Grade 11: Career Search 101

1. Grade 11: Career Search 101

2. Activities in your career search Activity 1: Your personal history Activity 2:Your physical attributes Activity 3: Your character Activity 4:Your ambitious characteristics Activity 5: Your interests Activity 6: put it together

3. Activity 1: Your personal history In this activity you will reflect on past experiences: 1. Write a list of experiences which you think have been important to you. The suggestions below may help: • Work experience and/or part-time jobs • Community or volunteer work • Religious work or involvement • Taking responsibility in your household • Places you have lived • Being in a club, organization, committee • Any violence or trauma you have witnessed, experienced

4. Caring for or helping someone who is sick/terminally ill. • Holidays or travel • Competitions you have entered or won • Achievements or accomplishments • Comments about you from your parents, friends, community members which had an impact on you.

5. Look at your list: Can you think of any job for which your past might have prepared you for?

6. Think about historical work patterns in your family:

7. Complete the table: Do you think your family’s history of work should influence your choice of work? Explain your answer.

8. Activity 2: Your physical attributes • What physical attributes might be necessary to perform the job(s) which you are considering doing? 2. Are there any jobs which you may need to exclude because of your physical features?

9. Activity 3: Your Character In this activity you will assess your personality and character. Read the questions below and answer yes or no for each.

10. 1. Sociability a) Do you find it easy to socialise in a group of people you don’t know? b) Are you confident? c) Are you able to make a speech to a group of people you don’t know. d) Are you able to show affection to people? e)Do you let your emotions show easily? f) Do people find you approachable and easy to talk to?

11. 2. Competitiveness a) Would people describe you as being ambitious? b) Would you describe yourself as determined? c) Are you competitive? d) Do you like to be in control? e) Do you prefer action to talk?

12. 3. Steadiness • Do you think before you speak? • Are you a good listener? • Would you describe yourself as patient? • Do you regard yourself as reliable and even-tempered? • Do you like to take your time and not be rushed?

13. 4. Compliance • Do you think of yourself as being rational and logical? • Do you find it easy to follow rules? • Do you like to be accurate? • Do you dislike taking risks? • Do you like to finish what you start? Now total the number of yes answers you have made for each section

14. Part 2: Read the interpretation below and answer the questions which follow. Most of us are likely to be combinations of all four types but you may find that you have one or two high scores (i.e. where more than half of the answers are yes.) It would be ideal if this strength were an advantage in your career path.

15. Interpretation of scores Sociability: You enjoy dealing with people face-to-face. You are sincere and probably enjoy helping or training people and are able to establish an easy relationship with people. You could consider a career in: • Education, social work, the hospitality industry, reception, customer care, marketing, sales, public relations, the fitness and health industry, hairdressing, beauty and spa industry, the entertainment and leisure industry – any work where your people skills are important.

16. Competitiveness: You like being the one giving the orders and would do well in a managerial position or running your own business. You put getting things done above inter-personal relationships and can become impatient when people slow you down. You can consider careers in management, business, marketing, advertising, law, property development, sport.

17. Steadiness: You are likely to be a responsible person to whom people can turn. You are a good listener and can be relied on to get a job done in your won good time. You would do well to consider a career in journalism, psychology, medicine, clerical work, the civil service, bookkeeping, data inputing.

18. Compliance: You are able to make responsible decisions based on fact and information. You are a good problem solver who is able to work with a great deal of detail. You could consider a career in engineering, medicine, accountancy, science, horticulture, aviation, building, electronics, mechanics and plumbing.

19. What is your top score? • How will your personal strengths help you in your work one day? Note: Your abilities are your strengths – the things you do well. You should choose a career area where you can use your strengths – not your weanknesses.

20. Activity 4: Ambitious Abilities In this activity, you will identify your special abilities: 1. Go through your special abilities and write down where you excel or have better than average skills. 2. Describe your special skill in some detail. See below for some ideas:

21. Home life: Cooking, home management, domestic work, gardening, building, mechanical repairs, financial management, budgeting, flower arranging, décor, caring for and breeding pets, carpentry, sewing, musical ability, hobbies in which you have exceptional talent, caring for children, the sick or the needy.

22. School life: School subjects (such as languages, Maths, Art, Music, Science, Drama), researching, computer skills, sport, debating, organising, helping others with personal problems, teaching, music, singing, dancing, chess, relationships, public speaking, leadership, etc.

23. Community/spiritual life: Strength of faith, volunteer work, fundraising, organisational skills, leading and teaching groups or lessons.

24. To do: • Pair up with someone who knows you quite well. • Add to their list any special qualities that you feel that they have, for example, patience, problem-solving, organising things, organising people, people skills, performance skills, listening, giving speeches, persuading people, tc.

25. Activity 5: Interests In this activity you will identify your own interests: Work on your own for this activity: Write down the answers to the following questions in your books: 1. If you had a day to do exactly as you wanted, and as much money as you needed, what would you do?

26. 3. What are your favourite subjects? 4. What are your hobbies and interests? 5. What topics do you enjoy reading about in newspapers, magazines, books and on the internet? 6. Read through the information which follows in this activity.

27. John Holland’s Career Theory John Holland developed a career theory where he classified people into interest and ability groups. He believed that our work is an expression of our personality. The better the match between our jobs and ourselves the happier we will be.

28. Activity 6: Put it together p162 (Shuters) Work in a group for this activity. Look at the diagram provided by your teacher. Most people are a combination of three of the six types:

29. 1. Realistic Realistic people like to work with animals, tools or machines and are skilled in this area. They tend to be energetic and like to be outside.

30. 2. Conventional Conventional people like to be accurate and to work systematically. They are able to cwork with numbers, records, data and machines in a set, orderly way. They like to be neat and organised in all that they do.

31. 3. Enterprising Enterprising people are good at and enjoy leading and persuading people. Thye are able to sell things and ideas. They are good at carrying out their plans. They are usually motivated by money and status.

32. 4. Investigative Investigative people are good at and enjoy science and maths problems. They like to understand why things are

33. 5. Artistic Artistic people enjoy and have skills in one, some or all of these creative areas: art, drama, crafts, dance, music and writing. They are observant and value beauty and originality. They like to try new ideas and often have a different way of seeing things.

34. 6. Social Social people enjoy and are good at helping people and giving information as in teaching, counselling, first aid or nursing situations. Relationships are of great importance to them and they are sensitive to others’ feelings.

35. According to Holland’s theory, people are more likely to fall into categories that are next to each other on the diagram. So, for example, a person who is Conventional is more likely to be Realistic or Enterprising that Artistic. 2. If you had to spend time with one group of people, with whom would you choose to be? Which group would be your second and third choice as indicated on the diagram?

36. 3. Learners in the class must now group themselves in the classroom according to their first choice type as indicated in the diagram. 4. If your group is larger than 7, form smaller groups. 5. As a group, talk about your responses for Activities 4 and 5. Use the questions below as a guide.

37. How similar were your responses? What else do your group members have in common? • Do your answers for Activities 4 and 5 tie in with your types from John Holland’s system? • Report back to the class your findings from the group so that you have a better understanding of how John Holland’s system works.

38. Page 164,165 Shuters (list of careers suited to Holland’s types.) Investigate careers using Google. • What is a learnership? • What is a bursary? • What is a loan?

39. Learning skills: the world of work p 126 “Focus” The labour force can be divided into various levels of skill: • Skilled labour • Unskilled labour • Semi-skilled labour and • Physical labour

40. 1. Skilled labour • Require a high level of knowledge and ability to do a particular type of work. • Person has a formal qualification • Qualification is from a recognised institution. • Person usually registered with a professional body in order to practise.

41. 2. Semi-skilled • This person has been on a training course with a recognised training institute and has successfully completed the modules.

42. 3. Unskilled This person may have practical skills and experience but no formal qualifications in this work.

43. 4. Physical labour This job involves doing physical work. This person has gained skills through practice at the job but lacks formal qualifications.

44. Activity Match each description below to a category or skill: • Sophie is a domestic worker and has recently completed a two-week cookery course. • Thomas is a gardener and works three days a week. • Thabo has just graduated with a Diploma in Hotel Management at the local University of Technology.

45. 4. Sindiwe has worked at Sunshine Traders for 3 years in the bakery as a server to customers and is currently being trained by the Head Baker so that she can be a baker. She goes to her local FET College for the theoretical component. 5. Jack works for Roadworks and digs trenches at the side of the road.

46. Physical labour • Skilled • Unskilled • Semi-skilled • Learnership

47. Learnerships p126 “Focus” • Another name for a learnership is an apprenticeship. What is a learnership? • It is an education and training programmeorganised by your employer to help you improve skills or training in your job.

48. It has two parts: • Theoretical learning in the classroom AND • Practical workplace experience Ultimately it will lead to a qualification registered with the National Qualifications Framework (NQF).

49. Learnerhips involve: • Learners (who are workers and learners) • Employers (who continue to employ the workers while they study or train.) • Providers (e.g. a University of Technology or technical college that will offer the learning part of the total programme.)

50. Learnerships are important because they: • Help to develop current employees into a good workplace. • Give employees the opportunities to obtain qualifications. • Allow people to study and work at the same time.