Developing Job Readiness and Interviewing Skills Via Technology and Service Learning

Abstract: 

This session showcases a multi-class curriculum which builds interviewing skills by effectively using new technology and service learning.

Extended Abstract: 

This session showcases the work of a management department in developing job readiness by improving the interviewing skills of new job candidates by effectively using new technology and service learning. Over 500 CSUDH students have shared five hours of their time in a community service project that has helped more than 2,000 LA area high school students improve their job readiness through a mock- interview workshop.

Wearable technology is invading the classroom. In addition to tablets and mobile phones, students are now attending class with fitness trackers, pens that record lectures, head-mounted cameras and heads up displays (HUDs) like Google Glass. CSUDH partnered with Google to develop software and pilot the use of Glass in the college classroom. One use of Google Glass is preparing students as interviewers. Google Glass is used to record practice interviews so the students could later review the experience and reflect on their overall performance and communication style.

CSUDH students describe this as one of the most profound learning experiences in the management concentration. Some realize that in spite of their shyness they could envision a job as a recruiter. Others find it very enlightening to see what it feels like on the other side of the table. Nearly all of them leave with a new appreciation for just how difficult this process is for both hiring managers and job seekers.

Session attendees will receive details on this one idea then exchange their experiences and examples of how they get students to practice what they have learned in real world settings including consulting to public and non-profit organization and service learning projects using the jigsaw approach.

We will have a few pair of Google Glass on hand to demonstrate the capabilities and limitations of this technology in the classroom. The session will end with a brainstorming session on how to add these types of activities while addressing privacy concerns and minimizing distraction in the classroom.

Paper ID: 
1570232043
Conference Track: 
Workforce Innovation
Session Type: 
Innovation Lab
Intended Audience: 
Administrators
Faculty