Everything To Know About Getting a Job

A toolkit covering the nuts and bolts of a successful job search

As members consider life after service, they face a weighty decision: Where do I want to live? Do I want to go back to school? Should I seek other kinds of training? Do I want to enter the job market? And, that age-old dilemma–what do I want to be when I grow up?

Helping members figure out what types of careers best suit their personality, interests, and skills can assist them in making both short- and long-term plans. The following self-assessment tools, adapted from the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) in New York City, can serve as a starting point.

Use these tools separately or in combination for training sessions.

Completing a career development self-assessment

This tool asks members to reflect on their strengths and weaknesses, accomplishments, likes and dislikes, and goals. It can serve as the starting point for a workshop on career development and help members identify next steps-whether they lead back to school or to the workplace.

Creating a five-year career plan

Using this form, members create a personal plan, mapping out things to accomplish and action steps on a year-by-year basis.

Translating AmeriCorps or VISTA service

This form helps the members reflect on their leadership and volunteer accomplishments. The information can be edited for use in a cover letter or a résumé, and can help members organize their thoughts for potential job interviews.

Pam Rechel, a former human resources manager and currently head of Brave Heart Consulting in Portland, Oregon, (www.braveheartconsulting.com) adapted another translation tool from Working with Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman and from Behavioral Technology. It asks members to identify and reframe their life and work skill competencies.

Crafting a résumé

Here are some basic pointers you should pass along to résumé writers.

Résumés MUST include:

Complete, current contact information
Work experience
Volunteer and leadership experience
Education

Résumés may include a personal objective (for example, "to work with youth in the nonprofit sector"), but be sure the objective matches the job you're applying for! Other optional elements include:

"Other" experience
Research/publications
Interests/hobbies
Computer skills
Language skills

Do NOT include references in your résumé. Remember, a résumé should serve to:

Highlight your skills
Show off your accomplishments
Show how you are qualified for the job
Show where you want your career to go

Try to tailor the résumé to the job or type of job you're seeking: You may find yourself creating a new, slightly different résumé for every position you apply for–depending on what the employer requires. The résumé should be one page in length, unless you have a substantial amount of work experience. Above all, remember HONESTY IS THE BEST POLICY. Always tell the truth about your experience and education.

Résumés can be formatted chronologically or functionally:

The chronological résumé shows what jobs you held, starting with the most recent. This is the preferred method of presenting your information since it's the most straightforward for the employer.
A functional résumé highlights your skills and accomplishments, rather than presenting a linear description of where you've been and what you've done over the years. You should consider using a functional résumé if you lack real work experience or are attempting to change fields.

You can also create a résumé that mixes both functional and chronological elements.

Be mindful of these important stylistic considerations:

Use succinct language
Use a consistent tense (past tense is usually best)
Always double-check your spelling and have another set of eyes proofread your work
Make it clean, well-organized, and legible with ample white space
Use action verbs that quantify your accomplishments

For an example, AmeriCorps objectives or "skill clusters" describe jobs in active ways.

Download a template that members can use to create a résumé. See some examples of résumés here.

Go on to Everything To Know About Getting a Job (cont.)

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