Teens: Would You Hire You? Job Search and Interview Advice from School2Life’s Susan Newman | Chicago North Shore Moms

 

Teens and parents, the question is simple but the answer is perhaps not so much: Would you hire you? Susan Newman, Founder and CEO of School2Life and Career Instructor at Columbia College AND North Shore mom of teens explains, “In my 20 years of experience, I haven’t seen mainstream guidance for how to practically and actionably pivot and thrive in the ‘real’ world. This is what inspired me to create school2life.” Read on to learn Susan’s pointers about career search and prep advice that may not be on you or your teen’s radar. Then check out her career and life-changing workshops beginning on January 19th to help your teen start their career on their chosen path. Because Susan’s motto is “don’t just get a job, get a life.”

 

 

Susan knows first hand both personally and professionally the real life struggles that students face with job search, especially during the current pandemic. As moms we can have heart-to-heart chats with our kids about what they “should” be doing but in the end, they’re much more likely to head the advice of anyone but their parents. Ugh. Thus, School2Life is a program for teens and college students that teaches relevant life skills to effectively marketing oneself. School2Life provides key concepts about how to confidently show what you’ve learned and accomplished, while also teaching those vital face-to-face communication skills. How is this taught?

 

Susan Newman states, “We’re bringing ‘show and tell’ back, as that experience ends in second grade or so, yet all we do as professionals is, to ‘show,’ and ‘tell’ how we’ve evolved in our lives. My expertise is enabling people to mark themselves with sophistication, relevance, and confidence.

 

 

“In my 20+ years of career coaching experience, here are the top five career preparedness lessons that should be introduced far earlier in a students educational career: Note, these are the behaviors deemed necessary to make a successful first impression which gains interest and directly leads to opportunities in education and the industry are:”

  1. Curiosity – Daydream, ask questions, explore “what if’s,” and be creative with how you execute your life.
  2. Professionalism – Shake a hand, send a follow-up thank-you note, spell check and edit your work. Also, say thank you!
  3. Self-Analysis – Explore what you’re good at and recognize the examples that showcase your qualities.
  4. Self-Advocacy – Organize and share your achievements and ask questions about the industry, education, experience, and how they all relate.
  5. Accountability – The only person responsible for your rise or fall is YOU. Be accountable for your efforts and their results.

 

Don’t forget the value that your life experiences haven, in addition to in class education. Teens and college students, advocate for yourself and show ALL of your accomplishments. Did you ever volunteer? Did you ever raise money for a cause? Have you invented something from a casual science fair that’s, yes, really cool? Don’t think anything you’ve done is silly or irrelevant. Instead, play it up and show it off!

 

 

Do you want more “IRL” self-marketing experience for your teen? Here are the upcoming School2Life VIRTUAL workshops that can help you get your child’s career off to a strong chosen path!👇🏼

 

Calling all College Students… Would U Hire U?
NOW is the opportune time to put your best work forward and to start the intern/job search process for Spring/Summer 2021

School2Life is offering four guided professional services intern/job search workshops. Cost: $50 per session / 3:30-5:00pm via Zoom. The dates, session descriptions and sign up links are provided below. Your student does not need to complete the steps in order; do just one or all four!

 

January 19th: Session 1: Professional You – Put Your Best Work Forward

The takeaway: Figure out what you want to do and how to get an opportunity doing it!

  • First impressions, why they matter and how to execute an impressive impression in order to generate interest which leads to opportunities.
  • Clean up your social media to ensure you’re viewed as an impressive candidate
  • Learn how to self-assess your unique skill set and how to effectively market yourself to become a competitive candidate to prospective employers
  • Identify industries, companies, and jobs in accordance to your interests and unique skill set
  • Assess professional on-the-job expectations and values
  • Build a LinkedIn profile designed to impress
  • SIGN UP FOR SESSION 1 HERE.

 

January 21st: Session 2: The Necessary Tactics & Strategies to Navigating Your Internship and Job Search

The takeaway: Packaging yourself to go to market and get offers!

  • Understand the search process and how to successfully position yourself to be a competitive candidate for opportunity.
  • Create an impressive professional portfolio, showcasing your unique skill set, experiences and accomplishments with relevance sophistication and confidence
  • Learn how to create, manage, and maintain your professional network.
  • What is an informational interview, and how to leverage that process and strategy.
  • Creating unique and actionable roadmaps to navigate the next steps to pursuing opportunities.
  • SIGN UP FOR SESSION 2 HERE.

 

January 26th: Session 3: Communicating With Confidence

The takeaway: Create competitive resumes, cover letters and networking docs.

  • Understand the best resume type in alignment with your professional goals.
  • How to write a impressive cover letter to best convey your information to ensure a positive first impression.
  • Discuss the process (and importance!) of following up.
  • Review the interview process and how to effectively answer key questions to be considered a competitive candidate.
  • Understand what the interviewer is looking for and how to prepare for various type of ivetviews
  • SIGN UP FOR SESSION 3 HERE.

 

January 28th: Session 4: Become a Competitive Candidate and Bring Yourself To Market

The takeaway: Necessary tactics and strategies to execute a successful search and build a proactive professional network.

  • Develop a practical, personalized timeline to navigate your internship or job search process.
  • Portfolio review and refine session
  • Develop and practice your unique elevator pitch
  • Develop the ability to communicate with sophistication, relevance and confidence… the trifecta necessary to making a positive first impression and creating growth opportunities.
  • Develop personalized objectives for school or career and actionable “next steps” for proceeding based on objectives.
  • Develop tactics and strategies for creating, managing, and maintaining professional relationships to become a part of the Hidden Job Market.
  • Develop a competitive resume, cover letter, and portfolio (if applicable).
  • Develop an overall understanding of the transition between school and professional life, and how to access information or assistance in order to achieve unique goals (internships, job, informational meeting, etc).
  • Build a professional network.
  • SIGN UP FOR SESSION 4 HERE.

 

The result? In each session students will take necessary actionable steps to begin executing a successful job or internship search and learn how to succeed on the job to ensure advancement.

 

 

For more information about Schoo2Life programs visit gallery.school2life.com. Follow along with Susan on LinkedIn and Facebook.

 

Here is a testimonial of Susan’s workshops:

“I took her class this past semester. It provided me with insight and confidence I didn’t know I needed. I’ve had a career, I’ve networked but Susan and her organization provided tools to take it to the next level.”

– Melah Miller, Social Media Coordinator at ChiGivesBack

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