Career Development

Workshop
High School Level

Workshop Goals, Objectives & Purposes

1. Students will narrow their career interests and exploration based their
personality, family history and values.
a. Genogram
b. Self-Directed Search
c. Career Narratives
2. Students will be exposed to and explore various career fields.
a. College & Career Fairs
3. Students will begin a relationship with the school counselor in order to
formulate and plan for potential career goals.
a. Solution-Focused Career Exploration
b. College & Career Fairs

Workshop Schedule
Day 1
Morning: Self-Directed Search
Follow special bell schedule:Periods 1 and 2 will be designated for the Genogram module.

Afternoon: Genogram
Continue following special bell schedule: Follow special bell schedule: Periods 6 and 7 will be
designated for the SDS module.

Day 2
Vocational Value Narratives
Follow assembly bell schedule: Freshman and Sophomores attend during periods 1 and 2 and
Juniors and Seniors attend during periods 3 and 4.

Workshop Schedule (cont.)

Day 3
Morning: Career Fair
Periods 1-4: Students are allowed to visit the Career Fair during periods 1-4 upon teachers discretion

Afternoon: College Fair

Period 5-8: Students are allowed to visit the College Fair during period 5-8 upon teachers discretion

Day 4
Solution Focused Career Counseling
Period 1-3: Freshman & Sophomores
Period 6-8: Juniors & Seniors

Self-Directed Search &

Career Information
Research Module
Essential Questions
What is my personality type?
How does my personality relates to career?
Can my career complement my personality and
interests?

Workshop Objectives
Students will learn how personality influences career
choice
Students will learn their Holland Code.
Students will understand which jobs complement their
personality and Holland code.
Students will gain information about two specific
careers that match their Holland Code.

Activities
Students will receive a brief presentation of
Hollands theory.
Students will take an abbreviated version of
Hollands Self-Directed Search which will
generate their Holland code.
Using O*Net, students will generate a list of
careers that match their Holland code. They will
then chose 2 careers to research using the
Occupational Outlook Handbook
The counselor will then facilitate a discussion on
how these possibilities related to their jobs of the
families that are displayed in the genogram and
their work values.

Closing
After concluding the respective assignments,
students will be directed to the next activity.

Self-Directed Search & Career Information Research

Module:
Information to Present During Workshop
Hollands Theory of Career Choice
Essential Information
An individual's personality is the most influential factor in
vocational choice.

To be successful and satisfied in the work world, it is necessary to

choose an occupation that is congruent with one's personality type
(Brown, 2012, p. 30).

Self-Directed Search & Career Information Research

Module:
Information to Present During Workshop
Hollands Personality Types

Realistic - mechanical, strong and opinionated. These types prefer careers in agriculture, engineering, and
technical areas.

Investigative - intelligent, analytical, rational and curious. These types prefer careers in the scientific and
research fields.

Artistic - intuitive, creative, and musical. These types prefer careers in music, art and drama

Social - cooperative, sociable and empathic. These types prefer careers in education, counseling and pastoral
fields.

Enterprising - assertive, ambitious, confident and enthusiastic. These types prefer careers in politics, law and
managerial positions.

Conventional - practical, and efficient. These types prefer careers which seek social approval, such as in
clerical and computational fields.

(Brown, 2012, p. 31)

Self-Directed Search & Career Information Research

Module:
Information to Present During Workshop
The Self-Directed Search & Career Research
WebQuest
"A WebQuest is an inquiry-oriented activity in which most or all of the information used by
learners is drawn from the Web. WebQuests are designed to use learners' time well, to
focus on using information rather than on looking for it, and to support learners' thinking
at the levels of analysis, synthesis, and evaluation." - Bernie Dodge, creator of the
WebQuest concept
(as cited in Starr, 2000)

Self-Directed Search & Career Information

Research Module:
Information to Present During Workshop
The Self-Directed Search (SDS)
The SDS is a personality inventory that utilizes Hollands
career typology by evaluating personality traits and
subsequently matching them with corresponding career
choices
(Brown, 2012; Zener & Schnuelle, 1976).

Self-Directed Search & Career Information

Research Module:
Information to Present During Workshop
Career Research

Last updated in 2010

Profiles over 900

occupational choices

Organized according to the

Standard Occupational
Classification system

(O*NET, n.d.)

Provides detailed job

descriptions

Widely used by career

counselors, job seekers,
and students

Last updated January 8,

2014

Includes newly defined jobs

Profiles 580 jobs

(Occupational Outlook
Handbook, 2014).

SDS & Career Information Research Module

Evaluation Method
The responses posted by students will reflect understanding of the
concepts presented throughout the session.
Detailed responses will reflect deeper engagement.
Materials Needed:
Computers
Projector
Internet access

Genogram Module
Essential Questions
How have the careers of my family members
influenced my own career choices?
How did my family members come to work in their
profession? How have they prepared for it in terms of
education, skill acquisition, etc.?
How does my Holland code relate to the careers of
my family?
How has my family influenced my Holland code?

Workshop Objectives
Students will identify the patterns of careers in their
family.
Students will understand the effects that the careers
of family members have had on their own career
choices.
Students will understand how family members came
to acquire their career (i.e., how they prepared for the
job, the education that they received, prior work, etc.).

Activities
After a brief introduction on the composition of
genograms, students will be distributed pencils and
paper and be asked to create a genogram modeled
after their own family. This should illustrate at least 3
generations of their family, and include the birthdate,
age, career and education level of each individual.
Students will then be asked to write a short reflective
essay answering each of the activitys essential
questions.
A discussion will be facilitated by the
counselor/workshop facilitator about the students
responses.

Closing
As this module concludes the guidance activities for
the day, after concluding the activitie students will be
asked to complete the reflective portion of the
assignment for homework if need be, and then will be
directed to their respective classrooms.

Genogram:
Information to Present During Workshop
Family Generation Example

Image Retrieved from: http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Genogram

Genogram
Information to Present During Workshop
Family Relationship Example

Image Retrieved from: http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Genogram

Genogram Module
Materials Needed

Overhead projector
Chairs for students
A room large enough for student population (i.e., gymnasium or auditorium)
Pencils & papers for students to write out Genogram and short essay.

Evaluation Method

The essay and Genogram will be evaluated for thoroughness of the answers to the
essential questions, consistency, and mechanical errors.
The Genogram will also be evaluated based on neatness and the thoroughness of the
information that was included (i.e., at least three family generations, the correctness
gender and relationship symbols, and the inclusion of individual information such as age,
birthdate, education level, career information, etc. for each family member)

Vocational Stories
Module
Essential Questions
What are work values?
What am I looking for in a job?
How will these themes influence my career plans?

Workshop Objectives
Students will understand the work values that are
important to them.
Once recognized, students will reflect on these
values.

Activities
Students will be presented with two vocational stories
that illustrate several work values (i.e., the nature of
feedback from supervisors, salary information and
relationships with colleagues).
Either narrative depicts opposite versions
of these values.
Students will be asked to read through the narratives
and then report which job or values appeal most to
them and answer the essential questions
They will then be asked to further reflect on these
questions by writing several paragraphs in a reflective
essay format.
If time does not permit, students may finish this
assignment as homework.

Closing
As this module is the only one taking place on this day,
students will be directed back to their respective
classrooms after its conclusion.

Vocational Stories Module

Materials Needed

Chairs for the student body

Overhead projector
A room large enough for the student body (i.e., gymnasium or auditorium)
Double sided papers for each student, with both narratives printed on either side
Lined paper and writing utensils for each student to write his/her reflection on.

Evaluation Method

Students will be evaluated based on their comprehension of the idea of work values, the
thoroughness of their answers to essential questions in their reflection, and if their writing
was free of mechanical errors.
Evaluations can be done by counselors or workshop facilitators

Vocational Stories Module:

Information to Present During Workshop

Work values- ideals that individuals believe should be necessarily met by their role in their
career and job itself.
These often play a significant role in career goal setting and decision-making.
Examples
Achievement in the work setting
Salary or financial prosperity
Responsibilities
Relationships with coworkers
The nature of feedback from supervisors and colleagues.

(Brown, 2012)

Vocational Narrative 1 to Provide to Students

Today begins like most other days. You arrive at work at 8:00 and look over your calendar for the day. There is a departmental
meeting at the end of the day. You sit down at your drawing board, pull out your work from yesterday and look it over. You have
been working on the assignment for several days. You work at your drawing board until 10:30. As on most days there are some of
your colleagues who express their confusion or delight at your work, and others who never look at your work or say much to you
in any way. At 11:30 you meet with people from another department to discuss the pros and cons of various components of your
work assignments.
You go back to your office. Two potential clients are there to discuss your work. They have not yet decided whether to hire your
company for the assignment, so you discuss it with them in detail.
After the meeting you go to the lunchroom to eat. Your colleagues and other workers gather there for lunch. You see your boss,
and pulling you aside, your boss says, 'I saw the design on your assignment. It's an ingeniously done. I'm impressed with the
work that you have put into it. Few of our other designers would be able to come up with a design as good as that.
After lunch, you stop at the front office to pick up your paycheck. On your salary you have to live on a pretty tight budget. You live
in a small apartment in a part of town where you worry about break-ins, your car is 10 years old but you can't afford to replace it,
and you have to cancel your summer trip overseas and go camping nearby instead.
You sit down at a table and pull out your college alumni magazine you had received in the mail yesterday. In it is a survey of
salaries received by alumni, which is further divided by year of graduation. Your income is well below the average level among
people who have the same education and background as you. In fact, you note that your salary is lower than 75% of your fellow
classmate's.
(Krumboltz, J. D., Blando, J. A., Kim, H., & Reikowski, D. J. (1994). Embedding work values in stories. Journal Of Counseling & Development, 73, 57-62.
doi:10.1002/j.15566676.1994.tb01710.x)

Vocational Narrative 2 to Provide to Students

Today begins like most other days. You arrive at work at 8:00 and look over your calendar for the day. There is a departmental
meeting at the end of the day. You sit down at your drawing board, pull out your work from yesterday and look it over. You have
been working on the assignment for several days. You work at your drawing board until 10:30. As on most days there are some of
your colleagues who express their confusion or delight at your work, and others who never look at your work or say much to you
in any way. At 11:30 you meet with people from another department to discuss the pros and cons of various components of your
work assignments.
You go back to your office. Two potential clients are there to discuss your work. They have not yet decided whether to hire your
company for the assignment, so you discuss it with them in detail.
After the meeting you go to the lunchroom to eat. Colleagues other workers gather there for lunch. You see your boss, and pulling
you aside, your boss says, 'I saw the design on your assignment. I don't think that it is quite right. Most of our other employees
could come up with a better idea than that. If you can't come up with a better idea in the next week, maybe we should transfer
you to another department.
After lunch, you stop at the front office to pick up your paycheck. On your salary you are able to live pretty well. You have an
apartment in a nice part of town, you have recently traded in your old car for a new import, and you are planning a summer trip
overseas.
You sit down at a table and pull out your college alumni magazine you had received in the mail yesterday. In it is a survey of
salaries received by alumni, which is further divided by year of graduation. Your income is well above the average level among
people who have the same education and background as you. In fact, you note that your salary is higher than 75% of your fellow
classmate's.
(Krumboltz, J. D., Blando, J. A., Kim, H., & Reikowski, D. J. (1994). Embedding work values in stories. Journal Of Counseling & Development, 73, 57-62.
doi:10.1002/j.15566676.1994.tb01710.x)

Career Fair Module

Materials Needed

Activities

Career Fair Worksheet

Students will be encouraged all occupations that are

present at the fair. Students will conduct conversations
with the professionals in order to gain knowledge about
potential career and professional aspirations.

Essential Questions
What occupations am I interested in?
What am I looking for in a career?
*Provided questions on the worksheet

Objectives
Students will visit all occupations represented at the
Career Fair
Students will reflect on 3 occupations that they are most
interested in.
Students will interact with the professional by
completing the accompanied worksheet.
Students will visit their assigned school counselor to
discuss potential career goals.

Closing
After students compile via the worksheet, they will be
able to visit the College Fair in the afternoon. The
College Fair will allow students to become informed
about schools that offer their potential career
curriculums in their areas of interest that were explored
at the Career Fair.

Career Fair Worksheet

The following worksheet will act as a guide to direct students interactions with
three individuals in the fields that most appeal to them that are represented at
the fair.
Career Fair Student Participation Guide

College Fair Module

Essential Questions
What am I looking for in a college?
Based on my potential career choices, what possible
majors am I looking into?

Objectives
Students will visit multiple colleges that they are
interested in.
Students will ask representatives about his/her
desired major and other information about the
university.
Students will gather college brochures and
information to begin the college search process.

Activities
Students will have the opportunity to visit different
college tables in order to talk with representatives
about potential academic majors and the offerings of
different colleges/universities.
Prior to opening the fair, students will be asked to visit
each representative and inquire about the majors and
minors offered by the college/university, as well as
other opportunities available for future students, such
as:
Housing facilities
Extracurricular activities.
Study abroad opportunities.
Greek life
Career counseling available at the university, etc.

Closing
After the college fair, students will be asked to reflect on
their experience through a brief essay, which will detail
the colleges and majors that are most interesting to
them. Finally, students will meet with their school
counselor to discuss their reflection, as well as
formulate process goals regarding their future career
and postsecondary decisions.

Solution-Focused Brief Career Counseling

(SFBCC) Module
Essential Questions
Where am I currently in my career exploration
process?
Where would I like to be?
What would I be willing to do to achieve my
goal?

Objectives
Students will evaluate their career development
process.
Students will understand how to formulate a
process goal.
Students will meet with the school counselor to
discuss these objectives.

Activities
The counselors will meet with students to
assess their self-perceptions of their current
status in the career exploration process. The
counselor will develop reflective activities and
assignments, and work collaboratively with each
student to help them establish their goals and
where they would like to be.

Closing
Each student will have a second meeting with
the school counselor in the future to assess
their progress in their career development
process goals.

SFBCC Module
Setting, Materials & Procedure
-Each student will meet with the school counselor in an one-on-one setting.
-Internet access and materials to record thoughts and ideas may be helpful and will be provided
on an individual basis, if need be.
-Passes will be distributed by each counselor to their caseload of students to excuse them from
their class. The students will be scheduled by grade and alphabetically.

Timing
The meetings between a student and one of the school counselors will take place during a preassigned time for approximately 15-20 minutes.

Evaluation
Students will have a second individual meeting with the school counselor to assess their progress
in their career development process goals.

SFBCC Module:
3 Stage Strategy
Stage 1:
The counselor encourages students to identify a problem or career goal that they would like to
accomplish and then establish a correlating process goal, which will help them to achiever their
overarching goal.
Stage 2:
The counselor helps the students acknowledge how his or her strengths and available resources
related to the goal. The counselors will also reflect with the student on the following:
i. Exceptions
-De Jong and Berg (2002)
ii. Career information
iii. Process goal development
iv. Scaling

SFBCC: 3 Stage Strategy (continued)

The counselor will guide the student through the
following:
Process Goal Development:
-Asking yourself: what are you willing to do to
achieve your goal?
-Making all behavior functional
-Reframing
Constructing a process goal:
1. I will be.(+ action verb)
2. Constructed within the here and now
3. Creating a Positive presentation
4. Goal should be in your own language
5. Goal must be specific

SFBCC: 3 stage strategy

Scaling
Example:
The counselor can construct a simple scale of certainty of their career choice:
1
Dont know

Pretty certain

Suggested question: Counselors will use the scale to ask students where they would
have put themselves today, last week, and then evaluate where they would like to be.

3 Stage SFCC Strategy (continued)

Stage 3:
The students and the counselor will work collaboratively to develop an achievable
process goal that is specific to the individuals strengths, successes, and goals.
Post-SFCC meetings
After the meeting, individuals can begin to work on the process goals that were
developed to achieve their goal.
They will meet with the counselor in the future to discuss their progress with these
process goals and their overall career development goals.
The progress of each student will be used to evaluate the intervention.

References
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Development Quarterly, 208-222.
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References (cont.)
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