Welcome to the home of the GADJ! Here you will find all the GADJ lesson plans ready for download and printing. GADJ has also expanded with 19 new lesson plans so be sure to check it out. For more information or questions regarding GADJ, feel free to contact Pat Harris, NCWorks Outreach Coordinator at pharris@mideastcom.org or Brandi Bragg, Career Pathways Facilitator at brandi.bragg@nencpathways.org.
The Guidance and Direction for Job Seekers manual, known as GADJ, was developed to aid frontline staff who provide career counselling. As referenced by the University of Texas at Dallas, a thorough career counselling process is a continuous cycle of assessing self, exploring options, developing skills, marketing self, and performing job skills. This manual provides necessary components for comprehensive career guidance, with each component divided by age-appropriate strategies and available resources to advance opportunities.
GADJ is written in a “lesson plan” format for ease of delivery. This second edition of GADJ includes 29 fundamental lessons. We encourage each agency or institution to evaluate their programs and create additional lessons, as needed. See the following for more information.
Career Guidance Cycle (Standards For Each Career Development Phase)
In a task as mundane as grocery shopping, the shopper takes a mental inventory of what he or she has at home and thinks about what is needed for the upcoming week. Why, then, when making career choices, wouldn’t a job seeker take “inventory” of skills, interests, strengths, personality, values, and ambitions?
Gathering information for this inventory can look different but the goal is the same – to assess oneself before beginning the job seeking process. The following are lessons for self-assessment.
Lesson Plan 1.1 – Self Awareness – Traitify
Lesson Plan 1.2 – Reality Check
Lesson Plan 1.3 – Identifying Barriers
Lesson Plan 1.4 – S.M.A.R.T. Goals Soundtrack
Lesson Plan 1.5 – What Is Your Learning Style?
Once you’ve assessed your skills, interests, and values, it’s time to roll up your sleeves and do some research and make connections. It’s essential to do online research, read books, and talk on the phone or in person with alumni and others with experience in your field of interest to get a realistic view of career opportunities. This can help you get the lay of the land and illuminate pathways into different fields. (https://www.brown.edu/campus-life/support/careerlab/exploring-options) The following are lessons for exploring options.
Title Page – Exploring Options
Lesson Plan 2.1 – Job Searching Skills
Lesson Plan 2.2 – Using NC Career Clusters Guide
Lesson Plan 2.3 – Using My Plan Online
Lesson Plan 2.4 – Post-Secondary Education Vocabulary
Lesson Plan 2.5 – Finding & Using Community Resources
Lesson Plan 2.6 – Exploring The World Of Post-Secondary Education
Developing skills is important in life and in work, and it never ends. As we build our careers, we will need to develop new skills along the way. The following are lessons for developing skills.
Title Page – Developing Skills
Lesson Plan 3.1 – Attitude Counts
Lesson Plan 3.2 – Communication Skills – Following Directions
Lesson Plan 3.3 – Five-Step Decision Making Model
Lesson Plan 3.4 – Building Effective Customer Service Skills In The Workplace
Lesson Plan 3.5 – Developing Communication Skills For The Workplace
When companies have a new product to sell, they begin a marketing campaign to promote their product. You may be familiar with some of these from television commercials, print ads and radio jingles. Many feature music or scenery that you remember and associate with that product such as Nationwide Insurance, which use musicians, athletes and their famous “Nationwide is on your side” jingle. Applying and interviewing for jobs require the same tactics only the product you are selling is yourself. How do you market yourself to potential employers when you cannot create a one minute commercial to show them? By crafting a great résumé and using social media responsibly, you will be able to advertise your skills and abilities in a way that makes employer remember you and want to hire you.
Title Page – Marketing Yourself
Lesson Plan 4.2 – Social Media & The Job Search
Lesson Plan 4.3 – Creating Your Online Professional Profile
Lesson Plan 4.4 – Essential Résumé
Lesson Plan 4.5 – Required Documentation
Lesson Plan 4.6 – Preparation For The Online Interview
Lesson Plan 4.7 – Necessary Engagement: Networking
Career Planning doesn’t end once you get the job. It is just as important to learn job keeping skills as it is to learn job seeking skills. The following are lessons for performing.
Lesson Plan 5.1 – The Toothpick Factory
Lesson Plan 5.2 – Time Management Skills
Lesson Plan 5.3 – Professional Dress For Interviews
Lesson Plan 5.4 – A Definition Of Customer Service
Lesson Plan 5.5 – Recognizing Generational Differences In The Workplace
Lesson Plan 5.6 – Financial Literacy: Choosing A Credit Card