Explanation of Finding a Job

Due Dates:
Work Experience Selected - Friday, 11/11/11

Completed Job Application - Friday, 12/9/11
Interview Completed - Friday, 12/9/11

An important message to this year's students:

By far, the most important advice that previous CIBACS students have given about the work experience portion of the year is to choose a job you love, one that you actually might want to do in the future. If you choose a job only because you already know someone in the field so it is the easiest to complete, you will be investing a great deal of time in something which may not be exciting or interesting to you. This experience will be useful to you only if you choose to make it useful.

How a mentor will be found:          

The task of finding an internship is primarily left to the student, although during class time the teacher will have the students network with one another to make finding a mentor easier. The teacher will also try to help students who are unsure of where to go for an internship by suggesting mentors who were used by previous CIBACS students. Students will need to find a mentor with whom they will be able to complete ten hours total of work experience. The student must then provide contact information to the teacher.

Students will establish initial contact with an employee at a site. This employee will become the student's mentor in helping the student to learn about the employee's career. The teacher will provide the student with a letter to give to the mentor, which explains CIBACS and the work experience process. Often the best mentors are contacts made through parents and their friends because they are the people who are most willing to assist a student. Another option is to look for businesses in the yellow pages. Students should understand that finding an internship is difficult, but this is the best kind of preparation for the job search because it is a job search, in a sense.

Job Application Explanation
To begin, the student is to fill out a job application, either from the place of business at which he/she plans to intern or from any other business. Many entry level positions require prospective employees to hand in applications, rather than résumés, to apply for a job. This is a practice application for an entry level position.

Interview Explanation
Once the student finds an internship, he/she must be interviewed by a qualified person at the business. The interviewer will be asked to fill out a form that provides feedback for the student on how the interview went. The students will also complete practice group interviews during class time in order to receive feedback on interview performance.

Important Handouts
CIBACS Introductory Letter from Teacher
Supervisor and Business Information Form
Interview Evaluation Form
Sample Questions to Ask Your Mentor
Confirmation of Internship Hours