JA It's My Job (Soft Skills)^™

JA It's My Job (Soft Skills) will help students understand the value of professional communication and soft skills, making them more employable to future employers across multiple career clusters. Lessons will focus on social and soft skill competencies relating real-life experiences to job skills and preparing students for their future careers. Topics include communication and presentation skills, manners, listening skills, and cell phone etiquette. This program is part of the JA Work and Career Readiness Pathway. Recommended for high school but may be adapted for middle school.

Pillars of Student Success	Entrepreneurship: Minimal	Financial Literacy: Minimal	Work Readiness: High

Program Implementation	Program Grade-Level
Classroom Based	Grades 6-12

Program Concepts	Program Skills
Cell phone behavior and function in the workplace, Character development, Career preparation, Employer expectations, Ethics, Job application, Job interview, Positive attitude, Professionalism, Making a good impression, Manners, Relationships with others, Resume, Self-motivation, Soft, interpersonal, or transferable skills, Workplace behavior and productivity, Workplace communication	Active listening, Analyzing and applying information, Collaboration, Critical observation, Decision-making, Demonstrating soft skills in a mock interview, Evaluating alternatives, Examine forms, Oral and written communication, Presenting information, Role-playing, Self-evaluation, Working in teams, Weighing consequences of personal behavior

Program Sessions

Communicating about Yourself

This session covers communication methods to ensure workplace success. Students learn what their dress, speech, and listening skills communicate to others about themselves.

Objectives:

Recognize the importance of manners as an element of professionalism.

Identify language and style appropriate for the workplace.

Applications and Resumes

This session covers job applications and resumes, two written methods of applying for a job. Students examine both document forms and begin to think about how to adapt their experiences, skills, and achievements into the applicable template to present themselves to a potential employer.

Objectives:

Identify information necessary for a job application.

Recognize key features and formatting of resumes.

Use appropriate language for a resume.

Interviewing for a Job

This session covers communication styles used during the process of job hunting, with an emphasis on interviewing. Students complete an activity and track their accomplishments in a "brag sheet." Additional activities are available in which students develop a personal profile that will help them succeed during an interview and in which students practice mock interviews.

Objectives:

Identify information necessary for a job application.

Recognize key features and formatting of resumes.

Use appropriate language for a resume.

Cell Phones in the Workplace

Students develop an understanding of appropriate communication methods to ensure workplace success.

Objectives:

Recognize and identify appropriate and inappropriate uses of cell phones in the workplace.

Identify the effects of inappropriate usage of cell phones in the workplace.

Adapt cell phone behavior and functions for professional uses.

Recognize and apply appropriate texting style for communicating in the workplace.

Workplace Communication

This session covers communication methods for the workplace. Activities focus on appropriate tone and topics for the workplace and strategies for collaborating effectively.

Objectives:

Identify and use an appropriate professional tone in workplace communication.

Identify appropriate and inappropriate subjects for workplace discussion.

Enable cooperative and productive group interactions.

Communicate to solve problems collaboratively and respectfully.

Workplace Writing

This session covers the basics of professional writing. Included are modules that allow students to practice writing concisely, clearly, and correctly, with appropriate workplace style. Activities give students practice in writing and rewriting for the professional environment.

Objectives:

Use proper spelling, grammar, and punctuation in the workplace.

List best practices for effective business writing.

Use clear language and appropriate style for written communication in the workplace.

Identify important ideas and express them clearly and concisely in writing.

Citi Foundation

Junior Achievement gratefully acknowledges the Citi Foundation for its dedication to the development and implementation of the JA It's My Job (Soft Skills) program. Junior Achievement appreciates its collaboration with Citi to inspire and prepare young people to succeed in a global economy. JA programs encourage self-confidence and motivate young people to achieve their personal, educational, and career goals.