Thank you to the class for sharing their work with us!
There are many online assessments to help you learn more about careers you might like. Here are just a few!
Student Monitors
Student Monitors provide supervision of students throughout the school day, including in the classroom, hallways, lunch, recess, and at arrival/dismissal. They help maintain order; operate technology; performs administrative and non-instructional duties; ensure student safety; and work with individual and small groups of students.
Student Monitors are needed at schools across Fairfax County. Positions start at $15 per hour. You can learn more and apply by clicking here.
Walt Whitman Middle School in Alexandria is looking for new Student Monitors. If you'd like to learn more, contact Lindsey Miller, Administrative Assistant to the Principal. She can answer questions, give you a tour of the school, and help you apply for the job. She said many of their Student Monitors go on to be Instructional Assistants! You can email her at lmiller2@fcps.edu or call 703-660-2405. One FCPS ACE ESOL student already works at Walt Whitman Middle School - read her profile here.
Substitute Teachers
FCPS needs substitute teachers. Substitute teaching is a great opportunity for stay-at-home parents, retirees, college students, and anyone who wants a flexible work schedule. If you are interested in substitute teaching, you can choose which days you are available, the grade levels you would like to teach, or the schools where you want to assist.
Find out more and sign up for an information session by clicking here.
Source: https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/resumes-cover-letters/resume-language-skills
You should include a Skills or Qualifications section on your resume. This is where you include your special skills, such as software programs, technical skills, and languages. You can include languages here. For example:
Skills
If you speak many languages, you might want to make a separate section:
Languages:
Here are some different ways you can describe your language skills:
Caro was an Advanced Student in the FCPS ACE ESOL program. She moved to the United States in 2000 from Ecuador, and Spanish is her native language.
She worked for a school as a family services assistant for many years, and wanted to get a promotion. She had interviewed for the new position before, but didn’t get it. She contacted the Career Navigator for practice with interviewing. After practicing for the interview several times, she was able to get the promotion!
She has good advice for other English learners. She says that most importantly, “it is essential to understand that learning is work. Sometimes it is easy, and sometimes it isn't easy, but there is always work involved.”
She recommends these strategies for improving your English:
Caro says something that helped her was to have a collage of pictures in her room with the things she dreamed of having in America, like a house, a good job, and a college education.
As Caro says, “The way to achieve good fluency and vocabulary is to lay one brick every day. This means to practice and study every day to achieve your goal.” She sends her best wishes to all the current learners!
Dragana moved to the United States from Serbia in 2018. She started taking FCPS ACE English classes that year at Bryant. She also took classes online in 2020. Her native language is Serbian.
In Serbia, she worked a lot! She worked at a radio station for 24 years. She loved it – she worked with everything from sound, to advertising, to talking to callers on the radio! She also worked at a taxi station during that time. She calls herself a “workaholic.”
In January 2021, she saw a post on the Bryant Facebook Group about a virtual career fair for FCPS Classroom Monitors. She got help updating her resume for this new position from the Career Navigator and applied for the job. In total, Dragana got invited to 11 interviews and received 5 job offers!
She accepted a job at Whitman Middle School earlier this year. That position was temporary but when it ended in June, she was asked to apply for a different aide position at the school. Now she’s working in a third position at Whitman Middle School: she’s a Student Monitor. She also works at Bryant as an ACE ESOL site assistant on Monday and Wednesday nights! She still enjoys working as much as she can.
Dragana has some good advice for other English learners. She said that in the United States, you can work in a field you love, but you have to know what you want and then work toward that. Before she got her job with Whitman Middle School, she volunteered as an assistant for an ACE ESOL class. This helped her get more experience and practice English – and gain confidence.
Dragana says, “Work with your hands when you’re young and with your head when you’re older.” She said when you are young it is a great time to work jobs that require moving, standing, and working with your hands. When you’re older, your mind is better than ever and then it is good to have a job that uses your brain.
She knows that being an English learner can sometimes be frustrating. There were times she knew she could do a job, but it wasn’t possible because of her English level. She said, "The key is to practice every day – and never give up!"
Making phone calls is an important part of doing business in English. Telephone conversations, especially business telephone conversations, follow certain patterns:
Of course, all business phone conversations do not follow this script. But this is the basic outline for most business telephone conversations, especially those made to request information or ask for clarification.
How to Find Volunteer Opportunities
1. Dress professionally. Even though you're calling in from home, dress up like you would for an in-person interview. Wear solid colors (no stripes or bright patterns) to look better on-screen.
2. Test your technology. Log on early to make sure your computer, headphones, and video calling system are working.
3.Reduce distractions. Try to be in a quiet location with no other people around. Wear headphones with a microphone if you need to.
4. Create a good background. Make sure the space behind you that will be on screen looks clean and professional and that there is enough light to see your face well. Try to have the computer at eye level so you aren't looking down into it.
5. Be prepared and stay focused. While the interviewer won't see your notes you printed out or have on the computer, make sure that you're mostly looking at the video camera. Don't search online for words or answers during the interview.
6. Think about your body language. "Body language" is how you express yourself without words. For example, a smile says you are friendly. Make sure you are showing your excitement and energy onscreen, smiling, and looking interested in the conversation.
7. Ask questions. It's always good to ask questions about the company and the job. In addition, you should ask questions if you don't hear or understand something. Sound can cut out, so don't be shy and ask them to repeat the question if you need to!
8. Follow up. Even though the interview is online, it's important to follow up with a thank you email after your interview. If you met with many different people on your interview, try to send a thank you to each person.
Your skills describe what you like to do and what you are good at. You develop skills by training and experience that improve your ability to do tasks. Being able to identify and describe your skills allows you to answer questions at job interviews such as What can you do for my organization? and What problems can you solve?
In the workplace, there are two kinds of skills: technical skills, and soft skills. Both types are essential for success.
Your ability to accomplish specific tasks like cooking, computer programming, or teaching, are called technical skills. They relate to a particular occupation. You may have learned technical skills from past work experience, school or training. These skills are often included in job listings to describe the tasks of a position. Examples are:
Employers also want employees who fit in and get along well in the workplace. That requires soft skills. These are so valuable that soft skills are often the reason employers decide whether to keep or promote an employee. Some soft skills can be taught in school. But most you learn in everyday life and can improve at any time.
Check out these sources to help you identify your skills and find the kinds of work they relate to:
Study the vocabulary you'll need to talk about pay, benefits, and more:
This exercise includes an example conversation of talking about salary (income) at a job interview. As you'll see, it's best if the interviewer tells you the salary first, instead of you saying what you make or want first. (It's in British English, so some words might look a little different!)
This video talks about how to accept a job offer.
This exercise helps you talk about job benefits, such as time off, healthcare, and retirement.
This video shows an employee asking for a raise at work.
Good luck!
Did you know that an employer cannot ask you if you're married? Or about your religion? According to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, employers cannot ask you the following types of questions when you are being interviewed for a job:
Here are some examples of how an interviewer might ask you about these topics during an interview. Remember, it is illegal for them to ask you any of these questions!
So, what should you do if any employer asks you a question like this? You could politely say something like, "I am confident that I meet the requirements for this position" or "This question does not affect my ability to do the job well." If they asked about your family, you could say, "I am able to work the schedule stated in the job description."
You can read more about these rules at https://www.eeoc.gov/prohibited-employment-policiespractices#application_and_hiring.
The goal of your resume is to make employers want to invite you in for an interview!
Here are the key parts of a resume:
Objective
Experience
Education
Qualifications or Skills
Additional Resume Tips:
Additional Resources:
Writing a thank you letter or email after an interview is another way to help you get the job. - It's best to send an email within 24 hours. If you need to mail a letter, that is okay too, but try to send it as soon as possible!
There are many reasons why it's a good idea to write a thank you letter or email:
What to include in your letter/email:
Here is an example of a full thank you email:
Subject: Thank you for your time
Dear Susan,
Thank you for taking the time to meet with me today about the home health aide position. As we discussed, my healthcare experience and training in nursing would be a great fit for this position. I hope to talk to you in the next round of interviews.
Sincerely,
Helena
When you apply for a job, you are usually asked to complete an employment application. You may be asked to complete a job application even if you've already submitted a resume and cover letter. Asking all candidates for the same information makes the job application process the same for everyone.
Also, a job application gives the employer a record of your personal and employment history, signed by you. When you sign the application, you are confirming that all the information on it is true, so it's important to be sure it's correct.
Information Needed to Complete a Job Application
Whether you complete an online job application or
apply in-person, make sure you have all the information you'll
need ready. This includes:
How to Make a Good Impression
Would you like to learn more?
Rachel, the Career Navigator, will have a free online class on job applications on Friday, March 12, at 2pm. Please email Rachel to register! rsbuczynski@fcps.edu
Vocabulary Tip: In English, when we say, "Do you have a high school diploma?" it doesn't mean the piece of paper. It means, did you graduate from high school? This is the same for a college degree. So, even if you don't have a paper diploma that you would hang on your wall, you can have have a high school diploma or college degree. But you might need some proof, like transcripts or a letter or reference from your school.
Credential Evaluation
Sometimes
jobs or universities will ask to have your diploma/education
credentials evaluated. That means they want to know that your education
was the same level as the equivalent (the same type) in the United
States. So, they want to know that your high school education from your
country is about the same as a U.S. high school education. (Note: this is a paid service.)
Do you need to have my education evaluated to get a job?
Maybe or maybe not! High school diplomas and college degrees from other countries can be okay.
You don't have to start over when you get to the United States - you have plenty of experience and education that can help you get a job! Remember, your teachers and the FCPS ACE Career Navigator, Rachel, can help you! Email Rachel at rsbuczynski@fcps.edu if you would like help finding out if your diploma can be used in the U.S. or if you have any questions about diplomas or education requirements.
