Presentation geared for job seekers aged 50+

1. Job Searching
in a Web
Based World
Training Sponsored by the
Adult Student Center (ASC)

2. The ASC is a JCTC support service designed specifically
to meet the needs of adult learners, offering assistance
in the areas most relevant to them.
Adult Student Center (ASC)
Services
Services include:
Basic computer skills training Information on programs
Interpretation of policies Customized career coaching
Student advocacy Prior learning credit exploration
Referrals to resources Programs of interest

3. The CREW Career Center

4. This workshop will
focus on five
specific areas
Websites
to
Help Brand
Yourself
Branding
Basics and
Strategies
101
Interviewing
Basics
Career
Preparation
via Resume
Development
Steps to
Maintaining
Your Brand

5. Websites
to
Help Brand
Yourself
To-do list items
to complete
Branding
Basics and
Strategies
101
Interviewing
Basics
Resources that
can help you
Career
Preparation
via Resume
Development
Steps to
Maintaining
Your Brand
At the conclusion of each section, you will receive
information about the following…
Help
completing
your to-do list
This information is also available in your packet at the
end of the presentation

6. Technology is everywhere and branding yourself online is
very important!

7. The Internet Has Helped the
Networking Process
• Technology has made it easier than ever to network with
contacts, including employers and other professionals in your
desired career field.
• As an adult learner, learning or growing your knowledge of
these social media terms and resources will allow you to
better market your valued experiences and qualifications now
and after your graduate from JCTC.
• Start today to take control over how you are perceived online
because hiring managers will likely be searching for you.

8. Terms we will be using today
There are too many social media terms to name them all.
However, let’s familiarize ourselves with the terminology we will
be referencing today.
Social Media
Definition: Forms of electronic communication (as Web sites for social
networking and blogging) through which users create online communities to
share information, ideas, personal messages, and other content. (as videos)

9. Additional Terms
• Career Portfolio: A website in which you post your resume, projects, presentations,
qualifications, and experiences as related to positions in your field.
• Logging In: The process to gaining access to a website that restricts access to
content, and requires registration. This usually involves typing in a username and
password. The username may be your "real" name, or a combination of letters
and/or numbers chosen for the purpose.
• Online: This word refers to being connected to the Internet, and also being
there in the sense of reading or producing content.
• Profiles: The information that you provide about yourself when signing up for a
Terms we will be using today
social networking site is considered your profile.
• Post: An item on a blog or social media website, including Facebook.
• QR Code: A matrix bar code providing encoded information, most commonly in the
form of a URL, which can be read by a QR scanner, camera phone or smart phone.
• URL: URL is an abbreviation for Uniform Resource Locator, which refers to an
Internet address like www.crew.cc

10. The Importance of Branding Yourself Online:
Just the Facts
• According to Career Builder, 39% of employers are using
social media to research job candidates during the hiring
process.
• Employers are also using social media to advertise their
current openings. In 2012, 92% of surveys respondents, to a
Time article, planned on using social networks for recruiting.
• “To a great extent, you are who the Internet says you are,”
claimed a recent Forbes article.

11. How to Make an Online Pitch
Google
Yourself
Create a Wordle of
your Two-Minute
Presentation
Develop a
Two-Minute
Presentation (or
elevator speech)

12. Develop a Two-Minute Presentation
• What is it?
• A Two-Minute Presentation, or elevator speech, is an opportunity for
you to concisely promote your career objective, relevant skills,
experiences, and accomplishments.
• When is it used?
• A Two-Minute Presentation is often used in an interview when a
candidate is asked to “Tell Me About Yourself” and during
networking opportunities.
• What’s the connection with selling yourself online?
• Writing down your Two-Minute Presentation will prove useful when
you consider the type of online content you want an employer to see
when he/she searches for you.

13. Common Two-Minute Presentation Content
The Two-Minute Presentation
is a great way to sell BOTH
your recent education and work
experiences, along with your
past work experience. Sell your
maturity, company loyalty, and
your desire to stay with a
company and grow
1. What is your career objective and goals?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
2. What is your related educational background and work experiences?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
3. What are your strengths?
_____________________________________________________________________
4. What are your accomplishments?
_____________________________________________________________________
5. What sets you apart from other candidates?
_____________________________________________________________________

14. Two-Minute Presentation Continued
• It’s often difficult to sell yourself
and market your skills.
• Think of the Two-Minute
Presentation as developing your
professional story. To get help:
• Review learning
outcomes/objectives on
syllabi to identify
qualifications obtained
through coursework.
• Review ONET to learn what
skills are most critical in your
desired career.
Let’s look at a syllabus and ONET
example

15. clouds give greater prominence to words that appear more frequently in the source text.
You can tweak your clouds with different fonts, layouts, and color schemes. The images
you create with Wordle are yours to use however you like. You can print them out, or save
them to the Wordle gallery to share with your friends.
Syllabi Learning Outcomes
ONET Skill Statements

16. How to Make an Online Pitch
Google
Yourself
Create a Wordle of
your Two-Minute
Presentation
Develop a
two-minute
presentation (or
elevator speech)

17. Wordle
• What is Wordle?
• Wordle is a website in which you can put text into a text box
and then see a visual representation of your text (with the
words that recur the most in your text being most
prominent).
clouds give greater prominence to words that appear more frequently in the source text.
You can tweak your clouds with different fonts, layouts, and color schemes. The images
you create with Wordle are yours to use however you like. You can print them out, or save
them to the Wordle gallery to share with your friends.
How can you use Wordle?
• Once you have created your Two-Minute Presentation, copy
and paste it into Wordle.
• This visual tool is a great way to begin thinking about the
words, phrases, and content you want employers to see when
they Google you.

18. clouds give greater prominence to words that appear more frequently in the source text.
You can tweak your clouds with different fonts, layouts, and color schemes. The images
you create with Wordle are yours to use however you like. You can print them out, or save
them to the Wordle gallery to share with your friends.

19. Ask yourself the following questions after creating your Wordle
• What are the top ten largest words in your Wordle?
• Do these words best describe your candidacy?
• Do these words appear in the information listed on ONET for your desired
career path?
• If not, what can you do to revise your resume to reflect the direction you want
to go with your candidacy?
clouds give greater prominence to words that appear more frequently in the source text.
• You Are can there tweak any your words clouds that with pop different out that fonts, seem layouts, to indicate and something color schemes. negative
The images
you • create about your with candidacy? Wordle are yours If so, go to back use however to your Two-you Minute like. You Presentation can print them and out, figure
or save
out how to revise this language.
them to the Wordle gallery to share with your friends.
• Do your accomplishments stand out or could these words be used to describe any
candidate? If the words are too generic, go back to your resume and revise. Look at
ONET and course syllabi to really target your word choice for your career.

20. How to Make an Online Pitch
Google
Yourself
Create a Wordle of
your two-minute
presentation
Develop a
two-minute
presentation (or
elevator speech)

21. Google Yourself Activity
• Open Internet Explorer on your computer
• Go to www.google.com
• Type in your name
• Look at the search results
• What do you see?
• Is there any content about you?
• If so, are you happy or unhappy with this information?
• Additional thoughts or observations?

22. Take control of your brand
• Delete the content you don’t want employers to see
• Create the content you do want to be visible in a Google search

23. You now know strategies to make
an online pitch
Google
Yourself
Create a Wordle of
your two-minute
presentation
Develop a
two-minute
presentation (or
elevator speech)

24. Branding Basics Summary
 Write or revise your Two-Minute Presentation
 Review your Two-Minute Presentation with friends, colleagues, family, faculty,
and/or staff
 Google yourself to learn what content about yourself is public
 Look at the Two-Minute Presentation overview on the CREW Website’s
Networking page
 View the ONET Skill statements for your desired occupation and the learning
outcomes on your syllabi for assistance in tailoring your Two-Minute
Presentation to your desired career field
 Create a Wordle to see which words and phrases are most prominent in your
Two-Minute Presentation
 Schedule an appointment with a CREW Counselor on the Downtown or
Southwest campus to receive assistance in completing your Two-Minute
Presentation
 Visit a CREW Center location during walk-in hours.

25. Career Development
Via Resume
Development
Websites
to
Help Brand
Yourself
Branding
Basics and
Strategies
101
Interviewing
Basics
Career
Preparation
via Resume
Development
Steps to
Maintaining
Your Brand

26. Resume Next 6 months
Begin working on your
resume now. You, then,
can continue to update it.
Now
Career
Mock Interview
Your career portfolio/LinkedIn will
provide you with several key examples,
accomplishments, and experiences to
discuss in your mock interview.
Portfolio/LinkedIn
Having a working resume will be VERY
helpful in marketing yourself online.
Continue to update your portfolio and
LinkedIn profile as you obtain more
experiences.
Next 12-18
months
On-going
Maintain your online
brand and continue to
create/update content
related to your goals.
Before we begin discussing these upcoming sections, it’s important to note that you should
not complete all these activities at once. Let’s first discuss a suggested timeline in which to
complete these steps. (This timeline is a suggestion, however, and is subject to change
based on your preferences).

27. Resume Development
• Why should I write or revise a resume now?
• A resume is an excellent self-assessment tool. You will be better
prepared to discuss your relevant qualifications while also seeing
existing gaps in your experiences and skills that you can work on
obtaining during your time at JCTC.
• Also, developing a career portfolio or LinkedIn account, which we
will discuss in the last section, is extremely difficult without an
updated resume.
• Where I can get help?
• The CREW Center has walk-in and resume appointment offerings
each month to best accommodate your schedule. A counselor will
assist you in developing and customizing a resume for your career
field.
• You can schedule a resume appointment on the CREW Website. The
CREW Website also contains additional resume writing resources.

28. Common Resume Questions and Issues
What if my work experience is limited?
Consider including non-paid work experiences, including community engagement,
memberships, and professional development activities. Think of the transferable skills
gained through those experiences.
How many years of work experience should I list?
Often, candidates will list employment for the last 10-15 years. Be sure to emphasize
important results and achievements that could set you apart from other candidates and
consider making related experiences, if applicable, most prominent.
Should I list dates for prior degrees?
Unless you completed a credential in the last few years, omit the date. It’s only relevant
that you obtained the degree.
What if I am changing career fields?
Look at job descriptions and ONET for skills needed in your new career field and think of
existing transferable skills you already have in the “Summary of Skills” section of your
resume. Get assistance from the CREW Center in structuring your prior employment.

29. Common Resume Questions Continued
What if you lack experiences related to your career goals? How do you build your
candidacy to stand out?
• Search for volunteer opportunities related to your career goals. Volunteer Match is an
excellent website to search for local volunteer opportunities related to your career
interests.
• Review the CREW Job Site for part-time, full-time, and internship/co-op options in a
variety of career fields.
• Seek out work with professors and consider how the class projects you’ve completed
will give you related experiences.
Will an employer really hire me since I’m an older worker?
• Yes! Employers are interested in recency and relevancy. Your current academic
program and related career experiences provide you with recent and relevant
experiences. It’s up to you to sell the benefit of being a mature worker. Communicate
how your past experience will make you a more marketable candidate by affording
you with more life experiences to give you better judgment, a strong desire to achieve
than you possibly had when you were younger, and an excellent work ethic.

30. This resume
audit sheet is
available in
your packet
and provides a
framework for
writing and/or
revising your
resume
• Wordle is a website in which you can put text into a text box and then
see a visual representation, of your text (with the words that recur the
most in your text being most prominent).

31. Career Development Via Resume Writing Summary
 Write or revise a resume that is tailored to your career goals.
 Obtain experiences to build your candidacy.
 Develop a Reference Page.
 Review the CREW Center’s Resume Worksheet for resume formatting help
 Look at example resumes to get ideas about how to begin customizing your
skills.
 Complete a resume audit to ensure sure your formatting and organization is on
the right track.
 Review the Reference Resource Page to learn how to create this page.
 Schedule an appointment with a CREW Counselor on the Downtown or
Southwest campus to receive assistance in writing your resume.
 Submit your resume to the CREW Center’s Resume Dropbox to receive feedback
within 48 business hours.
 Visit a CREW Center location during walk-in hours.

32. Websites
to
Help Brand
Yourself
Branding
Basics and
Strategies
101
Interviewing
Basics
Career
Preparation
via Resume
Development
Steps to
Maintaining
Your Brand
Websites to Help
Brand Yourself

33. Professional Networking
with LinkedIn
Career Portfolio Development
with Wix

34. Twitter
Pinterest
Facebook
Instagram
Follow
Like
Post
Friend
Trending
Like
Google +
Slideshare
Blog
There are too many social media platforms and terms to know them all!
We’ll focus on two platforms you can use to begin branding yourself online.

35. What is LinkedIn?
• LinkedIn is a social networking site built for professionals. In
essence, it’s the professional networking version of
Facebook.
• LinkedIn has over 300 million users and 42% of them access
their accounts daily.
• Users create a profile to highlight their skills and make
make connections with a large number of people.

36. How can I create a successful LinkedIn
Profile?

37. How can I get help in creating my
LinkedIn account?
1) Visit the CREW Center or schedule an appointment to receive
assistance in creating or revising your LinkedIn account.
• You can schedule an appointment on the CREW website’s
networking page.
2) Use the Networking page on the CREW website to get additional tips
and advice.
3) Visit LinkedIn’s Help Center page to get immediate response to your
questions.
• LinkedIn also offers a series of free webinars, including LinkedIn
101, that you can watch online.

38. As an example, I typed in a question about showing recommendations, and I was able to
view several results.

39. Make a
custom url
Include a
detailed
Summary
Clear
description of
industry/
occupation
Include a
clear picture
of yourself

40. Professional Networking
with LinkedIn
Let’s now learn to develop a
career portfolio with Wix

41. • There are many free
website or portfolio
builders, including
WordPress, Weebly,
and Google Sites
• Wix, though, is the
most user friendly
• There are 100s of
templates you can
choose from when
you begin creating
your site

42. What Do I Need Before I Get Started?
 An Updated Resume
A career portfolio is rarely a
finished product. Start working
on your portfolio now. You can
always put “More Work Posted
Soon” or something similar, as
a placeholder. That way, you
can keep adding work as you
complete it.
• An updated resume will help you identify your key skills and experiences.
• As we’ve discussed, creating a career portfolio without a resume will prove
difficult.
 Project List
• Brainstorm any projects, including presentations, volunteer work, publications,
etc. that you have created.
 Two-Minute Presentation Review
• Your Two-Minute Presentation will help you in developing your story.
• Ask yourself the following questions:
• What is your theme?
• What are you trying to convey to someone looking at your portfolio?
• Do you think your content will begin to reflect your career goals?
 Review Career Portfolio Examples
• Look at the Promoting Yourself Online resource sheet for example portfolios in
various career fields.

43. What Are Common Categories?
Resume About Me
Affiliations and Involvement Awards and Certifications
Let’s now look at an an example
Relevant Class Projects/Research Recommendations
of a career portfolio.
Writing Samples Presentations

44. If you include a
picture, make
sure it is clear
and taken
against a plain
background
Include user
friendly
navigation
Provide some
information
about who you
are professionally
and/or your goals

45. Many Wix
themes have
resume
templates
Explain your
skills and
experiences
You can also
include a
downloadable
resume
version with
many
templates

46. Think of
projects,
presentations,
and
coursework
examples

47. How can I get help?
• Visit the CREW Center and/or
schedule an appointment to
get assistance beginning your
career portfolio.
• Wix has a great support
center that can answer many
of your questions.

48. Website to Help Brand Yourself Summary
 Create a LinkedIn Profile
 Create and publish an online career portfolio using Wix.com
 Complete the LinkedIn Profile Checklist at make sure you are building a strong
profile
 Review the Promoting Yourself Online Resource Sheet for career portfolio tips
and example profiles
 Visit the LinkedIn Help Center to get answers to common profile questions
 Use the Wix Support Center when needing help developing your online portfolio
 Schedule an appointment with a CREW Counselor on the Downtown or
Southwest campus to receive creating your LinkedIn Profile or career portfolio

49. Interviewing
Assistance
Websites
to
Help Brand
Yourself
Branding
Basics and
Strategies
101
Interviewing
Assistance
Career
Preparation
via Resume
Development
Steps to
Maintaining
Your Brand

50. Interview Preparation
Why should I prepare for an interview ?
• Interview Preparation, often accomplished during a
mock interview, is a great way to make sure you best
highlighting your candidacy for a position in your
career field.
• The mock interview is a simulation of a real interview
in which a counselor will provide you feedback on the
following:
o Your preparation before the interview and first
impressions.
o Your answers to commonly used interviewing
questions.
o Your responses to industry specific questions.
o Your professional dress and additional non-verbal
cues.
o Next steps to ensure your career success.

51. Interview Preparation Continued
• How can I complete a mock interview?
• Schedule an appointment on the CREW Center’s Interviewing page.
Several appointment options are available every week.
• Where can I locate additional resources?
• The CREW Center’s Interviewing page has additional resources,
including an Interviewing Resource Guide.
• The Interviewing Resource Guide provides the following:
• Tips to research organizations before an interview.
• Two-Minute Presentation details and examples.
• Strategies to answer commonly asked questions.
• Guidelines to respond to Behavioral Based Questions.
• Questions to ask employers at the interview’s conclusion.

52. Interviewing Preparation Summary
 Revise your Two-Minute Presentation and resume
 Complete a Mock Interview
 Review the ONet Skill Statements to make sure you are prepared to
communicate the important skills and qualifications in your career field
 Read the Interviewing Resource Guide to learn strategies to answer common
questions, professional dress guidelines, and appropriate follow-up after the
interview
 Schedule a mock interview with a CREW Counselor on the Downtown or
Southwest campus

53. Steps to Maintaining
Your Brand
Websites
to
Help Brand
Yourself
Branding
Basics and
Strategies
101
Interviewing
Assistance
Career
Preparation
via Resume
Development
Steps to
Maintaining
Your Brand

54. Review Job Postings
 Review job postings for positions in your
desired career field to determine the
experiences and qualifications those
employers are seeking.
• If you already have many of the skills found in
these job descriptions, then begin
incorporating these buzz words and key
phrases in your resume and career portfolio.
• If you lack many of these skills and qualities,
then think of specific strategies to acquire
them, including the following:
• Community engagement opportunities
• Related work experiences
• Professional Associations

55. Update Privacy Settings &
Google Yourself
 If you are active on social media sites,
including Facebook, make sure your
privacy settings are updated frequently.
 Facebook, in particular, often changes
their privacy settings, so you may have
content on the Internet that you prefer
keeping private.
 Once you’ve updated these settings, if
applicable, Google yourself.
 Also, get in the habit of Googling yourself
regularly to ensure you’re marketing
yourself effectively.

56. Don’t Wait Until You Graduate
 Start working on your LinkedIn
account and career portfolio now.
 Every professional’s account is a
work in progress; we will have
more projects, qualifications, and
resume updates to make.
 Waiting to begin will make it more
difficult to remember all the great
work you’ve done and are
currently doing.
 You can always write that “more
projects will be posted soon.”

57. Websites
to
Help Brand
Yourself
Branding
Basics and
Strategies
101
Remember that
CREW and the
ASC are here to
help
Interviewing
Assistance
Career
Preparation
via Resume
Development
Steps to
Maintaining
Your Brand