TransitionTN Pre-Employment Transition Services Sequencing Guide
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Job Exploration Counseling
Job Exploration Counseling is a process that will help students with disabilities get to know and understand themselves and
the world of work in order to make career, education, and life decisions. Job Exploration Counseling aims to develop and
increase the student’s awareness of various career and employment options to allow them to make informed decisions about
their career path. Some of the most common competency categories under the Job Exploration Counseling category are:
| Job Exploration | ||
|---|---|---|
| TransitionTN Recommendations | Pre-ETS | |
| Career Awareness | Career Awareness | |
| Working knowledge of reasons why having a job and career is important | ||
| 1. Identify the benefits gained by being employed | ||
| a. Becoming more independent | ||
| b. Earning income | ||
| c. Increasing involvement in the community | ||
| d. Making friends and personal connections | ||
| e. Achieving goals | ||
| 2. Explain the difference between a job and a career: | ||
| a. Short-term vs. long-term | ||
| 3. Explain how having a variety of job experiences can lead to a career that aligns with their skills and interests | ||
| 4. Describe their own motivation for wanting to become employed | ||
| General knowledge of career fields, career clusters, career pathways, and employment options | ||
| 1. Identify and describe the six career fields | ||
| a. Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources | ||
| b. Arts, Communication, and Information Systems | ||
| c. Business, Management, and Administration | ||
| d. Engineering, Manufacturing, and Technology | ||
| e. Health Science Technology | ||
| f. Human Services | ||
| 2. Explain how the 16 Career Clusters are organized into the six career fields and how each contains multiple career pathways and types of jobs | ||
| 3. Identify career fields, clusters, and pathways that they would be interested in learning more about | ||
| Utilizing various resources to support job exploration | ||
| 1. Explain how national, state, and community-specific resources can be used to explore job and career options | ||
| 2. Identify and navigate general career exploration websites: | ||
| a. O*Net | ||
| b. Career One Stop | ||
| 3. Navigate JOBS4TN.gov to find state and local information about job and career information at the state and local level | ||
| 4. Identify personal network connections that can help support potential job and career opportunities | ||
| Developing knowledge of the types of employment and how they fit into the labor market | ||
| 1. Define labor market and explain how labor market information can influence the jobs or careers they are interested in exploring | ||
| 2. Explain the difference between high-demand and low-demand industries and occupations and how this information can inform career goals | ||
| 3. Navigate the bls.gov (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics) and JOBS4tn.gov to compare and contrast national vs. local labor market information | ||
| 4. Identify and define the types of employment that are available: | ||
| a. Part-Time | ||
| b. Full-Time | ||
| c. Seasonal | ||
| d. Non-Traditional | ||
| 5. Define and identify examples of non-traditional employment options: | ||
| a. Remote/Teleworking | ||
| b. Self-Employment | ||
| c. Customized Employment | ||
| d. Job Sharing | ||
| 6. Identify at least two in-demand jobs that they are interested in exploring | ||
| Working knowledge of work-specific information needed to enter employment | ||
| 1. Define common career-related terms: | ||
| a. Job requirements/qualifications | ||
| b. Work environment/culture | ||
| c. Duties/responsibilities | ||
| d. Soft skills | ||
| e. Technical skills | ||
| f. Pay/Salary | ||
| g. Growth opportunities | ||
| h. Demand of job | ||
| 2. Compare and contrast various types of work environments and | ||
| atmospheres: | ||
| a. Collaborative vs. Individual work | ||
| b. Slow-paced vs. Fast-paced | ||
| c. Physically demanding vs. Office-based | ||
| d. Inside vs. Outside | ||
| e. Quiet vs. Loud | ||
| 3. Identify common soft skills that are required for most types of employment | ||
| 4. Compare and contrast technical skills that are required for jobs and careers in various career clusters | ||
| 5. Identify opportunities for advancement or growth for at least two job or career options | ||
| 6. Gather details for at least two jobs or careers: | ||
| a. Job requirements/qualifications | ||
| b. Work environment/culture | ||
| c. Duties/responsibilities | ||
| d. Soft skills | ||
| e. Technical skills | ||
| f. Pay/Salary | ||
| g. Growth opportunities | ||
| h. Demand of job | ||
| Career Exploration | Career Exploration | |
| Developing an understanding of vocational interests, preferences, and strengths through student assessment | ||
| 1. Complete inventories, surveys, or self-assessments to gain awareness of their skills, preferences, interests, needs, and strengths as they pertain to the workplace | ||
| 2. Identify their interests based on their assessment results and explain what skills they currently have that align with those interests | ||
| 3. Complete inventories, surveys, or self-assessments to learn more about vocational interests | ||
| 4. Identify types of jobs and careers that would align with their vocational interests | ||
| 5. Highlight the results from the inventories, surveys, or self-assessment results into a portfolio, one-page profile, or other storage methods of choice | ||
| Working knowledge of specific skills and qualifications needed to be successful in a career | ||
| 1. Identify a variety of employment options based on the results from inventories, surveys, and self-assessments | ||
| 2. Develop a list of soft skills and technical skills required for careers or jobs of interest | ||
| 3. Identify skills that connect to core academic content areas learned while in high school | ||
| 4. Create a list of required skills or trainings that may be needed to be eligible for the job or career of interest | ||
| 5. Determine the soft and technical skills they currently possess and compare them to the skills that are required to be eligible for the job or career of interest | ||
| 6. Determine the skills they do not possess and need to further develop according to requirements for their job or career interest | ||
| Understanding of how to identify jobs and careers that connect interests, skills, values, motivation, and preferences | ||
| 1. Use websites to research jobs that align with interests and complement the results from inventories, surveys, or self-assessments: | ||
| a. O*Net | ||
| b. Career One Stop | ||
| c. Jobs4TN.gov | ||
| d. BLS.gov | ||
| 2. Create a list of potential jobs or careers that align with the results from inventories, surveys, or self-assessments | ||
| 3. Describe the demand and level of competitiveness for job or career interests in the community where they want to live | ||
| 4. Identify career choices as they relate to personal interests, values, personality traits | ||
| 5. Compare and contrast specific job and career details and determine which options may be the best fit for according to interests, skills, values, motivations, and preferences | ||
| a. Job requirements/qualifications | ||
| b. Work environment/culture | ||
| c. Duties/responsibilities | ||
| d. Soft skills | ||
| e. Technical skills | ||
| f. Pay/Salary | ||
| g. Benefits | ||
| h. Company values | ||
| i. Growth opportunities | ||
| Individualized Career Planning and Preparation | ||
| Developing self-awareness and making connections to job and career options | ||
| 1. Describe themselves by providing personal information about: | ||
| a. Preferences | ||
| b. Interests | ||
| c. Strengths | ||
| d. Needs | ||
| e. Values | ||
| f. Personality traits | ||
| 2. Describe the aspects of a job or career that are important to them: | ||
| a. Work environment/culture | ||
| b. Duties/responsibilities | ||
| c. Pay/Salary | ||
| d. Benefits | ||
| e. Growth opportunities | ||
| f. Company values | ||
| g. Social opportunities | ||
| 3. Make connections between personal information and aspects of jobs or careers that are important to them | ||
| 4. Identify at least one potential job or career option that relates to their preferences, interests, strengths, needs, values, and personality traits | ||
| Building confidence in abilities, skills, and strengths | ||
| 1. Describe personal strengths as they relate to technical skills needed for a desired job or career | ||
| 2. Describe personal strengths as they relate to soft skills needed for a desired job or career | ||
| 3. Identify skills or work tasks that align with their natural aptitudes or abilities | ||
| 4. List skills or work tasks that they are confident performing independently | ||
| 5. Accept feedback about strengths and weaknesses when given constructive criticism | ||
| 6. Reflect on previous work experiences and identify strengths and skill areas where they need more support, practice, or development to be successful in a job or career of interest | ||
| 7. Show ownership, confidence, and control of behaviors in the work environment through self-efficacy | ||
| a. Speak up for the career or job they want | ||
| b. Demonstrate that they have the skills to do the job | ||
| c. Take action for developing skills they don’t currently have | ||
| Making informed decisions to set achievable employment goals | ||
| 1. Demonstrate self-awareness by identifying job or career options that align with personal attributes, interests, skills, and abilities | ||
| 2. Identify at least one job or career that they are interested in applying for | ||
| 3. Determine the level of training or education that would be needed to obtain the job or career of interest | ||
| 4. Set realistic career goals that are supported by interest inventories, surveys, interviews, and any past working or community experiences | ||
| 5. Develop an action plan of the steps that need to be taken to achieve their career goals | ||
| 6. Identify alternative career goals or interests related to strengths, skills, and abilities | ||
| Experience-Based Job Exploration | ||
| Attending presentations by career speakers | ||
| 1. Prepare for the presentation by identifying any information they already know about the career speaker and their job responsibilities | ||
| a. Company or business they work for | ||
| b. Job title | ||
| c. Job responsibilities | ||
| d. Job requirements | ||
| 2. Research general information about the job of the career speaker: | ||
| a. Career field, cluster, and pathway | ||
| b. Labor market information | ||
| c. Location | ||
| d. Schedule | ||
| 3. Develop questions about topics that will help them to learn more about the speaker's career journey and current position | ||
| 4. Participate during the career speaker’s presentation by listening, recording information, and asking questions | ||
| 5. Identify new information about the job or career of the speaker that they learned during the presentation | ||
| 6. Reflect on the presentation and determine if they would like to research and explore the career or job as an option for themselves | ||
| Completing student-led interviews to gather information about jobs or careers | ||
| 1. Identify specific jobs or careers they would like to learn more about | ||
| 2. Research general information about the job or career such as: | ||
| a. Career field, cluster, and pathway | ||
| b. Labor market information | ||
| c. Location | ||
| d. Schedule | ||
| 3. Identify businesses in the community that have employees in jobs that are included in the career field, cluster, and pathway of interest | ||
| 4. Develop questions for the interviewee that will provide information and help them determine if the job would be a good fit | ||
| 5. Complete the interview in-person, virtually, over the phone, or through email and document answers to the interview questions | ||
| 6. Reflect on the interview and determine if they would like to research and explore the career or job as an option for themselves | ||
| Observing various jobs and careers | ||
| 1. Identify specific jobs or careers they would like to learn more about | ||
| 2. Research general information about the job or career such as: | ||
| a. Career field, cluster, and pathway | ||
| b. Labor market information | ||
| c. Location | ||
| d. Schedule | ||
| 3. Identify businesses in the community that have employees in jobs that are included in the career field, cluster, and pathway of interest | ||
| 4. Visit the business to observe a specific employee with the job or career they are interested in | ||
| 5. Document their observations and what they learned from watching the employee complete their work tasks | ||
| 6. Reflect on the observation and determine if they would like to research and explore the career or job as an option for themselves | ||
| Participating in a Career and Technical Student Organization (CTSO) | ||
| 3. Prepare to attend a local career fair by researching what specific | ||
| companies and types of businesses will be at the fair | ||
| 3. Identify CTSO options that are available to them through their school or other community organizations | ||
| 4. Choose a CTSO that is available and aligns with their career clusters of interest | ||
| 5. Join a CTSO that provides skill development and exposure to careers of interest-based on the results of the Career Clusters Interest Survey | ||
| 6. Reflect on their participation in the CTSO and determine if they would like to research and explore careers or jobs with similar characteristics | ||
| Attending a local career fair | ||
| 1. Understand that the purpose of a career fair is to network and gather information about current or future job openings at local businesses | ||
| 2. Identify specific jobs or careers they would like to learn more about | ||
| 3. Prepare to attend a local career fair by researching what specific companies and types of businesses will be at the fair | ||
| 4. Develop a list of businesses they want to connect with while at the fair | ||
| 5. Reflect on the conversations they had with business representatives at the fair and identify which opportunities they would like to explore further | ||
- Career Awareness
- Working knowledge of reasons why having a job and career is important
- General knowledge of career fields, career clusters, career pathways, and employment options
- Utilizing various resources to support job exploration
- Developing knowledge of the types of employment and how they fit into the labor market
- Working knowledge of work-specific information needed to enter employment
- Career Exploration
- Developing an understanding of vocational interests, preferences, and strengths through student assessment
- Working knowledge of specific skills and qualifications needed to be successful in a career
- Understanding of how to identify jobs and careers that connect interests, skills, values, motivation, and preferences
- Individualized Career Planning and Preparation
- Developing self-awareness and making connections to job and career options
- Building confidence in abilities, skills, and strengths
- Making informed decisions to set achievable employment goals
- Experience-Based Job Exploration
- Attending presentations by career speakers
- Completing student-led interviews to gather information about jobs or careers
- Observing various jobs and careers
- Participating in a Career and Technical Student Organization (CTSO)
- Attending a local career fair