Career resources
free online tools
There are a lot of free online resources to help you explore careers, search for jobs, and market yourself for success!
Career Transitions is a great resource. You will need to create an account in order to get the most out of the site. Some of the coolest things it offers are guided resume and cover letter building, online interview simulations, and honest day-in-the-life job videos. You can also search for Work-Based Learning opportunities and compare careers.
Career exploration videos and tools
Interview simulation
Resume and cover letter builder
Professional skill-building modules
Computer skill tutorials
Standardized test prep
SC Discus is South Carolina's virtual library. You will need a username and password to log in, but it's totally worth the effort. I can give you the login info, or you can ask your school media specialist. Once you are on the site, navigate to the Jobs & Career Resources section for all the tools you see there to the left.
The skill-building modules are particularly helpful for students who are practicing for certifications or state licensure. You can also access free prep materials for standardized tests.
TO GET TO LEARN360's GREAT VIDEO LIBRARY:
Go to the Learn360 middle and high school section
Click on "Videos"
Click on "Browse Subjects." (The first category is "Career Development and Technical Education")
Click on "Career Planning & Development" or "Job Search Skills" for some helpful videos.
More to Explore
If a company has asked you to submit your resume and application through a website, you should watch this video on how to write a resume that beats the automated tracking system many recruiters use for hiring.
If you've been hired and are moving on to the next step, watch this video on how to have a successful orientation.
There's also a great library of professional skills videos like the one on the left which demonstrates a "One-Length Haircut."
wealth of info from the department of labor
o*net online is a valuable resource for anyone looking for a job or changing careers.
The slides on the left show you one way a student can navigate o*net online to prepare for a successful work life after high school.
resumes
Everyone needs an updated resume. Everyone. It doesn't matter if you've never had an official job before. You still have skills and life experience employers might value.
Get to Career Ready: Resume PlanningIf you are building a resume for the first time, you can use the worksheet to your left to make sure you have all the information you need to get started. This resource is just for planning. The next step is to input the essential information into a resume-building platform that will present your qualifications in a professional way.
To the right is an example of a simple Google Docs resume template I often use with students. All you have to do is erase the generic template wording and insert your information. I like this template because it looks great printed in color, but it also looks really nice printed in black and white.
I like using Google Docs, because it's easy for me to help you on that platform. We can work on your resume "live" from different locations. You can choose to give me "edit" access to make changes, or you can allow me to comment with my suggestions.
To the left is an example of a Microsoft Word resume template. You can move the sections around once you change the generic wording to your information.
I'm a big fan of the Tallo platform. Tallo is short for Talent Locator. Parents and business owners, think of it as LinkedIn meets Facebook. Students, think of Tallo as your professional social media. It's a great way to start building your personal brand. Tallo helps you create a digital resume that's cooler than a traditional document resume. You can create multi-media mobile portfolios that allow you to show potential colleges, employers, and scholarship providers what you can do.
A traditional resume allows you to tell about yourself, but "a picture is worth a thousand words" is a cliche' for a reason. Tallo allows you to post pictures, video, graphics, and digital badges. You can tell the platform whether to include your GPA or leave it off; to include your SAT score, or forget that ever happened; shout from the rooftops that you are the president of the Aglet Fan Club of America, or just keep that fact to yourself. It's up to you.
Tallo has created a library with a bunch of "How To" Videos. Click here to learn how to stand out to recruiters.
One of my students created a Tallo profile and didn't do much with it for months. Toward the end of the school year, he got multiple offers from major employers willing to hire him and pay for college. He didn't do anything except create his profile with his class and leave it alone. The opportunities came to him.
By the way, that student from Bonds Mechatronics is now a Michelin Technical Scholar. He has a salary, benefits, and a free education.
Click on the Tallo logo above to learn more about the platform or to sign up!
LinkedIn is a professional networking site and mobile app where professionals can create profiles, search for jobs, find qualified candidates, and share stories. LinkedIn is not a closed platform like Tallo, but it has some helpful resources for students. You can download the LinkedIn Student Job Hunting Handbook for free.
LinkedIn Student Job Hunting Handbook Part 1: Practical guide for kick-starting your career
LinkedIn Student Job Hunting Handbook Part 2: Job searching for students and recent graduates
LinkedIn Student Job Hunting Handbook Part 3: Interviewing for Students and recent graduates
WHAT MAKES A GREAT COVER LETTER AND RESUME?
If the average employer spends only seconds scanning a resume, how on earth can you expect to catch his or her attention? Check out this video from Harvard's Office of Career Services assistant Director. She will show you how to market yourself for success!
interviews
If you've never done an interview for an internship, co-op, or real grownup job, the anticipation can be anxiety-inducing. For introverts, the very idea can cause a full-on panic attack.
Have no fear, though! Bombing an interview as a high school student is almost expected. Knocking it out of the park is NOT. Even if you ultimately don't get the internship, you will never again have to do your first interview. Check that box. You're already a step ahead of where you were yesterday. Plus, there's a lot of learning that happens when things don't go perfectly. That's why you're in high school in the first place: to learn. You don't have as much to lose as, say, a 40-year-old woman with three children, a mortgage, a car payment, and two dogs. Most likely, your parents are making those payments and raising those children and paying for those dogs to go the vet.
I'm happy to help if you want to practice your interviewing skills, but if you want to help yourself right now, check out the link to the left. You'll find interactive practice sessions, videos from a career counselor, and interview strategy tips.
featured careers
One of the most popular programs at Bonds Career Center is welding. Students at our feeder high schools can apply for the program in 10th grade. Students who are successful in Bonds Welding have many opportunities for Work-Based Learning with our business partners, and the career opportunities after graduation are endless.
Watch the video to the right to learn more about welding or read Build Your Future's article 6 Reasons You Should Become a Welder.
Automotive Technician
Bonds Career Center offers a two-year program in Automotive Technology. This career path is constantly evolving. Auto Technicians of today still have to enjoy working with their hands, but because vehicles of today have more computerized systems than ever, technicians have to also enjoy working with their minds. Check out this video to learn more about working in the auto tech industry.
Advanced Manufacturing
There are so many jobs in advanced manufacturing in the Upstate, and students who attend many of the programs at Bonds Career Center are often qualified to begin these careers while still in high school. The South Carolina Department of Commerce reports advanced manufacturing companies in the state created 66,000 new jobs from 2011-2018, and the growth doesn't seem to be slowing down.
Advanced Manufacturing at BMW
in Upstate SC
Thousands of people work in advanced manufacturing in Upstate South Carolina. It's clean, safe, and brightly lit, unlike the picture many people have in their minds of what manufacturing looks like. Watch the video to the left to see the future of advanced manufacturing in action.
Machinist
I have to admit that until I started working at Bonds Career Center I had no idea what a Machinist did. That's kind of embarrassing for me to type, but maybe you don't know either. I'll save you the humiliation. To put it simply, chances are, unless you are in the woods away from all manmade objects, at least one thing within a hundred feet of you required a machinist to produce. Can you imagine how many machinists the world needs? A LOT. What does that mean for a person who chooses a career as a machinist? A LOT of opportunity!
Click on the picture to the left to see a video that shows what a machinist does.
Be Pro Be Proud SC has a great library of videos including this one on machining and this one on CNC operators. You can also find information on salary, education requirements, and even look for a job on Be Pro Be Proud.
