At HopeWorks, one of our founding programs is our Personal and Career Development course – a 10- to 13-week, tuition-free program that includes more than 300 hours of classroom instruction and counseling. Our teachers strive to instill the knowledge and skills needed to grow as a member of the workforce, so that no matter where you are in your career, you’ll graduate with the tools needed to obtain and maintain meaningful employment.
Now that you know a little more about our PCD programming, you might be wondering what you’ll learn during one of our sessions. Keep reading for an overview of our curriculum, including a glimpse into our integrated counseling program.
Career background information
One of the first things you’ll do during our PCD class is get to know yourself. We’ll spend time exploring your interests, abilities, work values and personality to discuss options for your future career. From there, you’ll take a strengths finder assessment so that we can tailor your options specifically to you!
Preparing for the future
The next phase of our PCD class focuses on day-to-day interactions with your future coworkers and boss. We’ll begin by discussing what employers are looking for and how to best market yourself to fit their needs. From there, we’ll move on to sessions such as developing tactics to start your new career on the right foot, mapping out how to progress in your field and at your company, and covering what to do in case of workplace harassment.
Finding a job
After we cover all the bases, we’ll move onto the skills needed to land your new job. We’ll work together to create a cover letter, discuss how to use a telephone professionally, develop a step-by-step guide to organize your job search and recognize the importance of social media. All of these topics will help you get a step ahead during your job hunt!
Applying and interviewing
Now that you’ve selected your preferred jobs, we begin to lay out the application process. Here we create a master application form which allows us to create your resume and discuss the dos and don’ts of the application process. We also host mock interviews which include typical interview questions, behavioral questions and questions meant to challenge. Going into an interview prepared makes it less intimidating and allows you to showcase yourself and your talents to your best abilities!
Counseling
Even though the focus of our PCD courses is job preparedness and training, we know that creating a solid foundation is crucial to the success of our students. Students participate in weekly counseling sessions to help them with personal issues. Here’s what is typically covered during our sessions.
- Transactional analysis – identifying the three ego states (parent-like, childlike and adult-like) and practicing speaking and responding from the adult ego state.
- High threat and low threat – breaking down situations into high and low threats and discussing appropriate responses. Ex. “My spouse hit me” = high threat situation that requires a high threat response. “My spouse gets on my nerves when they don’t help with housework” = low threat situation that requires a low threat response.
- Communication styles and personality styles
- Self esteem
- Healthy relationships
- Goal setting and prioritizing
- Dealing with anger and/or grief
- Relaxation and stress management
- Parenting issues
Armed with the necessary tools and new skill sets, our students graduate and step out into the world – often with jobs or internships in their preferred field, thanks to our employer and workforce partners. If you’re interested in participating in our next PCD class or want to become a partner, please call 901-272-3700.