What are Employers Looking For? Lesson Plan
ACP Lesson Plan
| Title:What are Employers Looking For? | Author: Robert Schoen |
| Subject(s): Career Development & Character Development, English Language Arts | |
| Grade Level(s): 9-12 | Total Time: 2 to 3 45-minute class periods |
Overview / Description:
This lesson plan will identify what employability/essential skills the employers in the area are looking for in their employees. Students will interview human resource managers at local businesses and ask questions to identify these skills. After they have identified the desired skills, the students will create and deliver a presentation on one of the skills and describe what it means and what it looks like in industry.
Learning goals/objectives:
After completing this activity, students should be able to:
- identify the skills and attitudes employers in their area are most desired in their employees.
- create interview questions.
- interview an industry partner about employability skills.
- create and deliver a presentation on an employability skill.
Workplace Readiness Skill:
| x | Social Skills | x | Communication |
| x | Attitude and Initiative | x | Planning and Organization |
| x | Professionalism | Media Etiquette |
Content Standards:
Wisconsin Common Career Technical Standards
Career Development
Standard: CD4: Students will identify and apply employability skills.
CD4.a.6.h: Evaluate how self-discipline, self-worth, positive attitude and integrity displayed in a work situation affect employment status.
English Language Arts
Speaking and Listening
WI.ELA-Literacy.SL.9-10.1c: Propel conversations by posing and responding to questions that relate the current discussion to broader themes or larger ideas; actively incorporate others into the discussion; and clarify, verify, or challenge ideas and conclusions.
WI.ELA-Literacy.SL.9-10.4: Present information, findings, and supporting evidence clearly, concisely, and logically such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning and the organization, development, substance, and style are appropriate to purpose, audience, and task.
- Materials:
Interviewing Lesson Plan - "How to Help Students Develop Interviewing Skills" by Bernice Yeung
YouTube video - Martin Scorsese Italianamerican
Learning Activities:
WHO (T=Teacher Focus Lesson; WG=Whole Group\; SM=Small Group; I=Independent)
| Learning Activity Task | WHO is responsible for this step? | Approximate time for task |
| Teacher will introduce the lesson by discussing the importance of employability skills to area employers. Brainstorm with students a list of skills they believe may be important to area employers. Then introduce the lesson objective of practicing interviewing skills to find out from an actual area employer the job skills they believe are most important. | T | 10 minutes |
| From the lesson plan "How to Help Students Develop Interviewing Skills" by Bernice Yeung linked above: Watch the first two minutes of the opening scene of Martin Scorcese's documentary Italianamerican, which can be found on YouTube linked above, and discuss what parts of the interview went wrong and which parts worked. | WG | 5 minutes |
| Stage two short mock interviews for the class. Pick a topic that all students can relate to, like Homecoming Week. In the first, only ask closed, or yes-or-no, questions, and discuss how it went ("Did you like Homecoming?"). Next, conduct another mock interview, in which only open questions are asked ("What suggestions would you have for Homecoming Week next year?"). Discuss the difference between the two interviews. Finally, create guidelines about what makes for a good interview question based on what the students have witnessed. | 15 minutes | |
| Teacher will review interview skills from the lesson plan linked above - Review the Basics First, convey the fundamental goals of an interview, which are to:
High Quality Questions: Remind students that asking the right kinds of questions will elicit more meaningful responses. Advise your students to:
Writing the Right Queries To write high-quality questions, ask students to first research the interviewee and decide what kind of information they'd like to learn from that person. Then, to help students develop relevant questions, describe various categories of questions that could be asked during an interview:
| T | 15 minutes |
| Have students develop a list of questions that they could ask about employability skills. Then have students Think-Pair-Share their interview questions with a partner. | Each Small Group | 15 min. |
| Students will get in groups of 2 or 3 and each group contact an area employer. (The teacher may have a preselected list of employers for the student to choose from). Alternatively, students could individually interview a parent, family member, or other adult about the soft skills they see and don't see in their position. Students will ask questions of the interviewee to determine what skills and attitudes they are looking for in their new hires. Students are encouraged to take detailed notes during their interviews. | Each Small Group | 15 minutes for interview |
| After interviews, students will regroup with their team members and review their answers. Groups will be asked to present their findings in a small skit demonstrating one of the skills or attitudes identified. Each team should conference with the teacher to choose their skill, but not reveal it to the rest of the class. Skits should be at least 2 minutes in length and include parts for all group members to play. | Each Small Group | 30 min. |
| Students will practice their skits and then present their skit to the rest of the class. Class members will try to determine the employability skill being presented in each skit. | Each Small Group | 20-30 minutes, based on number of skits |
Assessment:
Summative Assessment - Employability Skills Skit - 4 Possible points.
- 1 for contacting and interviewing an area employer (or other alternative interviewee)
- 1 for identifying a skill or attitude to feature in a skit
- 1 for creating a skit which appropriately features the chosen skill or attitude
- 1 for performing a skit with all group members
Wrap-Up:
Teacher will lead the class in a discussion on employability skills or attitudes. Students should reveal the employability skill that their skit was featuring. Teacher could lead the class in an exercising ranking employability skills from most to least important.
Extension Activity (for intervention or enrichment):
Teacher could follow this activity with a visit from a Human Resources representative from a local company discussing employability skills, hiring, interviewing, etc.
Class may take a tour of an area company and have a discussion on-site with an HR representative.