“We try to work around their school schedules to document your skill when applying for jobs or
and they usually don’t work more than two or advanced education or training.
three hours a day, no more than three to four For example, if you want to go into retail
cReATe a career
days a week. It’s a great program for people sales, a great place to start is by getting your
who want to gain basic work skills.” national professional certification in customer
PoRTfolio
Job shadowing is another example of extended service. This training program, offered
learning. In this case, you follow a professional through the National Retail Federation,
One valuable tool that can help you get
in the workplace to gain an understanding of demonstrates you’ve acquired the skills
ready for college and beyond is a career
what his or her career is really like and whether necessary for entry-level or supervisory
portfolio—a collection of items that
it is a position you are interested in. In fact, customer service positions.
document your achievements both in
February 2, Groundhog Day, is observed as “As retailers,” says Joe Williams, a vice
and out of school, assembled in one
National Groundhog Job Shadow Day by many president of the Texas Retailers Association
convenient package.
schools across the nation. in Austin, “if we don’t give good customer
A career portfolio is not simply
service, we might as well close our doors.
a resume, although it can certainly
Certifications When I’m interviewing prospective employees,
include one. So what should go in a
If you are certain you want to pursue a marketing seeing this certification tells me that these
career portfolio? A variety of things,
career, you may be ready to work on official candidates have made the extra effort to
depending on your own personal
certification of your skills. You concentrate on a understand my business. It’s definitely a
experiences. It could include transcripts
particular marketing skill, master it, take a test to feather in their cap and gives them a leg up on
and grades; writing samples; letters
prove your mastery, and then use the certificate the competition.”
of recommendation from teachers,
mentors, or employers; awards you’ve
received; and items that document
other activities, such as internships and
S P o T L I G H T
job shadowing experiences.
“You need to be specific—dates, how
many years, any awards, what they
meant, and who you received them
MARKEtING CoMPEtItIoN
from,” says Grace Brauchle, who helps
students put their portfolios together
DECA Members Learn real-world skills
as the career center coordinator for
Lehman High School in Kyle.
D
eca is a national association of students written ‘manual.’ Brauchle says portfolios come in
interested in marketing careers that is designed to If it involves handy when students apply for jobs or
help students develop the skills they need to succeed. a charity, the admission to college. “First impressions
In addition to projects organized in high schools students decide which charity to benefit, complete the are a very big thing,” she says, “and
and interesting field trips, deca and its business project, write it up, and submit the manual for judging you want to be the one whose papers
partners award hundreds of thousands of dollars in at the local, district, and state level.” get passed around the office. You want
scholarships to member students each year. “students may move on to the international level to to be the one where the admissions
deca offers honor awards for academic excellence compete against teams from all 50 states, puerto rico, counselors say, ‘Wow, look at this one!’”
and leadership. deca conducts annual competitions guam, the virgin Islands, canada, and germany.” And a portfolio doesn’t have to be
at the local, state, and national levels, and the rewards The highlight of rachael gavri’s deca experience simply a collection of papers. Artists
can be exceptional. was a research trip to universal studios in orlando, and photographers use their portfolios
“These young people are limited only by their florida. as part of a group from clements High school to provide visual examples of their
imagination,” says marcella norwood, associate in sugar land, gavri met with marketers from the work, and so can you. Do you have
professor in the department of human development studio and shared ideas with the professionals. photos of someone giving you an
and consumer sciences at the university of Houston “we came up with ways that the theme park could award? Put them in. How about a video
and former president of the board of directors for better market itself,” gavri says. “my group thought of a performance? Include it on a DVD.
International deca, Inc. that some of the attractions were girly or kiddish, so Do you have experience in Web design?
“for example,” norwood says, “they decide what we suggested rides that would appeal more to guys.” Make an online portfolio to showcase
type of competitive event they want to participate in. Their hosts were receptive, gavri says: “They said what you can do.
some events are role-playing and others also include a they’d take our ideas under consideration.”
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