JAWS
(Job Acquisition Workshops)

Topic: Job Search Techniques

Program Description:  Depending upon market conditions, it can be quite an endeavor to find a job.  Whether it’s your first job out of school or your fourth, the techniques are the same.  Knowing which job hunting resources are available and how to use them can reduce the time required finding a job.

There are a number of job based web sights that provide job listings, a resume posting service, company profiles, and career resources.  Many public libraries carry national newspapers.  Previous Alumni may have leads on jobs in their companies.  Involvement in a local professional organization may also provide contacts.  The goal of the workshop would be to familiarize students with the resources available to them and emphasize the importance of not overlooking any contact.

Approach:  As part of the workshop, students would get business cards produced with their contact information on them.  These would provide a means of introduction for any contacts they make.  This information would need to be submitted 3-4 weeks before the workshop.

The initial day of the workshop, a professional may give some pointers on resume writing and interviewing followed by a discussion of available resources, and what he/she found most useful in their search.  The students would leave with a list of resources and their business cards.

The students would be given an assignment of posting their resume with several of the job search sights.  On the sights that support it, they would fill out a profile of the types of jobs they are interested in.  When jobs, which meet their description, are posted, the student would receive e-mail from the sight.  In addition to this they would be given the task of finding between 5 and 10 jobs they would be interested in and apply for them.

A month later, the students and the professional would re-convene and discuss the various tools the students found the most useful and any results that were a result of these tools.

Time Frame:  1 month

Intended Outcome:  The primary goal of this project is that the students will be made aware of the various resources available to them while looking for a job.  They would also gain some experience in using the tools by actually looking for jobs. They would also have their own business cards as a point of contact and a means of introduction.

Milestones:  The committee, which consists of 4 IEEE student members, will have the following tasks:
 

  1. Find a professional to discuss job search techniques
  2. Solicit funding to support business card printing costs, advertising costs, refreshments and a thank you dinner for the professional.
  3. Reserve a room for the meeting to occur in for both the first and second meetings.
  4. Make arrangements for refreshments.
  5. Produce a standard form for student contact information that will go onto the business cards.
  6. 5 weeks out, start advertising the workshop and make contact forms available.
  7. 4 weeks out, take contact information to printer and order cards.
  8. 2 weeks out, pick up business cards and verify information is correct.
  9. Run the first workshop.  Provide refreshments during the workshop.
  10. A month later, run the second workshop.  Provide refreshments during the workshop.
  11. Take the professional to dinner and receive feedback and suggestions for future workshops.
  12. Submit budget form and final report to SAC committee.

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