SERVICE INDUSTRY SKILLS SYLLABUS
Job Tips:
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You should spend 15 hours/week looking for a job
The average time to find a job is 3 months
In 1982 unemployment was 11%
Most people make 10 job changes and 13 moves in their professional life times
There are 2 job markets:
o Advertised jobs such as the classified which is 25% of the jobs
 These are frequently filled in advance
 Most of these are low income and high competition
o Hidden jobs which are ones that people don’t know about and you find
through networking
Find your strengths – What you do best
Get good at what you do
Develop excellent customer skills
Keep Current
Follow-up an interview with a note.
Develop many work skills
Listen and take notes so that you learn and remember things at work
Treat everyone well
Be aware of body language messages
Don’t procrastinate
Don‘t volunteer to do jobs you wouldn’t want to do all the time
Have positive self-esteem
Demand that others respect you
Have a positive outlook
Develop flexibility
Love your work
Learn from Mistakes
Welcome and learn from criticism
Maintain a balance
Be honest but don’t confess your negatives or shortcomings
Know your company’s business
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Plan daily – make a list, prioritize, set goals
Network
Ask for help when you need it
Jobs are disappearing so people have to be retrained
People have to be flexible about retraining
Factors Which Will Affect the Job Market in the Future:
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o There are different types of jobs
o Youth
o Elderly will need to keep working
o Immigrants
o Part time employment
o Education and training-may become necessary
o Regional movement
Classified ads and employment agencies are the worst way to find a job.
Employers hire people who are likable, honest, competent and intelligent- you
must convince an employer that he will like you the most.
Convince employers of your future value- not what you did in the past
Age is a problem- but only if you’re in competition with youth
Avoid public employment agencies. They are for low level jobs and nave the
interest of the employer at heart.
Being unemployed is bad because you look like you need a job
What You Can Do:
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Don’t be discouraged by set backs in finding a job- be able to handle rejection
Associate with successful people
Set goals
Be organized
Be a good communicator
Ask questions
Be a good listener
Look professional
Tell the employer what you’ll do for them
“Just be yourself”- means be your best self
Salary Negotiations
1. When asked how much you want to earn you should ask the interviewer, “How
much were you planning to pay for someone with my experience and ability.”
2. If you are asked on an application how much you want to earn you should reply
“open” or “negotiable”
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Mentoring
Internal mentors / external mentors
Find one – be one: Mentor and mentee benefit
End the mentoring when it’s no longer beneficial
Be Your Own Mentor
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Become known
Networking
Style matters
Most people change jobs about 6 times in their life
Communication
Planning and training
Compromise on everything but respect
Traits Needed to Keep Your Job:
1. Ability to do the job well
2. Initiative
3. Dependability
4. Reliability
5. Efficiency
6. Loyalty
7. Maturity
8. Cheerfulness
9. Helpfulness
10. Unselfishness
11. Perseverance
12. Responsibility
13. Creativity
Ethics
Review and group discussion of situations which call for ethical decision making.
Carol Kahn
Working Solutions Program
300 NE 2nd Avenue
Miami, FL 33132
(305) 237-7513