

 

Attachment: QT Guide

 

Did you know? If you're a job contestant in today's highly competitive market, employers don't have the time to figure you out, distill your assets, and / or gauge your value on their time and their dime. You either make yourself memorable from the get-go, or you don't. If your students are looking for an internship, a part-time job, or expect to advance in the workplace, they need to build a compelling response to the frequently asked question: “Why Should I Hire You?” With unemployment at an all time high, the competition for jobs is stiff. On the bright side, millions of people find work each month. Creative job seekers are capitalizing on their skills and talents to capture the attention of potential employers to land those good jobs. Help your students prepare to succeed in today's workplace by getting them to focus on what they want, and how to make the most of what they've got.

• If you were on a job interview, could you present a persuasive response to one of the most frequently asked questions, “Why should we hire you?”
• Distribute this student activity guide, and explain that they are going to view a video clip, Hire Me, to see how one college grad tells how he would add value to a company.
• After the video, have students jot down 10 reasons why they would/would not hire Alec. (You may need to view the clip a second time.)
• Call on students to share their responses, and add some of Alec's inferred skills/qualities students may not have noted.
    i.e. positive body language, sense of humor, willingness to travel...
• Conclude by asking students to consider Alec's example, and then fill in their list of “10 Reasons to Hire Me.”

Emphasize that whether or not students are looking for a job now, they should be gathering and documenting their experiences and achievements.

Add an experience: Invite a human resource manager from a company in your area to speak to your class. Ask the manager to be prepared to explain to your class how the job recruiting process has changed from an employer's perspective, and what students can do now, to prepare to get the jobs they seek now and in the future. Give students information about the speaker ahead of time, so they can do some research on the company and come up with questions they would like the representative to address. If getting a speaker to class “in person” is problematic, you may want to try skyping them.

Want More? If your students want information and resources on conducting a job search, check out the online student activities at CareerClues.org or Ace Your Job Interview, here. These activities have student guides to complete; some instructors attach extra credit to these assignments.