Guidelines for ONE-ON-ONE MENTORING Disability Mentoring Day is designed to benefit from local creativity in shaping activities for the day. The following materials, adapted slightly from the Groundhog Job Shadow Day “How-To Kit,” may be of help. You might choose to reformat and distribute some of this material to mentors and/or students. You can access the complete Job Shadow How-To Kit at www.jobshadow.org. Tips for Workplace Mentors Greeting. Your student should be greeted as an adult business associate, with a handshake and warm hello. Introduce Yourself. Provide your name, job title and business card. Let your student know that you volunteered to be a Workplace Mentor because you think it is important to see firsthand the application of what they are learning in school. Encourage them to ask questions during the time you have together. Student’s Resume. Explain to your student that a resume is used by employers to gauge an applicant’s education and experience. Ask your student whether he/she has prepared a resume and whether he/she brought a copy. If your student doesn’t have a resume, help him/her get started in preparing one. Show your student a copy of your resume and then discuss resume content in the following order: Interests and Hobbies. Students are most relaxed when they are talking about something they know and aren’t being “tested” by an adult. Take some time with this question. Ask your student to explain the hobby to you and why this hobby is of interest. Community Service. Congratulate your student on any community service he/she has undertaken. Community service can accomplish three important functions in your student’s life: 1) it makes his/her community a better place to live; 2) it will help him/her get into a college of his/her choice; and 3) it provides him/her with an opportunity to gain valuable job skills. Many people started their careers by volunteering. Career Interests. Ask your student about his/her career interests. If possible, relate those interests to your own career or to that of others in your workplace. If your student doesn’t have a firm handle on his/her career interests, provide reassurance that finding the right career path takes time. Job Experience. Talk about your student’s job experience in positive terms. What did your student like about the job? What did she/he learn from the job? Tell your student about any jobs you held as a youth and how those early jobs helped you get where you are today. If your student hasn’t had any formal job experience, encourage them to explore possible summer and part-time opportunities as a complement to their classroom experience. Special Skills. Ask your student about what special skills they have that would help in the workplace. Consider working through the “Personal Assessment Form Worksheet” (attached). Acknowledge the work your student has already done to acquire skills and encourage him/her to keep adding to the list. In general, the higher your student’s skills, the more he/she will learn. Tell your student of any special training skills that you have had. Education. This is your opportunity to encourage your student to get a good education. Reinforce that what your student is learning in school is important to earning a good living. When employers look at a resume, they look at the education level of an applicant. Tell them how much education you have completed. Students’ Objectives. Ask your student about what they want to get out of their Disability Mentoring Day experience. If he/she hasn’t prepared anything in advance, work on an “Expectations Worksheet” together (attached) Find out why she/he ranked the top three objectives. Keep in mind these objectives throughout the day and be prepared to alter your activities accordingly. Student Interview. To provide more insight about your job, suggest that your student conduct an interview with you based on the “Conducting an Interview Worksheet” (attached). You can use this opportunity to help your student ink what he/she is learning in school to what you do on the job. Be sure to give your student enough time to record our answers. Answer the questions thoughtfully. If appropriate, comment on any good interviewing skills your student demonstrated. Suggestions for Demonstrating Workplace Skills to Students Telephone skills. Demonstrate the correct procedure for answering phones and instruct the student on what is appropriate. If your job entails a significant amount of phone work, demonstrate communication skills by allowing the student to listen to a few calls on the speakerphone. Be sure to introduce your student to the caller and let the caller know that you have a “shadow.” Prepare ahead of time a list of calls that you can make that will help the student understand your job. Before each call, explain to the student what you hope to accomplish. At the end of each call, review the results you achieved, positive or negative. In addition, you may wish to review the skills you used on the phone. Computer Skills Word processing: Dictate a memo or letter to your “shadow.” Explain the reason you need to write the memo and ask the student’s opinion on how to express some thoughts. Spreadsheets: Copy a spreadsheet into a new file and have the student input or manipulate data. Have the student change some parameters and notice how the spreadsheet changes. Have the student think about how long it used to take to change the rows and columns by hand. Email: Dictate to the student an email and let him/her send it. Graphic Software: Copy a file and have the student help you design something for a current project. CAD: Copy a file, and then discuss your design parameters. Ask the student for input on a design change you are working on and have him/her make the change. Equipment Skills Adding Machines: Prepare some calculations for the student to complete. Fax: Have the student send faxes for you throughout the day. Other: Have the student experiment with other equipment that is safe for him/her to use, such as a postal meter or copy machine. Client/Customer Contact skills. If your job requires client or customer contact, have the student observe the change. Meeting Skills. Having the student attend a meeting with you is fine as long as it is inside the building. Before the meeting, give the student some background information so he/she better understands the conversation. It is recommended that meetings last no longer than an hour. Presentation skills. Show the student a presentation you are working on. Have the student critique your presentation. Then have the student add ideas of his/her own. Ask the student to modernize it for your show you how to market more effectively to people his/her age. Encourage all the student’s ideas. Student Activity: Disability Mentoring Day Expectations Worksheet Disability Mentoring Day is a great opportunity to learn about the world of work. You maybe wondering what you will discover. Without a doubt, you will be exposed to a wide variety of experiences and information, some of which may be more valuable to you than others. Holding a job requires a lot of independent thought and decision-making. Below is a checklist of what you can expect to learn today. Read through the list and decide which learning objectives are the most important to you. Rank each item 1 to 5, with 5 being the most important. You may give each objective its own rank; the objectives do not have to be prioritized. Additional space is provided if you would like to learn something that is not listed. What I can Expect on Disability Mentoring Day Rank ____To see how the knowledge I am gaining in school is used on the job. ____To see what people do all day on the job. ____To understand what skills I need to get a good job. ____To learn what employees receive besides a paycheck. ____To find out more about the workplace I am visiting ____To see how technology is used on the job. ____To explore some new career ideas for myself. ____To learn how much education I will need to get the job I want. ____To understand how learning and earning are connected. Student Activity: Disability Mentoring Day Personal Assessment Form This survey lists skills and talents that individuals have and employees value. Read the list and assess your own strengths. Indicate the level of your skill from 1 to 5, with 5 being high. Skills for Basic Job Performance _____ Resource Management. Time, money and materials are resources. You can manage them well. _____ Interpersonal Skills. You get along well with others. You can work on a team, teach others, serve customers, or be a leader. You can work well with people from different backgrounds. _____ Information Management. You can find, interpret, and communicate information. You can organize and maintain files. You can use a computer to process information. _____ Systems. A system is the way things are done or organized. You can understand social business systems. You can check and correct your business performance. You can make suggestions to improve the way things are done. _____ Technology. You can find and use the right tools for the job. _____ Basic Skills. You read, write, speak, and listen well. You know arithmetic. _____ Thinking Skills. You can think creatively. You can make decisions and solve problems _____ Personal Qualities. You can take personal responsibility for your work. You think well of yourself. You are honest. More Specific Job Skills _____ Mathematic Skills. Mathematics is one of your favorite and best subjects. _____ Mechanical Skills. You understand how things work and have an aptitude for fixing things. _____ Physical Strength. You are above average in physical strength, stamina, and fitness. _____ Patience/Perseverance. You are able to concentrate on a task for as long as it takes to get done. _____ Supervisory Skills. You can plan and work with others to help them reach goals. _____ Attention to Detail. You work carefully. You are thorough and complete. Student Activity: Conducting an Interview Meet your Workplace Mentor To find out more about your Workplace Mentor’s job, conduct an interview. Think about the reporters you have observed conducting interviews on the evening news. Ask your mentor the following. Space is provided for you to construct additional questions of your own. Make sure your questions are spoken clearly, and make eye contact with your mentor. Relax and smile. Record your answers. Introductory Questions (“Getting to Know You”) What is your job title? What are your responsibilities? How do you help this workplace meet its goals? What is a typical day like for you? What do you like most about your job? Least? Why do you select this type of work? How much education do you need for this job? Do you need more job training after you have completed your education? Questions about Job Skills Your Workplace Mentor uses many of the same skills on the job that you are learning every day in the classroom. To find out which skills are important to your mentors job, use the following questions and ask him/him to show you examples. Remember to speak clearly. How much is reading a part of your job? How important is writing to your daily job? When do you have to use math on your job? How important are listening skills in your work? What types of speaking skills are important for your job? What types of equipment and technology are used to do your job? What kinds of problems do you solve on the job? What skills are required to solve them? What did you learn in school that helped you most on the job? What do you wish you had studied more in school? Sources: Originally provided to us by Mr. Johnathan Young and later, Ms. Michele Sither (11/28/06) 1