Helen R. Dolive
Kent Hamilton
Susan Olmstead-Wang
Kristi Shaw-Saleh
 Introduction: Rationale & Planning
Overview
 Implementation
 Evaluation & Lessons Learned
 Tips & Resources for Developing Your
Own Job Search Skills Clinic
 Audience Questions
 To Meet a Need: How did awareness of need emerge?
How was it addressed?
 To Provide Practical Training for SoE MAEd Students
(International Track)
 To Provide Service to the UAB Community
UAB MAEd/ESL focuses on:
 interactive, communicative, learner-centered
approaches for instruction & assessment at all levels,
including graduate students & their students
 use of technology: Skype® , flash-drive portfolio
 “braving the messiness of emergent genius”*
*Olmstead-Wang 2012
 Tailored to “educated perceptions” of linguistic & cross-
cultural needs of users of EAL
 Began aggregation of resources (Nov. to April)




MAEd/ESL Students
UAB Graduate School Professional Development
International Scholar & Student Services (HRD)
Career Services
 Leveraged general “target range”
 Career Services rep. presented in EESL 657 class
 Survey of available materials
 Summarized answers from early registration materials;
adjusted materials
 Used exit evaluations to hone focus
EESL 657 - 5 focal settings of adult learners:
Adult/community*
Workplace*
College/university
Intensive English programs (IEP)
English as a foreign language (EFL)
 Focused on spiraled-up workplace English (ENP, EMP)
 Special opportunity to teach aural/oral skills for job
search to UAB international students in a semesterend, day-long, language skills clinic
 Brainstormed ideas
 Aggregated knowledge & materials
 Drew from & adapted community, internet &
published resources
 Paired-up by focal interests, developed & clarified
narrow focus for the one-day event
 Re-convened as full class to create cohesion of concept
& implementation
Assessment
 Flash drive portfolios (detailed check list for semester-long work
included handouts & materials used for Job Search Skills Clinic)
 Limited formative feedback on materials & PowerPoints
 FLIP video (technical limitations)
Enhancement
CV entry sample:
 Co-presenter, Session Topic: Prepare the Documents You Need for Job
Applications
University of Alabama at Birmingham, School of Education, Day-long Job
Search Skills Clinic for International Students & Scholars, April 16, 2011
[Project of EESL 657 Instructing & Assessing Speaking & Listening]
Career extensions:
 Leverage to various conference presentations, published materials,
additional workshops
 Publicity (flyers, emails, personal invitations)
including extensions of our ESL links to Smolian
International House
 UAB e-newsletter & master calendar
 Workshop participants included:
 UAB students
 Community program family/friends (e.g., spouses of
BBVA Compass projects)
 Recent graduates
 Soon-to-be graduates
 Conversation for its own sake “comments on what is
perfectly obvious” studied by Bronislaw Malinowski
(1923)
 Bonding, managing personal distance
 Relative power in an interview—
interviewer/interviewee
 New paradigms—some work groups are more
democratic & want to see interviewee give good ideas,
be more than obsequious
 Distinguished 1-3 different situations within
interviewing sequence:
 first impression
 warm-up inside the actual interview
 lunch or extended day conversation
 Direct/indirect topics
 Cultural differences
 Grice’s Maxim of Quantity (no more than explicitly
asked for)
 Introductions by each participant, including
nationality & field of study
 Coffee breaks designed to help participants mix,
mingle, & make contacts
 Organizers & participants lunched together at a
local restaurant in order to continue the flow of
conversation in an informal setting
 Discussion of resumé vs. CV: length & info. to include
 Features & format of resumé:
 customizing
 use of key words
 creating professional summary statements
 creating employee objective statements
 Resumé editing: spelling, grammar, punctuation,
formatting, etc.
 Participants encouraged beforehand to bring resumé
to share. Advice offered on-site.
 Interview season inside Higher Ed
 10 tough interview questions
 10 common interview questions
 Illegal questions & how to handle them
 Topics of Discussion
 Career research: knowing & understanding your options
 Self-assessment & self-discovery
 Tools for gathering information: what are the
advantages?
 Jargon, advice, & networking
 Researching the job market: what does this include?
 Creating a target list & organizing yourself
 Resumés, contacts, & follow-ups
 Careful social networking: being aware of the “do’s and
don’ts”
 Conducting informational interviews: why is this so
important?
 Interactive website activity
 Researching companies
 Gave participants handout on suitable attire
 Discussed etiquette & body language
 Talked about importance of maintaining eye contact
 Voice projection & rate of speech
 Encouraged participants to be organized, detailed,
positive, & confident throughout the interview process
 Set up in two on-site faculty offices
 Participants had an opportunity to go through the
motions of a real Skype interview in a simulated
setting
 Helped participants become familiar with
interviewing methods apart from the traditional
face-to-face method
 Content:
 less general: more language specific to student needs
 examples of pragmatics
 Technology:
 rehearse set-up
 be prepared for computer malfunctions, power outages, etc.
 Date:
 set earlier in semester – too close to final exams
 earlier publicity
 Interviews:




extremely valuable for interviewees
amount of time
offer options: person-to-person vs. Skype
simulate authentic interview: separate panel from presenters to
interview & provide feedback
 CVs/Resumés:
 submit in advance – more productive
 one-on-one feedback sessions
 Balance:
 consider info. v. interactive – what’s most important?
 take reading materials home
 Lunch:
 self-pay worked well
 great opportunities for small talk practice
 Website Registration - avoid “hub & spoke structure”
with one person (professor) conduit for all info.
 More lead & final rehearsal time - 2 crucial classes
canceled due to tornadoes
 Start prep earlier the day of event - check computers &
brew coffee for break
 Set up Skype OR face-to-face interviews
OK … you’ve seen a potential need & want to do
something to meet it:
What now?
 STEP 1 – Determine exactly what the need is
 Our Case – We saw a need amongst international
students and scholars for assistance with improving
English language communication competency in
interview situations
Our Response – a one-day symposium focusing on job
search skills with an emphasis on interviewing
 STEP 2 – Reassess the need & narrow the scope of
what you will try to accomplish
 One thing that can lead to poor performance or failure is
not keeping the scope of what you are trying to do
within reasonable, achievable bounds
 Our Case – We limited our scope to what we determined
to be the 4 most important aspects of a U.S. job search
 STEP 3 – Sharpen your focus
 Our Case – We decided to produce 4 “mini” seminars:




Topic 1: job application documents
Topic 2: high-frequency interview questions
Topic 3: job research
Topic 4: presenting yourself
(including socio-cultural aspects of interviews in American
culture, etiquette & authentic interview practice)
 STEP 4 – Define & gather your assets
 Facilities & equipment
 Sources of materials & other support
 Help from inside/outside your institution
 Our Case – Students & staff in our MAEd/ESL graduate
program, UAB ELI, UAB Graduate School, UAB
International Scholar & Student Services
 STEP 5 – Divide and conquer!
 DO NOT try to do everything yourself
 Gather your “crew” & delegate responsibilities
 Our Case – We formed “committees” responsible for:
- developing each “mini” seminar (4 separate committees)
- organizing facilities & equipment
- setting up the interview practice sessions
 STEP 6 – Weaving the tapestry
 Come together to share what each committee has
developed
 Provide feedback to all committees
 Repeat Steps 5 & 6 as many times as needed to create the
best possible end product
 Our Case – Our committees worked independently but
met together each week during dedicated time in class to
discuss progress & provide /receive peer feedback
 STEP 7 – Ready, set, GO!!!
 Give it your best shot! The show must go on …
 STEP 8 – No, it’s not finished yet …
 You’ve done it! Now look back on the experience, reflect
on how it went, & figure out how you can improve before
the next go around.
 Please see our website for handouts, presentations &
planning materials:
http://www.uab.edu/esl/teacherresources/99-jobs-clinic
 Additional Resources
UAB Career & Professional Development Services:
http://www.uab.edu/careerservices/
 Helen R. Dolive
 Susan Olmstead-Wang
International Student Advisor,
Birmingham-Southern
College/Graduate Student,
MAEd/ESL Program, UAB
Author/Adjunct Professor, School of
Education, UAB
olmstes@uab.edu
hdolive@bsc.edu
 Kent Hamilton
Attorney/Graduate Student,
MAEd/ESL Program, UAB
kdhamilt@uab.edu
 Kristi Shaw-Saleh
Assistant Professor, School of
Education, UAB/Graduate Student,
MAEd/ESL Program, UAB
phd2be@uab.edu