Objectives
Students will:
- Understand the importance of being flexible and willing to work odd hours.
- Understand why they may not be hired if they refuse to work odd hours.
- Understand why organizations often have only odd hours to offer new employees.
- Identify hours or days that they would prefer not to work.
- Identify reasons for not wanting to work these schedules.
- Identify the working hours of jobs in the community for which they might be qualified.
- Develop strategies for becoming more flexible in the schedules they are willing to work.
- Identify verbal and nonverbal behaviors for communicating a willingness to work odd
- Model successful verbal and nonverbal behaviors in accepting a job with odd hours.
Step 1: Lesson Introduction
Last time, we learned why you can't be too choosy about what kind of job you'll accept. We found out that if you want to get hired, you've got to be willing to accept an entry-level job where you'll be starting at the bottom of an organization; you must be patient and be willing to prove yourself and work your way up. Today we'll look at another way you can be too choosy and close the door on many available jobs. What kind of job schedule would you like to work? Days, evenings, nights, weekdays, weekends? Well, sometimes the hours or days you would like to work are not what an employer is offering. What will you do then? In today's video, we'll find out what can happen if you refuse to work the hours and days that the employer is offering.
▶️ Show the video.
⏸️ Stop the video when the "Pause for Discussion" title appears on the screen.
Step 2: Guided Discussion, Part 1
In what ways was the job applicant not smart?
She wasn't willing to accept the work-hours job that she was offered. The boss offered her many different work shifts: weekends, evenings, early mornings, and holidays. Each time she said she wasn't available, or she came up with some other excuse to refuse the hours he was offering. She was only interested in working a 9 to 5 shift on weekdays. Her unenthusiastic voice and frowning face confirmed that she didn't want the work hours that were offered.
What happened to the job applicant because she was not smart?
She didn't get the job; she remained unemployed.
Why did the job applicant's behavior prevent her from being hired?
She was too inflexible in the hours she was willing to work. Stress to students that organizations have good reasons for their work schedules. Many of them need to stay open long hours to serve customers. Others are so busy that they need to keep their equipment running 24 hours a day, and they need employees to operate the equipment and keep the operation running at all hours. Often the most desirable working hours are taken by employees who have worked there the longest. As a new employee, you have to take the hours that are available. The organization isn't in business to fit its schedule to yours. It's up to you to fit your schedule to the organization's needs.
How could the job applicant have been JobSmart?
Have students discuss ways that the job applicant could have been JobSmart in the same situation. Then tell students to watch the next part of the video to see one way the job applicant could have been JobSmart.
▶️ Start the video again.
⏸️ Stop the video when the “pause for Discussion” title appears on the screen.
Step 3: Guided Discussion, Part 2
How was the job applicant JobSmart this time?
She showed through her words and actions that she wanted the job that was offered. She enthusiastically expressed her willingness to work every shift the boss mentioned. She showed her enthusiasm by listening attentively, nodding her head, maintaining eye contact, having an eager facial expression, smiling, and using an enthusiastic tone of voice. She also said that she was flexible, that she was eager to work, that she understood the company's needs and that she was more than happy to adapt her schedule to meet these needs.
What happened because she was JobSmart?
She got the job. Her enthusiasm and flexibility made the boss enthusiastic and confident about hiring her and working with her. She made the best possible first impression on the boss. She got her working relationship with the boss off on the right foot.
Step 4: Activities
- Invite employers or employment counselors from the community to discuss:
- The importance of a job applicant being flexible and willing to work odd hours
- Why organizations often have only odd hours to offer new employees
- Instances when they have not hired job applicants because the applicants were unwilling to work odd hours.
- Have students take turns identifying hours or days that they would prefer not to work. Each time they identify an excuse, reason, or obstacle for not wanting to work these schedules, tell them to stop. Then have the class help them identify good reasons for overcoming these obstacles and develop strategies for becoming more flexible.
- Have students research the working hours of jobs in the community for which they might be qualified. Have them create a chart of the possible shifts a job applicant might be asked to work in these jobs.
- Have students form pairs and roleplay being offered a job with odd hours and enthusiastically accepting it. During these roleplays, have students model their verbal and nonverbal behavior after the behavior demonstrated in the second part of the video.