1. Job search methods and work practice

Subject title Job search methods and work practice

Purpose of the activity The aim of the session is to acquaint the participants with various methods of job search and to encourage them to enter the labour market boldly and confidently.

Duration 2 hours.

Location and tools Writing tools, projector, sheets of paper.

Number of participants 10–20 participants.

Acquaintance/ team building methods

Practical tasks Participants are divided into groups of 4–5 people. Each group receives 2 sheets of paper with two written questions:

1. What forms of work practice are you familiar with?

2. What are the job search methods you know?

Participants answer these questions in groups and write down key moments.

At the end of the task, all groups share what they wrote, the youth worker summarizes and writes the most important aspects on one single sheet.

Participants are invited to creatively portray all types of activities of interest to them. One can simply describe the activities or use a creative solution by sticking stickers on the poster, drawing, drawing schematic drawings, etc. Participants have 20–30 minutes to complete the task.

In the second part of the task, next to each area, participants are invited to develop and describe a strategy for how they intend to apply, look for a job or internship in those areas.

End of session reflection methods At the end of the session, each participant shares what they take out of the session and one commitment they intend to make when they return home.

Notes to the leader Participants who express a serious intention to apply for a particular job or internship should be accompanied.

THEORETICAL INFORMATION

It is important to introduce young people to two forms of gaining work experience: the search for a paid job and the search for an internship or a place of volunteering.

WORK PRACTICE OR VOLUNTEERING

Unpaid work practice or volunteering is relevant when a young person plans to have their first work experience, which will open up opportunities to find a paid job. In the first chapter of this methodology, we have reviewed several practice formats, and in the framework of this session, we once again identify the most important aspects that we encourage participants to become acquainted with. In this case, it is important to emphasize that in some cases internships can be both paid and unpaid, depending on the conditions and opportunities offered by the particular employer or organization, as well as the trainee’s experience.

Long-term internship Long-term internships are the most common form of internship, which is recognized and applied in the framework of the formal education system and in enterprise development strategies. This is usually a 1-12 months long project of mutual commitment and benefit, where the trainee, in cooperation with the chosen organization, undertakes to develop the necessary and relevant to him/her competencies as well as work skills.

Short-term internship Short-term internship has similar goals as long-term one – to get to know in more detail the peculiarities of the chosen speciality by exploring the internal and external processes that are taking place in the host organization. In this case, however, the commitments of the two or three parties mentioned above last significantly shorter, i.e., from one week to one month (in certain cases, a two or three parties’ commitment process which lasts up to three months may also be considered a short-term internship). During long-term internships, the intern is usually more involved in the various work processes in the organization and the related employment relations, whereas during short-term internships, specific limited functions and tasks are usually assigned which do not oblige (or give the possibility) the intern to gain a deeper understanding of the specifics of the organization’s activities and speciality’s work from different perspectives.

Long-term volunteering Long-term volunteering is a process that lasts from three months to several years. And nowadays, a precise definition of this type of volunteering is being actively sought in the youth field. One also seeks to establish a two-way relationship between the host organization and the volunteer’s ethical rules. The concept of volunteering in itself means that a person voluntarily provides services to a host organization, the aim of which is improving social and community life.

Short-term volunteering Short-term volunteering has the same definition and goals as long-term volunteering. However, in the case of short-term volunteering, the duration of the process and the volunteer’s role in the organization are clearly defined. This is usually a process that lasts from a few days to two–three months, during which the volunteer performs the same action, for example, nurse the people, takes care of animals, supports the event’s organizational team, performs administrative tasks, and the like.

One-off meeting with an expert In order to help a young person to learn more about the field of activity that interests him/her in the shortest possible time, one of the best solutions is to organize a meeting with an expert in that field, who would answer all the questions that arise, dispel prejudices and illusions, help foresee the most effective next steps, help develop the skills needed to achieve the goals, and help strengthen them by linking the future to the chosen field.

Meetings with an expert for mentoring purposes This form of practice, when one gets familiar with the profession and activity of his/her interest, differs from the aforementioned one-off meeting with an expert because, unlike a one-off meeting with an expert, the mentoring process requires a commitment to collaborate. The optimal mentoring period ranges from one month to one year. It includes regular meetings of the mentoring process – in the beginning of the process, when goals are set, consultations take place, in the middle of the process one thinks over achievements and challenges, and in the end of the mentoring cycle, the person himself evaluates the results achieved.

Job shadowing It is such form of internship when a young person learns from direct experience – by observing the organization’s work processes that interest him. It is a form of internship that is the least binding on both the young person and the person accompanying him/her (the employee of the organization), because the employee of

the organization just needs to continue to perform his/ her tasks by sharing them with a young person who does the job shadowing, id est, who is next to the employee and observes everything. Due to the specificity of its process and the limitations of its functions, it does not make sense for this form of internship to last for more than one to three weeks.

Internship in an assistant position A young person who is prone to leadership, idea generation and entrepreneurship may want to get a closer look at the lifestyle of the leader of an organization or of the leader of a particular project that is directly related to his/her accomplishments and work. In this case, particular attention is paid to the daily habits, work style, specifics of team management of a particular personality. Attention may also be paid to this personality’s hobbies, philosophy of life and areas of learning. The best way to do this is to become an assistant of the leader who interests you, taking over certain entrusted daily work tasks, while at the same time gaining the privilege of spending some time with the leader of the organization during his/her work, leisure, learning time.

Implementation of the project If a young person is with clearly expressed leadership qualities and an idea-generating talent, it is worth giving him/her the opportunity to create a personal project in his/her chosen field of interest. Such project can be developed during the usual short-term or long-term internship, as well as while volunteering, or in an open youth centre and/or space with the participation of a youth worker. A project or an initiative can be both shortterm, such as a multi-hour event, a public campaign, and the like, and long-term, such as development and implementation of an organization’s communication strategy, writing and implementation of a project, and the like.

Internship in participating in the implementation of one specific project This form of internship can be useful for young people whose leadership qualities manifest as good executors and resources explorers. Through this form of internship, they gain the possibility to have a look at all parts of an ongoing project with clearly defined start and end time frames.

JOB OR INTERNSHIP SEARCH METHODS

Unpaid work practice and volunteering often become a young person’s first work experience, serving as a key to further self-realization in paid work positions. It is true that often a young person feels timid when planning to apply for one or another job position, so the support and encouragement of the youth worker plays a crucial role in this path. During the session, we invite participants to get acquainted with several basic ways of job search.

Direct visits to institutions and organizations One of the oldest ways to search for a job is to go directly to a potential workplace with a printed CV. This is probably the fastest way to find a job in the service sector: cafes, shops, various service locations. In this case, the employer or the responsible employees of the institutions, who often do not have much time to get acquainted with the CVs sent by e-mail due to the large amount of work, have the opportunity to get to know the person applying for the job position live, which in many cases gives them the opportunity to ease the task for themselves and to accept a motivated person who has presented himself/herself physically in the office.

When choosing this method of job search, the candidate should print out several dozen of his/her pre-prepared CVs and, after choosing a local area relevant to him/her, visit as many institutions as possible, by making a brief introduction, asking about a job opportunity, and leaving his/her CV. By the way, it is important to emphasize that this method of job search is not suitable for applying for job positions that are subject to a continuous selection process. Hacking into the office and asking to invite a manager to meet him/her and offer his/her candidacy can cause confusion and irritability simply because, in such workplaces, employees usually plan their work day time and activities in advance.

Publication of information on social networks

One of the latest ways to search for a job is to post a public announcement about it on your social media profile. Social networks are an informal space where people feel relaxed and interested in the lifestyle of people of their closer circle. By writing a sincere announcement about your job (or internship) search and by briefly presenting the experience and motivation available allows one to quickly find a job or internship with the help of acquaintances. Often, friends who read such an announcement refer the candidate to an acquaintance who is currently looking for a future colleague and, in some cases, directly offer a job in their organization.

Filling in questionnaires in job search engines If in the past people applied to job positions they found in newspapers and job boards, today all job postings are hosted on large online job posting databases and platforms that everyone has free access to. On these job search platforms, both the employer who places the job

advertisement and any person who is looking for a job and, perhaps, not even looking for a job yet, can create his/her personal profile. Employers are increasingly inclined not only to place their job advertisement, but also to search for employees independently by reviewing the profiles of those who have registered on the platform. In this regard, one of the most important conditions is to fill in the personal profile on the platform in as much detail and quality as possible, indicating as many positions of interest as possible. At the same time, it is recommended to register on several platforms at once – then the probability of receiving calls increases significantly.

One of the most important and relevant employment relationship platforms nowadays is the LinkedIn platform, where it is recommended to update your profile regularly for each professional. In a number of areas, human resource managers in large corporations are looking for employees on this platform.

Application to specific job positions offered By filling in the questionnaires on the aforementioned job search platforms, or even without doing so, it is possible to search for and apply to specific job positions for which employees or trainees are sought. Probably, it is the most popular method of job search. The main advantage of this method is that employers who advertise a job advertisement are actively looking for an employee. The main disadvantage is that a lot of candidates usually apply for the same job position and this creates competition. Applying for as many organizations, which are related to the field of interest, as possible Not so often used method, but probably one of the most effective is applying for as many potential jobs and positions in a particular field as possible. In this case, a well-prepared curriculum vitae and cover letter play a crucial role. It is important to remember to tailor each cover letter and, if necessary, CV to the specific organization, which is being addressed. There is also no need to be afraid and call and inquire about employment opportunities and call again when no reply to your letter is received. Often, an employer who sees a person’s talent and motivation can create an additional job for him/her and invite that person to work in a company he/ she was applying for.

Job fairs and job hunting Another interesting way to look for a job is to actively “hunt” for a potential employer or partner at career fairs, conferences, trainings and various public events. In this case, there is no need to do anything special – just actively use all the opportunities offered, participate in exhibitions, events, trainings and conferences that are related to the field of interest, and express yourself boldly in them. Often, acquaintances made in this way turn into partnerships in joint activities or attractive job offers!