Training Session Plan: Job Interview Preparation This training package is about the ability to dress for success in terms of attire for the formal job interview. The training session will span the duration of one hour and include the implementation of the skills needed to understand the importance of one's personal appearance during an interview, better understand the contents of a professional wardrobe, best express an air of personality and professionalism through job interview attire, and implement these tools into real-world interview settings in order to achieve better interviewer perception and additionally better job offer prospects.

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Information for the trainer

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Supporting information

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Course design

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Introduction

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Assessment

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Conclusion

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Session plan

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References

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Job Interview Preparation

Dressing for the Job Interview

Information for the Trainer

Supporting Information

Appropriately presenting oneself in the context of a formal job interview is a skill that is based largely on one's personal appearance. As individuals, including job interviewers, base their opinions of people largely upon their first perception, one's physical appearance in an interview may be of equal importance to the communicative context of the interview itself. In understanding this fact, prospective interviewees can gain helpful insight into the ways in which they can better present themselves at an interview in terms of their clothing and overall physical appearance.

Learning Objectives:

Upon successful completion of the training session, participants should be able to:

1. understand the importance of one's personal appearance during an interview

2. better understand the contents of a professional wardrobe

3. best express an air of personality and professionalism through job interview attire

Location

Handicap-accessible room as per Australian educational guidelines (McCallum 2006, pp. 41).

Room must be large enough to accommodate students in an area of observation as well as provide adequate space for a "mock office" in which sample interviews can be held during the training session

Easily accessible toilet facilities (Grumbine 2010, pp.369)

Adequate ventilation (Grumbine 2010, pp.369)

Adequate temperature (Grumbine 2010, pp.369)

Access to electricity throughout the room in the case of trainee-usage of laptops or other personal technological items

Layout

Table at the front of room for trainer that will further be utilized for "mock interview" during session to aid in the utilization of skills (Harrison 2011, pp.58)

Set of two chairs facing training table for interviewees to sit in during "mock interview" session

Desks or chairs set up in a semi-circle around the training desk for better visualization and participation from trainees during the session (Wright 2011, pp.24).

Equipment

Projector

Screen

Laptop

Writing Materials

Pictures

Questionnaires

Sample Outfit for Men

Sample Outfit for Women

Materials

Copy of power-point presentation with notes sections

Pens/Pencils

Sample pictures portraying inappropriate and appropriate interview attire

Questionnaires regarding general beliefs about personal appearance and job acquisition to be distributed at the beginning of training session

Special Actions before Session

Trainees should be encouraged to attend training session in attire compatible with what each trainee would respectively wear to a formal job interview

Participant level should be kept at a number between 10-15 to ensure full participation in the training session and the ability for questions and comments to be posed after material presentation without significant time constraint

Course Design

This training session has been set in place for adult job seekers, so it is important that the trainer:

Provide the information necessary in a manner that is easy to follow during the training session and easily applicable to everyday use

Provide the necessary resources and statistics applicable to the noted relationship between physical appearance, interview success and job acquisition (Morgan 2011, pp. 13).

Allow participants to speak freely and engage in conversation as to provide a basis for self-implementation of the skills learned within the training course

Introduction

The introduction provides the basis for the training course and should:

Welcome the trainees in an inviting manner

Provide trainees with an orientation of the subject at hand as well as a deeper understanding of how such training can improve interview success and job prospects

Identifies session objectives

Encourages open discussion

Motivates the trainees to engage in the skills being presented based on the success rates that such actions have on interview performance and job prospects. An example of what to say to trainees follows:

"Too many people go to job interviews without the basic knowledge of clothing in regards to the interview process. For instance, wearing excessive jewelry, makeup or inappropriate or skimpy clothing will get interviewees noticed but not hired. One needs to both dress and speak for success" (Stuart 2008, pp.40).

"Research has shown that there is a significant correlation between the clothing one wears and the respective interviewer's decision to hire" (Forsythe 1990, pp.1579).

"The way we dress has a major impact on the people we meet professionally or socially; it communicates a great deal about our competence, in turn greatly affecting...

61 ).
"The most common advice image consultants give in terms of clothing is to learn what is acceptable in your field or job and dress accordingly. For example, at IBM for years, there was an unwritten dress code: a dark suit, blue or gray (generally pin-striped) and a long-sleeved white shirt" (Ilaw, 1988, pp. 218).

"Acquiring a professional wardrobe takes time and money. It should be planned. Learning what is best is important, and quality is more important than quantity. Additionally, classical styles are always a good choice, and never assume that more is better in the realm of clothing, jewelry, makeup, cologne, etc." (Crampton 2005, pp.33-34).

Assessment

In accordance with the training session's set objectives, trainees will be required to fully demonstrate that they can correctly identify the types of attire that are acceptable for a formal job interview by picking from a series of examples and explaining what portions of these examples fit the standard example of an appropriate choice of attire for a job interview. Additionally, trainees' understanding of the information presented will be compared with the attire that these respective trainees chose to wear for their "mock interview" held during the training session. Trainees will have the opportunity to self-evaluate in front of the session trainer and fellow trainees in order to gain an understanding of where he or she went wrong in making his or her additional wardrobe choice as well as to indicate what corrections could be made in the future to alter missteps. In completing the aforementioned assessments, trainees will be observed and deemed competent for the use of the newly-acquired training and skills to be utilized in the real-world environment of the job interview. Trainees who fail to fully grasp the training will be referred to further training sessions in hopes of elaborating on the research, statistic, and skills regarding personal appearance that have been provided by the session at hand.

Such a course will provide the additional skills continuing professionals need to continue their career status, and provide an educational basis to students who have yet to achieve undergraduate or professional degrees. The successful completion of such training will result in the acquiring of an educational course certificate that can be counted toward certain educational requirements in both universities and pre-professional programs as per the standards within Australia.

Conclusion

This training session plan and supporting information for both the session trainer and the session participants will work to ensure that the session on Dressing for the Job Interview is delivered in a manner that successfully yields the retention of the required objectives as well as a full understanding that trainees are left with the capacity to put their respective training to use in their own lives either toward finishing their education or continuing to interview for positions within the workforce. The casual yet structured environment provided by the training session at hand will ensure that each trainee is able to address any and all questions he or she may have during the session in order to better ensure a full understanding of the subject upon the session's completion.

Table I: Session Plan

Program Title:

Job Interview Preparation

Session Title:

Dressing for the Job Interview

Total Time:

90 minutes

Objectives

- Understand the importance of one's personal appearance during an interview

- Better understand the contents of a professional wardrobe

- Best express an air of personality and professionalism through job interview attire

Visual Aids

- Projector

- Screen

- Laptop

- Writing Materials

- Pictures

- Questionnaires

- Sample Outfit for Men

- Sample Outfit for Women

Special Actions before session

- Trainees should be encouraged to attend training session in attire compatible with what each trainee would respectively wear to a formal job interview

- Participant level should be kept at a number between 10-15 to ensure full participation in the training session and the ability for questions and comments to be posed after material presentation without significant time constraint

Table II: Time Schedule

Time

Modus Operandi

Main Points

Details

5 Minutes

PPT -- Welcome

Introduction

Background

- 90 minute course

- Repeat course title

Safety Warnings

- Restrooms

- Exits

Motivation

- Benefits

- Success rates

PPT -- Objectives

Preview

- Course contents

- Length

- Emphasis of communication and participation

- Assessment methods

5 Minutes

(10m elapsed)

Handout

Background

- Trainees will respond to questionnaire regarding what they believe is appropriate interview attire

Body

10 Minutes

(20m elapsed)

Discuss the topic

Group Task

- Ask trainees to identify a positive and negative aspect of their own chosen interview ensemble

- As a group, choose the individual who the group believes is best dressed for an interview

10 Minutes

(30m elapsed)

Power-point/Handouts

Topic 1: Explain the importance of one's wardrobe and personal appearance in an interview setting

- "Dress for Success"

- Statistical evidence regarding correlation

- Significance in trainees' personal lives and careers

10 Minutes

(40m elapsed)

Power-point/Handouts/Clothing Examples

Topic 2:

Explain the basic…