Solon High School Career Readiness Preparing for the World of Work

On What it Means to be Career Ready To acquire “career readiness,” not just college admission or work preparedness, students need to develop “soft skills.” David Conley, College and Career Ready: Helping All Students Succeed Beyond High School

Soft Skills: the ability to Work independently Work as part of a team Follow directions Learn continuously Analyze information Set personal goals Take initiative Demonstrate leadership as appropriate

On Employability Skills In a 2011 survey conducted by the National Association of Manufacturers, “40% of employers cited ‘inadequate basic employability skills’ as a reason why they can’t hire and keep workers.” Mark Bauerlein in “Graduates’ professionalism gap,” The Plain Dealer, 2013

On Professionalism on the Job In a 2013 York College survey, 49% of human resources representatives surveyed said fewer than half of new employees “exhibit professionalism in their first year.” “Professionalism in the Workplace” survey cited in “Graduates’ professionalism gap”

On Professionalism on the College Campus In a “Professionalism on Campus” survey conducted by York College in 2012, 37% of professors noted a decline in attentiveness, punctuality, and work ethic in students in the past five years. “Graduates’ professionalism gap”

On New Norms for Resumes Your resume should “showcase what you can do for the employer [or college] based on past experiences, successes, or credentials.” An objective is outdated; a summary of qualifications is now “best practice.” Samantha Nolan, author of the “Dear Sam” column, The Plain Dealer, 2013.

Your counselors and teachers want you to have awareness of and preparation to meet current career and employment trends. That is what today is all about. Let’s get to work.