REACH Plus™

Reaching Employability & Achieving Career Habits

REACH Plus™ covers essential topics in learning how to get a job, keep a job, and move toward self-sufficiency.

Program Eligibility Information.

Topics include the following:

How to Find Your Career

• Finding your perfect career
• Skill base
• Resumes
• Cover letters and thank-you letters
• Interviewing techniques
• Computer Applications

How to Be Successful in Your Career

• Workplace requirements
• Self-Awareness
• Dealing with workplace conflict and/or difficult people

How to Become Self-Supporting

• Practical considerations
• Self-esteem
• Money Management

Finding your perfect career

• Evaluation of interests, abilities, skills and educational level
• Skill and personality match
• Interest and personal value match
• Choosing the right career for you
• Realistic job search
• Support systems and networking
• Filling out applications correctly
• Conducting an informational interview

Workplace requirements

• Punctuality
• Active listening skills
• Being a team worker
• Neat, high quality work
• Pride in work performance
• Ability to follow directions
• Above average verbal skills
• Confidentiality, discretion and tact
• Understanding of rules and policy
• Finishing projects in a timely fashion
• Contributing ideas for effective change
• Good self-management and self-control
• Understanding the supervisor’s position

Skill base

• Identifying personal skills
• Recognizing transferable skills
• Presenting useable skills

Self-Awareness

• Anger control
• Optimistic outlook
• Self-esteem and success
• High performance mind set
• Habits: work and personal
• Changing destructive habits
• Leading with a positive attitude
• The connection between self-esteem and coping skills
• Understanding the differences in work styles and learning styles
• Behavior and job performance, job retention and promotion

Practical considerations

• Childcare
• Transportation
• Self-esteem and success
• Local, usable resources
• Everyday problem solving
• Transitioning from welfare to work
• Fiscal responsibility and money management
• Working wardrobe, appropriate dress for the workplace you choose

Resumes

• The purpose of a resume
• Chronological vs. functional resume
• General and specific format instruction
• What should / should not be on a resume
• Heading and power words
• Summary of skill work experience and education
• Gaps in work history
• Proofreading

Cover letters and thank-you letters

• Purpose of each
• General format
• Headings and salutations
• First, second and third paragraphs
• Effective writing
• Making them compelling
• The importance of follow up

Interviewing techniques

• Watch your tone
• Appropriate eye contact
• The power of a handshake
• The power of body language
• Dealing with difficult questions
• Understand that it is a business meeting
• Understanding the job interview process
• “Getting to know you” conversation and breaking the ice
• Present your assets, skills and experience with confidence
• Appropriate dress for the industry, a neat and clean appearance
• Professional presentation. Do the work and offer appropriate information.
• Be convincing but not pushy
• Follow up / follow through

Dealing with workplace conflict and/or difficult people

• Separating the person from the problem
• Recognizing a difficult person (it could be you!)
• Planning a consistent strategy for dealing with conflict
• Knowing the difference between re-action and pro-action
• Responding to a difficult supervisor
• How not to join in with another person’s poor behavior
• Knowing when to back out of a conflict and keep quiet. The integrity of silence.
• Taking instruction, direction or advice from someone you don’t like

Self-esteem

• Development of coping skills
• Feeling good about yourself
• Knowing that you are capable
• Self-knowledge and self-worth
• Quieting the noise in your head
• Learning from failure and moving on
• Importance of self-esteem in the workplace
• Minimizing self-blame and practicing positive self-talk
• Knowing the difference between being aggressive and being assertive
• Modeling self-respect and consistency of behavior to those around you
• Taking responsibility for your own actions and decisions
• Not blaming others for poor performance or decisions
• Identifying who is good for you and who is not, and realizing how this affects every aspect of your life

Money Management

• Budgeting
• Creating and maintaining a personal budget
• The importance of sticking to your personal budget
• The importance of a good credit history
• How to use credit wisely and build a good credit history
• Obtaining and understanding your personal credit report
• How to repair bad credit
• The importance of saving

Computer Applications

• Introduction to general PCs, computer vocabulary and basic computer functions
• Introduction to Microsoft Windows operating systems
• Microsoft Word including formatting, mail merges and resume and letter writing
• Microsoft Excel including workbooks, data entry, formatting cells, linking and advanced formula writing
• Microsoft Access including creating tables, forms, queries and reports
• Microsoft PowerPoint including creating and editing presentations
• Introduction to Microsoft Outlook
• Business writing skills
• Introduction to Internet usage as a tool for job searching
• Introduction to using free email accounts for job searching
• Creating a comprehensive portfolio to demonstrate your newly acquired computer skills

Program Eligibility Information.
REACH Plus Class Schedule Information