Introduction to the Unit:

●​ Unit 2 Overview:
○​ Learning about the workplace
○​ Responsibilities
○​ Rights
○​ Rules
○​ Workplace safety
○​ Workplace violence, harassment, and discrimination
○​ Developing transferable skills
○​ Finding and researching careers
○​ Deciding on the right kinds of careers for you
●​ Unit Key Terms:
○​ Contracts = an agreement of work terms between employer and employee
■​ Permanent or temporary
■​ Agreement of wages
■​ Outlines working hours
■​ Responsibilities of employer/employee
○​ Shift Work = can be fixed or rotating (variable shifts)
■​ Shift length is generally static, but may change depending on demand
○​ The Gig Economy = a shift to more casual work
■​ Based on employer needs (if they need some simple task done, they may
hire a freelancer or part-time worker)
■​ Flexible, but precarious (employee must be constantly looking for new
work)
○​ Full-Time Employment = based on contract or permanent work
■​ Generally means 40 hours/week, thought may go up to 42 hour, or more
with overtime pay
■​ Over-time pay is by law at least 1.5 times your regular hourly rate
●​ You may not work over 44 hours in a week
●​ Fixed or rotating shifts
■​ 2 days off/week by law (typically Saturday and Sunday)
■​ 2 weeks of paid vacation
■​ May include other benefits, such as health, dental, or pension savings
■​ Access to employment insurance (EI) will pay wages up to 40% until 36
weeks of unemployment should you become unemployed through no fault
of your own
●​ This will be accessible to you if you have worked the required
number of hours in the previous year
○​ Part-Time Employment = could be based on contract, but often casual work
■​ Often jobs retail or employment that is seasonal in nature
■​ Typically 20 hours per week (can range from 9 - 40 hours/week)
■​ Fixed or rotating shifts
 ■​ No paid vacation
■​ +3% of income in vacation pay bonus
■​ Fewer to no benefits

Lesson 1: Trends in the Workplace

Lesson Big Ideas

1.​ There is a wide range of careers to choose from -- most of which you probably don’t
know about
2.​ Each career requires a various set of skills and qualifications which takes time to gain
3.​ The world of work is changing, and will continue to do as society changes

Trends Changing the Workplace

●​ Internet = shapes behaviors of business

○​ Business opportunities:
■​ E-commerce increasing
■​ Greater social media presence
■​ New ways of reaching customers
■​ Democratization of business opportunities
■​ Businesses not tied to specific locations
○​ More transparency:
■​ Businesses and employees are held to greater accountability
■​ Your past travels with you
○​ Internet skills and social media savvy are becoming expected:
■​ Skills will become more expected and less of an option for employers
■​ Greater awareness and intelligence expected
●​ Technologies = shift to the cloud; collaboration; big data
○​ Changes how we work:
■​ Mobile offices
■​ Use of multiple computer / communication / business platforms is more
common in workplaces
■​ More interaction with co-workers
■​ Higher degree of collaboration on projects -- companies leverage
expertise and create synergy
■​ Data management becomes more important
○​ More learning:
■​ Learning from co-workers
■​ Learning from customers
■​ Co-creating / working on projects
 ■​ Compartmentalized tasks increase in some cases
■​ Greater autonomy given to those who have more skills
○​ The Millennial Workforce = new attitudes, expectations, & ways of working
■​ Changes how we work:
●​ Number of jobs held in a lifetime now about 15 (used to be 6),
expected to rise to as high as 40
●​ Loyalty diminishing as employees look for better working
environments, new or more interesting challenges at work
●​ Changes to acceptable behavior (what is acceptable at work and
stronger policies against unacceptable behavior)
●​ Communication connects people to work at all times
●​ Clothing expectations in many workplaces have changed from
formal to casual or business casual
●​ Workplace policies have continued to modernize with respect to
following the law and protecting the health and safety of
employees
■​ Changes to why we work:
●​ More passion driven -- having a job is not enough for employees,
they want to love what they do
●​ Less needs driven -- greater education leads to more people
having the opportunity to choose what they want to do, instead of
taking what is available
●​ Employers are incentivizing work differently by providing
alternative benefits programs instead of traditional retirement or
vacation plans
■​ Changes to when we work:
●​ Greater flexibility required of employees / employees looking for
more flexibility in their work schedule
●​ Contract and “gig” work, where employees are hired on a
temporary basis
●​ Increase in part-time work as employers seek to cut costs of
paying their staff and have a workforce that is reflective of their
changing needs
●​ Mobility = work anytime, anywhere, & on any device
○​ Changes how we work:
■​ Mobile offices through business servers and networks business servers
and networks
■​ Working from home
■​ Variable work hours as needed by employers / desired by employees
■​ Always ‘on-call’ due to being connected through various devices
(especially smartphones)
○​ Multiplatform work:
 ■​ Skills across multiple platforms become required
■​ Learning to use multiple platforms
■​ Segregation between work and personal life becomes more necessary as
lines between work and personal time become more blurred
●​ Globalization = no boundaries
○​ Changes how we work:
■​ Jobs not limited by borders
■​ Customers not limited by borders
■​ Working internationally
■​ Traveling for work
■​ Digitally working across the globe
○​ Changes to how we think:
■​ International awareness
■​ Businesses and individuals are more responsive to global events
■​ Greater cultural sensitivity is required
○​ Greater connectivity between markets:
■​ More opportunity for growth and jobs
■​ Greater sensitive to global event such as disasters, changes in politics,
and civil unrest

Income and the Cost of Living

●​ Income and Purchasing Power:

○​ Average Canadian household income = $61,400/yr.
■​ Ontario household income = $66,200/yr.
○​ Average cost of living in Canada = $88,363/yr. (household expenditures)
■​ Ontario = $90,314
○​ What are we spending money on?
■​ Housing = $20,434/yr.
■​ Taxes/public services = $15,627/yr.
■​ Transportation = $12.347/yr.
■​ Food = $8,747/yr.
■​ Insurance & retirement savings = $5,137/yr.
■​ Household operation (utilities) = $4,827/yr.
■​ Recreation = $3,986/yr.
■​ Clothing = $3,430/yr.
○​ For people who earn less than the average, it’s difficult to
support this lifestyle and cuts may need to be made
●​ Education and Income:
○​ Post secondary education pays off
○​ University graduates earn about $75,212 per year
■​ Women $68,342 vs Men $82,082
 ○​ College graduates earn about $58,282 per year
■​ Women $48,959 vs Men $67,965
○​ Trades people earn about $55,592 per year
■​ Women $38,230 vs Men $72,955
○​ High school graduates earn about $49,500 per year
○​ Gender inequality in income exists because of:
■​ Different jobs = different incomes
■​ Childbearing / parenting affects income
●​ While women take maternity leave, men
have more opportunities for promotion, to
gain experience, and make connections
■​ Different negotiating tactics vs gender biases
●​ Men are seen favorably if they are more
dominant/aggressive, whereas women are
not
■​ Sexism is real
○​ Over the course of a lifetime, the difference between university and high school
graduate incomes reaches a million dollars!

Researching Careers

●​ The Canada Job Bank offers:

○​ Job search feature
■​ Some, but not all jobs posted here
■​ Search by career and cluster
■​ Resume builder
○​ Career planning
■​ Job information
■​ Skills checklist
■​ Career match quizzes
■​ Search by education/field
○​ Trend analysis
■​ Job overview
■​ Skills and education required
■​ Employment trends and outlook
■​ Average wages
■​ Viewable by province/nationally

Success Criteria:
✓​ I can identify trends in Canada’s workforce, such as education required for specific jobs,
or the number of jobs Canadian shave in their lifetime
 ✓​ I can discuss the average Canadian income, and what that means in terms of
purchasing power and lifetime earnings
✓​ I can use the Canada Job Bank to research careers that interest you, finding relevant
and useful information about them

Lesson 2: Health and Safety in the Workplace

Lesson Big Ideas

1.​ Workplace dangers exist in all workplaces

2.​ Having and following workplace health and safety protocols reduces the risk of injury or
illness
3.​ Employers and employees share responsibility for creating a safe working environment

Workplace Injuries

●​ People can receive many types of injuries at work

○​ Ergonomic hazards create injuries that develop over time, rather than in an
instant
■​ For example, poor seating can lead to back problems and injuries after
weeks or months of use
●​ In 2018, 64,855 people in Ontario were injured at work:
○​ Bodily exertion = 24,151 people
■​ Includes any muscular or skeletal injury that has to do with positioning,
lifting, bending, and stretching
○​ Contact with objects or equipment = 16,280
■​ Often in industrial setting, machinery, and factory injuries
■​ Anything that can make contact with a bruise, crush, break, or maim
○​ Slips, trips, and falls = 13,368
○​ Exposure to harmful substances or environments = 4,153
○​ Acts of violence among and between employees and customers = 4,179
○​ Transportation accidents = 2,180
○​ Fire or Explosion = 83
○​ Other events = 461
○​ This equals to about 178 injuries each day
●​ Workplace injuries cost everyone:
○​ Employers:
■​ Time without employees
■​ Cost of hiring and training temporary employees
■​ Lost productivity
■​ Lower workplace morale
 ■​ Workplace injury claims in Ontario cost $2,830,000,000 last year
○​ Employees:
■​ Time lost at work
■​ Lost wages
■​ Lasting injuries and trauma
■​ Changes to life
■​ Death -- 74 people died from workplace injuries in Ontario in 2018
(although the number has drastically risen due to disease in the
COVID-19 pandemic)
●​ Teens and young adults are the age groups most likely to be injured at work because:
○​ Lowest level of training and experience
○​ Most willing to engage in risky behavior
○​ Low level of awareness of danger
○​ Power dynamic with employer is imbalance (employers are usually much older
and more experienced)
○​ Temporary workers, sometimes seen as replaceable and proper safety
precautions may not always be given

Work Safety and Dangers

●​ What to know about work safety:

○​ Your employer should provide regulate training for all workplace dangers you
could potentially face
■​ Employers should consult with employees on what the potential hazards
are what the solutions to these dangers are are
○​ You must have a safety-first mindset; everyone needs to participate in creating
and following safety protocol
○​ Investing in health insurance and benefits is a good way to promote healthy work
environments
○​ Everyone should take all necessary steps to ensure everyone is healthy and safe
●​ Workplace hazards can include:
○​ Crowded workspace
○​ Grease or liquid on floor
○​ Poor layout (object cluttering or improperly stored)
○​ Blocked electrical panels, fire extinguishers, or exits, necessary to be easily
accessible in a hazard
○​ Visual obstructions and distractions
○​ Working while tired or weak
○​ Improper footwear or non-protective clothing (ex. not wearing helmets)
○​ Uninspected materials/equipment that may be broken
○​ Unsafe positioning or poor posturing
○​ Contamination risks (either biological or chemical)
 ○​ Unsafe conditions not reported
○​ Loose objects and laceration or tripping hazards
○​ Workers not using all safety equipment
○​ No safety policy in place
●​ All employees in Canada have 5 basic rights:
1)​ To come home from work every day, safe and sound
2)​ To now about workplace hazards and what to do about them in advance
3)​ To participate in solving workplace health and safety problems (not dictated by an
employer only)
4)​ To refuse work you believe to be unsafe
5)​ To report health and safety problems without the threat of losing your job
●​ Employers should:
○​ Make sure workers know about hazards and dangers by providing information,
instruction, and supervision on how to work safely
○​ Make sure supervisors know what is required to protect worker’s health and
safety on the job
○​ Create workplace health and safety policies and procedures
○​ Make sure everyone follows the law and the workplace health and safety policies
and procedures
○​ Make sure workers wear and use the right protective equipment
○​ Do everything reasonable in the circumstances to protect workers from being hurt
or getting a work-related illness
●​ Supervisors should:
○​ Show workers how to work safely
○​ Make sure workers follow the law and workplace health and safety policies and
procedures
○​ Make sure workers wear and use the right protective equipment
○​ Do everything reasonable in the circumstances to protect workers from being hurt
or getting a work-related illness
○​ Tell workers about hazards and dangers, and respond to their concerns
○​ Supervisors are also employees -- they play a dual role in ensuring that the
workplace is safe as well as following all the rules other employees follow
●​ Employees should:
○​ Follow the law
○​ Follow workplace health and safety policies and procedures
○​ Wear and use the protective equipment required by their employer properly
○​ Work and act in a way that won’t hurt themselves or anyone else
○​ Report any hazards or injuries to their supervisor

In Case of Injury or Illness at Work

1.​ Get medical help regardless how severe the injury

 2.​ Document everything that happened -- your employer should have an Incident Report
Form either on paper or online to fill out
○​ Critically important to fill it out the circumstances (where and when), the factors
that lead up to the injury (why and how), and what treatment was recieved as
thoroughly as possible
3.​ Report to the WSIB within three days
○​ If you do not, employers can face hefty fines
4.​ Work together
○​ Employers should look after you and determine the right time and manner of your
return to work
●​ The Green Book is also important to have on-hand as it outlines in detail the
Occupational Health and Safety Act and Regulations

Success Criteria:
✓​ I can identify health and safety risks in various types of workplaces
✓​ I can explain the rights and responsibilities of employers, supervisors, and employees in
a workplace
✓​ I can discuss appropriate courses of action if there is a danger or an injury in your
workplace

Lesson 3: Violence and Harassment in the Workplace

Lesson Big Ideas

1.​ Workplace violence, harassment, and discrimination can take many forms
2.​ Workplace violence, harassment, and discrimination is detrimental to everyone
3.​ You should take action when witnessing or experiencing workplace violence,
harassment, and discrimination

It’s Never Ok

●​ Violence, harassment, and discrimination is never ok and you should not accept that
kind of behavior
○​ If you believe you are experiencing violence, harassment, or discrimination at
work, take action
1)​ Know your rights and the law: Get informed -- understand the situation for what
it is and know how the law applies to your situation
2)​ Record: Who, What, When, Where, How things happen. The more information
you have, the easier it will be to do something about it
3)​ Tell someone: Manager, supervisor, boss, co-worker, human resources, union
representatives, police (when the case is criminal ex violence or sexual assault)
Equality vs Equity vs Justice

What is Equality, Equity, and Justice? Imagine three friends want to watch a baseball game.
They are all different heights and have very little money. To watch the game, they stand behind
a fence in the outfield, far away from the action. The tallest of the three friends can see over the
fence and enjoy the game, but the other two are too short to see over the fence. Luckily, outside
the stadium, they find three boxes that they can stand on to see the game better.

●​ Equality: In the left image, each box is distributed equally, so that everyone has the
same, regardless of their ability to see the game. This means that the shortest friend is
still unable to see the game due to their height.
●​ Equity: In the center image, the boxes are distributed based on what is fair or equitable
between each of the friends. The tallest friend doesn't need a box while the shortest
friend needs two boxes to be tall enough to see the game. The tallest friend gives his
extra box to the shortest friends, who actually needs it and they can all enjoy the game
●​ Justice: The problem with the other two solutions is that they don’t really get to the core
of the problem. They are great fixes to the situations -- the three friends are too poor to
see the game from inside the stadium and the fence affects their ability to see the game
differently. Justice corrects the situation at its core so that it is inherently fair to all.
○​ In the right-most image, the wood fence is changed to a chain link fence which
allows each of the friends to see the game, even though they are poor and have
different heights
○​ No boxes or special situations are needed for everyone to enjoy the game,
because the situation is fair to everyone
●​ In summary:
○​ Equality = everyone gets the same supports and treatment is equal
○​ Equality = everyone gets the supports they need to make an equal playing field
 ○​ Justice = no one needs supports because systemic barriers have been removed

The Ontario Human Rights Code

●​ Established in 1962 to protect people based on 17 grounds of discrimination

●​ This protection covers the following social areas:
○​ Contracts
○​ Employment
○​ Purchasing goods
○​ Receiving services
○​ Access to public facilities/businesses
○​ Housing
○​ Membership in unions, trade, or professional associations
●​ You cannot be discriminated against, meaning you cannot experience:
○​ Favourable or unfavourable treatment
○​ Being asked to do more or less than another person based on these reasons
○​ Being given or refused service
○​ Being given preferential or poor service
○​ Being offered or denied employment
○​ Being accepted or barred from a professional group, union, or other work-related
association
○​ Having a rental/home purchase application accepted or denied
●​ Ontario Human Rights 17 Ground of Discrimination:
1)​ Race
2)​ Ancestry (place of your family’s origin or connection)
3)​ Ethnic Origin (cultural origin)
4)​ Religion / Creed
5)​ Disability (both visible (physical) and invisible, such as dyslexia)
6)​ Sex
7)​ Record of Offences (employment history, criminal offenses…)
8)​ Place of Origin (city, province, or country)
9)​ Citizenship
10)​Receipt of Public Assistance, i.e. any public assistance you receive like:
■​ Unemployment Insurance
■​ Ontario Works
■​ Ontario Disability Support Payments
■​ Living in Ontario Housing
■​ Any other form of socially funded assistance or care
11)​Sexual Orientation (who you are attracted to)
12)​Colour or tone of your skin
13)​Family status
14)​Marital Status
 15)​Age
16)​Gender Identity (internal and individual experience of gender)
17)​Gender Expression (what you do, wear, and activities you participate in)

Discrimination

●​ The treatment of individuals or groups that is:

○​ Unfair
○​ Unequal
○​ Inequitable
○​ Harassing
●​ Discrimination can look like:
○​ Service (or refusal of)
○​ Profiling / stereotyping
○​ Preferential treatment
○​ Unfair hiring practices, wage negotiations or promotions
○​ Workloads or demands
●​ People should be treated based on skills and personal attributes, not how they look, who
they are, what they are, and what their beliefs/affiliations are
○​ Some situations may be uncomfortable, such as confrontation between
employees, but not discrimination if the behaviour is not focused on protected
grounds
■​ For example, if a manager yells at an employee (from a racial minority) for
not finishing work on time and costing a sale is not discrimination, but still
very unpleasant
●​ If this is a pattern of behaviour however, it can be considered
harassment

Harassment

●​ The use of vexatious behaviours or speech (undesirable and causing annoyance,

frustrations, or worry)
○​ Known or reasonably known to be undesirable or unwelcome (i.e. that the
harasser should know better that what they are doing is unwanted by others)
○​ Offensive, insulting, embarrassing, discomforting, or otherwise discriminating
behaviour
●​ Sexual harassment adds a sexual connotation to the above definitions
○​ Unwelcome verbal, visual, or physical conduct of a sexual nature that is severe
or pervasive and affects working conditions or creates a hostile work environment
○​ Verbal sexual harassment:
■​ Comments about clothing
■​ Comments about a person’s body
 ■​ Sexual or gender-based jokes or remarks
■​ Requesting sexual favours or repeatedly asking a person out
■​ Threats/foul or obscene language
■​ Sexual innuendos (suggestive comments)
■​ Spreading rumours about a person’s personal or sexual life
○​ Visual sexual harassment:
■​ Posters, Drawings, Pictures
■​ Screensavers, Cartoons, Emails, or Text of a Sexual Nature
○​ Physical sexual harassment:
■​ Assault
■​ Impeding or Blocking Movement
■​ Inappropriate touching (kissing, hugging, patting, stroking, or rubbing)
■​ Sexual gesturing
■​ Staring or Leering
○​ There are two categories of sexual harassment:
1.​ Quid Pro Quo (this for that): when a boss uses job rewards such as
raises or promotion, or punishment such as devotions or firing to force
employees into a sexual relationship or sexual act
2.​ Hostile Work Environment: conduct that unreasonably interferes with
work performance or creates an intimidating, hostile, or offensive work
environment
●​ Ex. it may be sexual harassment if repeated sexual comments
make someone so uncomfortable that their work performance
declines or they deline professional opportunities to avoid the
harasser
○​ In both types of harassment, employees must prove that the conduct was
offensive to someone, not necessarily the intended victim of the harassment
■​ Ex. if one employee tells a dirty joke to a female coworker who finds it
funny, but another female employee passing by finds it offensive, that joke
could contribute to hostile work environment claim
○​ There are two conditions that determine liability for employers in case of hostile
environment sexual harassment:
1.​ The employer knew or should have known about he harassment
2.​ The employer failed to take appropriate corrective action
■​ Having a training program and clear procedure for reporting harassment
claims can shield employers from expensive lawsuits
●​ Harassment can include (but is not limited to):
○​ Discrimination
○​ Gossiping or spreading rumours
○​ Jokes or comments
○​ Repeated unwanted advances including emails, phone calls, notes, etc.
○​ Shouting
○​ Staring/leering
 ○​ Suggestions or request for sexual favours
○​ Touching
●​ Note that harrassment is a pattern of behaviour -- a one time offence may be
considered harassment depending on the degree of the offence and circumstances, but
generally, it includes multiple instances of several behaviours listed above

Violence

●​ The use of physical force against another person

●​ Behaviour or language that implies the threat of physical force being used against
another person
●​ Can be committed by:
○​ Co-workers
○​ Clients/customers
○​ Significant others
■​ Significant others can commit acts of violence in a workplace and it would
still be considered workplace violence
●​ Sexual violence
○​ The use of physical force against another person in a sexual nature, from
touching to rape
○​ Behaviour or langauge that implies the threat of sexual violence being used
against another person
●​ Violence is a criminal offence -- if you have been the victim of violence, report it to the
police

Success Criteria:
✓​ I can identify various forms of violence, harassment, and discrimination when they occur
✓​ I can describe the protected grounds under the Ontario Human Rights Code and how
they apply to discrimination and harassment
✓​ I can explain what I should do if there is violence, harassment, or discrimination in my
workplace

Lesson 4: Developing Transferable Skills

Lesson Big Ideas

1.​ Transferable skills rae in demand across most workplaces

2.​ Transferable skills can be practised and developed at school, work, and in personal
activities
 3.​ Transferable skills are just as important as job specific skills and will provide you with
work opportunities, even if you lack work experience

Transferable Skills

●​ Transferable skills are skills that are used across employment sectors
○​ General skills that help you navigate life (including in school, and in your personal
and social life)
●​ Thinking skills
○​ Critical thinking
○​ Problem solving:
■​ Being able to identify problems and understand them
■​ Being able to think through problems and identify solutions
■​ Being able to adapt to changing situations quickly
○​ Creativity:
■​ Coming up with multiple solutions to problems
■​ Utilizing the resources available to you in multiple ways
■​ Looking for connections between ideas and trends that others might miss
○​ Applying concepts to real-world situations:
■​ Making connections between what you and know and what you
experience
■​ Using your understanding of key concepts/ideas to improve your real-life
performance
■​ Actively looking for ways to apply what you know to what you do in order
to improve your skills/performance
○​ Develop by:
■​ Do school work that pushes you to think
■​ Read more
■​ Play games that make you think
●​ Communication
○​ Oral and written communication:
■​ Writing and speaking with clearly organized ideas
■​ Ensuring that you are easily understood
■​ Using proper grammar
■​ Using appropriate language
○​ Listening and understanding skills:
■​ Paying attention while others are speaking
■​ Remembering what others have said to you
■​ Understanding what others are saying, clarifying when needed
■​ Addressing issues and concerns that other people have
○​ Clear and effective communication:
■​ Using fully developed sentences and ideas
 ■​Ensuring that others understand what you are saying
■​Being clear with your communication to avoid misunderstanding
■​Learning to proof-fead and edit written communication
■​Avoiding misunderstanding and misinterpretation that could create
problems, or offend other people
○​ Develop by:
■​ Read more
■​ Speak more in class
■​ Try public speaking or performing
■​ Think about what you say
●​ Teamwork
○​ Effective teamwork:
■​ Being able to work well with others, regardless who they are
■​ Being able to stay focused and on task as a team
■​ Leveraging the power of the group / synergizing
○​ Collaboration:
■​ Incorporating the strengths of the group into accomplishing goals
■​ Being able to work on parts of a project, coordinating with others
throughout the process
■​ Developing ideas and solutions as a part of a group
○​ Leadership:
■​ Effective leadership skills -- ensuring that projects are completed
■​ Helping others to be at their bets
■​ Making good decisions when necessary
■​ Knowing when to allow others to take the lead
○​ Develop by:
■​ Set goals
■​ Work with different people
■​ Branch out
●​ Positive attitude
○​ Friendly:
■​ Smiling
■​ Genuinely caring about others
■​ Wanting everyone to feel comfortable and welcome
○​ Loving your work:
■​ Being happy to be at work every day
■​ Wanting to be the best at what you do
■​ Projecting your love for what you do to others around you
○​ Positive mindset:
■​ Seeing the good in everyone
■​ Looking for the posities in every situation
■​ Believing that everyone is learning and can get better at what they do
 ■​ Taking challenges and setbacks with a positive attitude
○​ Develop by:
■​ Practicing daily gratitude
■​ Let go of what you can’t control
●​ Learning
○​ Taking instruction and criticism positively:
■​ Learning from others
■​ Being willing to change
■​ Being willing to admit when you are wrong/need to improve
○​ Self-started learner:
■​ Actively looking for learning opportunities
■​ Choosing to practice and get good at what you do
■​ Taking courses that can help you learn new skills on your own
■​ Seeking mentorship from others who have experience
○​ Being the best you can be:
■​ Practicing your skills regularly
■​ Pushing yourself to improve
■​ Taking on challenges that cause you to grow
■​ Developing new skills (related to what you do)
○​ Develop by:
■​ Embrace learning opportunities
■​ Learn in different ways
■​ Do a passion project
■​ Use teacher feedback
●​ Self-management
○​ Time management:
■​ Showing up to work on time
■​ Completing work in a timely manner
■​ Meeting deadlines
■​ Making good use of your time at work
○​ Taking initiative:
■​ Actively looking for work that you should be completing
■​ Being proactive
■​ Addressing problems you notice
■​ Taking advantage of opportunities to do things that will improve your skills
○​ Able to work without supervision:
■​ Ensuring you completely understand a task
■​ Making sure you have everything you need to complete the task before
you begin
■​ Completing tasks with thorough attention to detail (consistently high
quality of work)
■​ Being trustworthy
 ■​ Being competent in your work
○​ Develop by:
■​ Keeping a schedule
■​ Complete school work on time
■​ Be aware how you use your time
●​ Resilience
○​ Learning from failure:
■​ Recognizing mistakes
■​ Identifying opportunities for improvement
■​ Fixing problems
○​ Performing well under pressure:
■​ Stay calm
■​ Thinking before acting
■​ Focusing on the goal
■​ Prioritizing tasks
○​ Overcoming challenges:
■​ Staying positive in the face of challenges and setbacks
■​ Working as a team to accomplish hard things
■​ Persevering when things get hard
○​ Develop by:
■​ Don’t take failure personally
■​ Take risks (try more)
■​ Have a growth mindset
■​ Learn from mistakes
●​ Numeracy
●​ Organizational
●​ Employers are looking for transferable ‘soft’ skills that make people a great fit for their
workplace
●​ Developing these skills will help you to be successful in every job you do, since they are
applicable to all jobs

What Employers Are Looking For

●​ SOFT SKILLS = skills that are not job specific, but rather pliable or transferable between
careers; focused on:
○​ Communication (oral, written, and listening)
○​ Thinking (critical, creative, problem solving)
○​ Social skills (teamwork, leadership, ethical standards)
○​ Organization and management (proactive, time management, working without
micromanagement)
●​ EXPERIENCE = the more experience you have doing things related to the job, the more
likely it is that you will be hired
 ○​ Experience gives you an advantage
○​ Related work experience
■​ Internships
■​ Apprenticeships
■​ Volunteer experience
■​ Co-op experience
■​ Job experience
○​ Social experience (leadership, teamwork, collaboration in clubs, communities,
school, etc.)
○​ Learning experience
■​ Critical thinking
■​ Major projects
■​ Writing papers
■​ Research intensive

Where can you Develop your Skill Set

●​ Participating on a sports team ⇒ communication, leadership, learning, teamwork,

resilience…
●​ Participating in a school club ⇒ communication, leadership, learning, social skills…
●​ Participating in a project-based club ⇒ critical thinking, teamwork, learning,
communication, time management…
●​ Participating in a school performance ⇒ self-management, resilience, leadership…
●​ Participating in your class ⇒ learning, social skills, thinking, reading, positive attitude
●​ Having a part-time job ⇒ self-management, positive attitude, commitment, numeracy…
●​ A great career choice is a combination of something you love to do, and something that
you have the skills to do
○​ Passion takes experience to develop, so try new things
○​ Skills take practice to develop, so invest the time to get really good at the things
you love to do
●​ Take the time to learn about yourself:
○​ What skills do you have?
○​ What skills are you developing?
○​ What do you really like to do?
○​ What do you really like learning about?
○​ What are you willing to work really hard at doing?
○​ What would you do if you didn't have to do anything else?
○​ What would be a dream job for you?

Success Criteria:
✓​ I can identify several skills that employers look for in potential employees
 ✓​ I can identify transferable skills I have or am developing that will make me employable
✓​ I can make connections between skills I have and skills needed in various job sectors

Results from Homework Career Tests:

The Sixteen Career Clusters top results:

I.​ Box 5 (11 checks) = EDUCATION
II.​ Box 3 (10 checks) = CREATION
III.​ Box 7 (9 checks) = GOVERNMENT

Career Compatibility top results:

I.​ ARTISTIC (14 checks) = writers, artists, entertainers, specialists, engineers, architects.
II.​ MECHANICAL (13 checks) = engineers, surveyors, architects.
III.​ SCIENTIFIC (12 checks) = natural, computer & mathematical scientists, health
professionals, technicians.
IV.​ HUMANITARIAN (11 checks) = social scientists, social workers, religious workers,
lawyers, teachers, librarians, and counselors
V.​ LEADING (9 checks) = executives, managers, social workers, lawyers, writers, artists,
entertainers, teachers.

Lesson 5: Finding the Right Career for You

Lesson Big Ideas

1.​ The ideal career for you is a combination if many factors, including following the High
Five principles, your skillset, and personality traits
 2.​ He kinds of things that you value will determine the type of career that is right for you
3.​ The kinds of things that motivate you to work will determine the right kind of career for
you

What Motivates you?

●​ Personal motivators are factors that motivate you to work

○​ Rewards:
■​ Benefits / bonuses
■​ Financial
■​ Performance
■​ Prestige / recognition
○​ Working conditions:
■​ Autonomy
■​ Security
■​ Structure
■​ Variety
■​ Work-life balance
○​ Social:
■​ Influence
■​ Work relationships
○​ Personal:
■​ Creativity
■​ Self-development
■​ Respectability
■​ Altruism / giving back to society
○​ Stronger matches between your work and what motivates you = better career fit
What is Important to you?

●​ Values are similar to motivation -- these are things important to you:

○​ Personal rewards
○​ Achievement
○​ Helping others (altruism)
○​ Social connections
○​ Level of independence / freedom in your work
●​ Related to your values and worldview:
○​ Codes of conduct
■​ Business plan / vision -- what are they trying to do?
■​ Employer / employees relations
■​ Customers / community -- how do they treat customers?
○​ Order and structure:
■​ Authority -- how decisions are made
■​ Promotion and professional development -- who can rise the ranks or
develop in this company?
■​ How issues are dealt with
○​ Ethics
○​ Rituals (pattern of behavior of a group)
●​ Example of the values of a company:

What is your Ideal Working Environment?

●​ Working environments are influenced by:

○​ Job type
 ○​ Job location
○​ Number of people required to do the job
○​ Company values
○​ Management style
●​ Working environments vary depending on:
○​ Number to people you work with
○​ The kind of people you work with
○​ Type(s) of tasks
○​ Variety of tasks
○​ Level of autonomy
○​ Level of creativity
○​ Level of critical thinking
○​ Opportunities to solve problems
○​ Flexibility (hours and location)
○​ Physical space (a small shop or office vs a large forum)
○​ Clothing required for the job (level of comfort)
○​ Ambiance of the workplace (natural light, plants, noise, environmental
experience)
○​ Interaction with customers
○​ Expectations / performance targets

Success Criteria:
✓​ I can describe my own values, motivators, and interests
✓​ I can connect the results of my personality inventories to types of careers that could be
right for me
✓​ I can connect the High Five principles, skills, and personality together to help you select
careers that are good match for me