Learner Profile: Dragana

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.”

From 2018-2020, Dragana worked on her English. She started applying for jobs but wasn’t successful. In June 2020, she attended one of the free Career Navigator classes from FCPS ACE. Then, she asked the Career Navigator for help with her resume. She soon got a retail job!

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!"

Having a Business Conversation on the Phone

Source: https://www.thoughtco.com/telephone-conversations-1210222, by Kenneth Beare, updated August 23, 2019

Making phone calls is an important part of doing business in English. Telephone conversations, especially business telephone conversations, follow certain patterns:

1. Someone answers the phone and asks if they can help.
2. The caller makes a request—either to be connected to someone or for information.
3. The caller is connected, given information or told that they are not in the office at the moment.
4. If the person who is requested is not in the office, the caller is asked to leave a message.
5. The caller leaves a message or asks other questions.
6. The phone call finishes.

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. 

Volunteer for English Practice and Career Experience

Have you ever volunteered - at your children's school, in a neighborhood cleanup, with your church or
temple? Volunteering is a great way to practice using English - and it can help you get work experience to add to your resume and job applications. 

How to Find Volunteer Opportunities

• Idealist.org: One great place to look for volunteer opportunities is www.idealist.org/volunteer. You can search for volunteer jobs that are in-person or remote, or focusing on a specific topic. Some volunteer positions require foreign language skills, so you might be able to help in your native language!
• VolunteerMatch.org: This website lets you search by location. Current opportunities include grounds cleanup at a museum, thirft store clerks, and more!
  
• Volunteer Fairfax: Volunteer Fairfax provides one-day, multiple-day, and ongoing volunteer opportunities in our county. Find out more here.
  
• Volunteer in Fairfax County Public Schools: Would you like to volunteer at your child's school? You can contact the school directly to find out what kind of volunteers they need. https://www.fcps.edu/schools-centers
• Volunteer Opportunities at INOVA: Get experience working in a local hospital by volunteering with INOVA. Find out more here.
  
• Go to the website of a charity or nonprofit you want to support. For example, would you like to volunteer with the American Red Cross? Go to https://www.redcross.org/volunteer/volunteer-role-finder.html to search for volunteer opportunities.
  

Online Interview Tips

Businesses and schools are starting to open again. However, many businesses are still holding
interviews online. Here are tips for a virtual interview on Zoom or another online platform.

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.

Using Your Skills

Source: https://www.careeronestop.org/ExploreCareers/Assessments/skills.aspx

Want to know what careers you can do with the skills you already have?

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.

Technical skills

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:

• build a cabinet
• read an image
• operate equipment
• paint a portrait
• write computer code
• teach a lesson
• investigate a scientific question
• sell products to customers

Soft skills

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.

• communicate well
• think critically
• participate as a team member
• self-motivated
• flexible
• determined and persistent
• quick learner
• on time

Check out these sources to help you identify your skills and find the kinds of work they relate to:

• The Skills Matcher helps you identify your skills. Use the Skills Matcher to create a list of your skills and match them to careers that use those skills.
• Enter your previous occupation in mySkills myFuture to see types of careers your skills and experience will transfer to.
• Look up your strongest skills in O*NET to see which occupations match them best.
  

Let's Talk About Money

It can be very difficult to talk about money during a job interview, or to ask for a raise at your current job!
Being prepared will help you to ask questions and get a higher salary. 

Study the vocabulary you'll need to talk about pay, benefits, and more:  

• https://www.myenglishpages.com/english/vocabulary-lesson-business-pay.php 
• https://www.fluentu.com/blog/business-english/business-english-negotiation-phrases/ (starts halfway down the page)
  

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!

Illegal Interview Questions

Source: https://www.thebalancecareers.com/job-interview-questions-that-are-illegal-1918488#citation-12)  

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:

• Race
• Color
• Religion
• Gender identity or sexual orientation
• If you're pregnant
• National origin
• Age
• Disability or genetic information.

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!

• What arrangements are you able to make for child care while you work?
• How old are your children?
• When did you graduate from high school?
• Are you a U.S. citizen? (*they can legally ask if you are authorized to work in the U.S., but NOT if you are a citizen)
  
• What does your wife do for a living?
• Where did you live while you were growing up?
• Will you need personal time off for particular religious holidays?
• Are you comfortable working for a female boss?
• There is a large disparity between your age and that of the position’s coworkers. Is this a problem for you?
• How long do you plan to work until you retire?
• Have you experienced any serious illnesses in the past year?

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.